FWIW, I did go through a couple months of a nesting arrangement. I couldnt deal well with living in the same house as my ex-WW and pushed for the separation to start earlier than she could get a second place. So we did the nesting arrangement for about 2 months before she planned to move out. Luckily, we each have family and friends nearby and spent that time in guest rooms and couches and such.
I can see both sides of the coin for the arrangement. I think the kids having as much stability as possible during a time of upheaval is definitely a positive. My kids didnt leave the home during that time, and I was able to keep the place after my XW left, so theyve at least had a constant touchpoint. If you wind up selling the house anyway, maybe it's less important. Ultimately, I think it comes to finances - Can she afford a second place to go and which can be furnished to be living with the kids? My ex and I couldnt really set up a second living space quickly and it didnt make sense for the times when she had them for her to be couch surfing with them or whatever.
The key to making nesting work (which we did a poor job) is setting some ground rules at each place regarding cleaning, chores, etc. My ex was in our main house on garbage day and didnt take anything out over the course of a month ::eyeroll:: Of course, she didnt mow the lawn or clean the sheets, grocery shop or whatever either. I dont know that it's the worst arrangement as 1) you can live your own life without focusing on every little thing she does and 2) it gives you a chance to work together and collaborate.
