476. In granting an application for the partition of undivided property, the court may order either a partition in kind or the sale of the property.
The court may appoint an expert, or more than one expert if necessary, to assess the value of the property, divide the property into lots and distribute the lots, if the property can conveniently be divided and distributed, or to sell the property in the manner determined by the court. On completion of the operations, the expert prepares a report, files it with the court office and delivers a copy to the co-owners.
The expert must have the report homologated; the homologation application may be contested by any interested person. When homologating the report, the court may, if necessary, direct the court clerk or any other person it designates to hold a drawing of the lots; minutes of this operation must be filed in the court record.