Document & Decisions Log: Your One-Page Control Centre (Ontario)

In a separation, memory is unreliable and text threads are chaos. What keeps a sale fair and fast is a single page that tells you what changed, who approved it, and when. Call it a Decisions Log. It isn’t fancy software; it’s the discipline of writing things down in the same place every time. Lawyers like it because it reduces disputes. Buyers benefit because it keeps you responsive. You’ll like it because it shrinks the mental load to something you can actually carry.

Begin with the purpose: your log is not a diary; it’s a control centre. It tracks the decisions that move a sale—pricing, access, marketing milestones, and offers—and it links to the evidence behind them. When you decide on a list price, the log captures the date, the number, who agreed, and where the comparable sales live. When you adjust the price, the log shows why and who signed off. When you approve photos, the log notes what’s in and what’s out. You aren’t memorializing feelings; you’re creating a timeline of the facts that matter.

Set it up in whatever tool you’ll actually use. A shared Google Doc or Sheet works well because both spouses and the realtor can view it, and you can lock down editing so changes are controlled. Keep the layout boring and predictable: a date column, a “what changed” column, a short “why” column, a “who approved” column, and a “link” column that points to the supporting item—comparables, the photographer’s gallery, or the PDF of an offer. At the top, add the property address, MLS number once live, and the core timelines (photo day, go-live date, offer date if any). This is the page you open first every time someone asks “where are we at?”

During the listing phase, the log is your heartbeat. You’ll record when the photos were approved, when the listing went live, and when the first weekend of showings finished. You’ll capture buyer feedback themes in a sentence or two and the small tweaks you both agreed to make (a touch-up, a revised showing window, a copy edit). If one spouse occupies the home, the log is where blackout times live so there’s never an argument about whether Tuesday at six was off-limits. If you’re in a condo, it’s where you note the date the status certificate was ordered and received so you’re not hunting emails the night before an offer.

When offers arrive, the log earns its keep. Each offer gets a line with the buyer’s code name, price, deposit, conditions and lengths, closing date, inclusions, and irrevocable time. The link points to the PDF. When you counter, you add another line showing exactly what changed and when the counter expires. If you reject or let an offer die, the log records it in neutral language. You don’t need long narratives—just enough to rebuild what happened if anyone asks a month later. This is how you eliminate “I never saw that” from the conversation and how your lawyer can instantly understand the path that led to a signed agreement.

The log also tames deadlines. Put firm dates in bold: status-certificate review end time, financing condition due, inspection window, title search date, and your own planning milestones like mover booking and key exchange. When a date shifts, you edit a single line instead of rewriting an email thread. If a buyer asks for an extension, you note the request, the new deadline, and who approved it. Lenders and buyers’ lawyers love sellers who run this tightly—their confidence often shows up as cleaner terms.

Because this is Ontario and many sales during separation involve proceeds held in trust, reserve a small section at the bottom for the closing plan: who your lawyers are, what debts will be paid on closing, and the agreed instruction for where net proceeds will sit until release. On closing day, the log gets its final entries—wire times, key handover, and confirmation that utilities were shut off—and then it becomes an archive that proves what you did and why.

None of this is about micromanagement. It’s about lowering the temperature by taking “he said/she said” off the table. The Decisions Log gives you a common sheet of music: equal information, clear approvals, and a timeline anyone can audit. When pressure builds—as it always does around pricing conversations and offer deadlines—you can point to the page and keep moving together. In a season when so much feels out of control, one page can give you back just enough to make the next decision well.

Information only—Ontario-specific. Please obtain legal advice for your situation.