What Hank wanted.  A divorce that caused minimal changes for his family

What Carol wanted.  A familiar home and a predictable income for herself and the boys.

What happened.  Hank agreed his family could stay in their home until the boys finished college.  He would continue to hold the property jointly with Carol and pay for maintenance and repairs.  When the boys graduated and the house went up for sale, Hank and Carol would deduct his maintenance expenses from the proceeds and divide the profit in half.

Kimberly’s analysis.  Not only were both husband and wife pleased with this agreement, but the kids were able to continue with their regular routine.  Hank’s support checks were reduced because he paid only actual house expenses as they came up, as opposed to an estimate of possible monthly expenses.  Carol was pleased because she could depend on Hank for predictable monthly payments and not have to budget for costly repair work.  Collaboration was crucial here.  The court would not have been able to make such a mutually satisfactory agreement, because it involved a continuing relationship between a divorced couple.