Another icon of the supposed "big win" in traditional divorce settlements is down in the dirt. It used to be that splitting spouses would often tussle over who would get the house. These days, even under Pennsylvania's availability of affordable, simple, uncontested divorce, the battle, as likely as not, could be over who gets saddled with the real estate.

Regardless of income bracket, the home has tended to represent the biggest piece of the equity pie for any couple who happened to own a home. Hence, it used to be the biggest prize in divorce. But with property values in the tank, the home has become something to avoid. They cost money to keep up and they're hard, if not impossible, to sell.

Some family law experts acknowledge that the home, especially the really high priced ones, have become something of an albatross for whoever gets it. They say an ex-spouse is better off selling the place for whatever is possible and getting out from under.

And the higher the cost of the home, the worse it can be. In one example in Manhattan, a divorcing couple had an $8 million condo. The place sat on the market for about two years. Finally someone came along and offered $5 million for it. The husband said OK. The wife said no. The result was an impasse. The divorce is still unsettled.

The situation of the housing market has even prompted some entrepreneurial types to address the need. One such group focuses on supplying divorcing couples with advice on how to prevent major land asset headaches. Getting the home appraised, inspected and title searched are all part of their arsenal. As the company founders put it, these days you're divorcing not just the spouse, but the house, too.

The bottom line in the estimate of some experts is this: Divorce may divide things equally, but whoever gets the house has less financial liquidity.

Source: Forbes.com, "House Regret: Among Divorcing Couples, The House Is Now A 'Hot Potato'," Marcelle Sussman Fischler, Oct. 10, 2011