Divorce Institute’s broker grads learn to ‘minimize conflict, maximize profits’

If love is a battlefield then divorce is the grim aftermath. And when real estate brokers approach that emotional war zone, they should be ready.

Enter Claremont-based Divorce Real Estate Institute, which on Friday announced its first graduating class of “certified divorce real estate experts.”

The graduate’s went through the institute’s first weeklong course at the Pomona College in Claremont, where 18 agents received 40 hours of training, the company said.

For those not based in Los Angeles, the DREI also offers an online video course with video training sessions. The program says it will teach agents “to hold divorce transactions together and stop losing deals.”

Institute founder and chief executive Laurel Starks led the program, taught by three attorneys, a family court judge and divorce lending specialist.

Starks, who wrote the book, “The House Matters in Divorce,” said divorce listings are complex and riddled with landmines. “They expose the real estate professional to additional liability,” she said. “The family law community needs more real estate agents who are trained and versed in family law to minimize conflict, maximize profits, and to do it from a fair, unbiased place.”