Buying out my spouse's share of the house — how do I price it?

Standard CA formula: (Current fair-market value − payoff on the mortgage − reasonable sale costs) ÷ 2 = each spouse's share. For value, both sides usually agree to a neutral appraisal ($500-$700, split). For sale costs, courts typically use 5-7% of FMV (broker, escrow, title) even though you're not actually selling. Watch out for separate-property contribution claims (Family Code §2640) — if either of you put down a separate-property amount, that comes off the top before the 50/50 split. The other thing people miss: you usually need to refinance to remove the leaving spouse from the loan. The judgment should make refinance a deadline (90-180 days) and address what happens if it can't be done.