Are you dealing with a fire-damaged house in Houston, Texas, and looking to sell it fast? Very Fast Home Buyers can help you, but we also want to give you all the facts so you can make an informed decision.
Per the National Fire Protection Association, 363,000 residential building fires in 2018 led to over $8 million in property damage. Common causes for home fires include cooking equipment, heating problems, smoking inside, electrical equipment malfunctions, unattended candles, faulty wiring, barbeques, and lightning, just to name a few. No matter how a fire starts, it’s important to know that these things happen and they can happen to any homeowner.
If you find yourself dealing with a house that has suffered fire damage in Houston, it might feel as though you’re stuck without any options. However, there are steps you can take to sift through the ashes and make it easier to sell the house. There are options that exist on the open market as well as with real estate investors who want to buy your house as-is for cash. Let’s take a closer look at how to sell a house with fire damage in Houston, Texas.
Fire Damaged House in Texas: Tips to Sell
Tell Your Insurance Company
When you’re dealing with a house with fire damage, the first thing you should do is let your insurance company know what’s happened. You’ll want to understand the full extent of your coverage as well as what is covered and what isn’t. If you have fire insurance, you’re in a very good position to get reimbursements for the damage before you try to sell. If you don’t, it might be trickier to recoup anything. All insurance companies handle these situations differently so it’s probably a good idea to review your policy now before it’s too late and you’re left taking what they give you.
Your insurance company will want to inspect the property or see an inspection from a licensed inspection company and they’ll need to sign off on any repairs that need to be done and who does them. Knowing where the insurance company stands and how much money you should expect to receive, you’ll be able to make a smart decision about what to do next with your fire-damaged house in Houston.
Collect What You Can
If the Houston fire department was called to help your house, you will need to get their permission to re-enter your home. Once you have it, you need to mentally prepare yourself for what you might find. It’s normal to have a desire to find items that have emotional value or heirlooms, but that’s not your priority right now. Your first priority is to find vital documents such as insurance benefits and financial records. You’ll have time to come back and deal with the rest soon enough.
Once you have access to the house, you’ll want to begin the clean-up process quickly before any kind of further damage occurs. One of the side effects of fire clean-up is that you might have to pump out water that was used to put it out. There are likely broken windows and doors that need to be covered and boarded. Take a look around for other openings to the home in order to prevent further weather damage. You may also want to consider posting temporary fencing around the house or property, which will discourage bystanders and potential thefts from happening.
Get Your Fire Damaged House Inspected
Whether you do it through your insurance company or just on your own, it’s critical to get a home inspection from a licensed professional who knows what to look for in a house with fire damage. A reputable inspector will be able to find the issues and problems that might not be obvious on the surface. They’ll be able to understand what certain issues and signs mean and how today’s damage can lead to tomorrow’s bigger problem. Even if the fire damage seems minimal, it’s important to get an inspection. You don’t want to skimp on this if you plan to sell the house on the open market.
The inspector should provide you with a complete list of what needs to be repaired in the house. If you decide that you want to make repairs in order to sell your Houston house, you can begin to request bids from contractors to fix it. That way you’ll not only be able to figure out who you want to hire but also what the costs will be.
Decide if You’ll Sell Your Fire Damaged House on the Market
When a house has fire damage in Houston, there are two options to consider if you want to sell.
The first option is to repair what you can and attempt to get the house in shape enough to sell it on the open market. You can use the money provided to you by the insurance company or use your own if that’s not an option. This isn’t always going to be a choice, depending on your financial situation.
This option can be a very tricky one for owners. Even if you get the house in ideal shape, you’ll have to disclose that there was fire damage to any potential buyer. Even with best efforts, that could make them wonder about the condition of the house and whether or not there’s a problem waiting for them down the road. It’s a red flag that may never truly go away.
It’s also important to remember repairs can be expensive and include a lengthy process. If the fire damage requires you to rehab entire rooms or floors, that could take months and could cost more money than you could expect to get back in a sale. You’ll have to decide if it’s worth it to sit on a fire-damaged home for months with the hope that you’ll be able to recoup your costs in the end. Average costs for someone repairing a house with fire damage is usually somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 and have even been known to go as high as $100,000 depending on the situation. If you’re looking to sell your house fast, this might not be the way to go.
Sell Your Fire Damaged House As-Is for Cash
There is another option that exists for those who want to sell their fire-damaged house but don’t want to put in the time, money, and effort needed to list it on the open market. You can sell the house as-is directly to a real estate investor like Very Fast Home Buyers, who will pay you cash for it.
We buy houses in Houston in their current condition no matter what, which includes fire damage. You don’t have to make repairs. You don’t even have to clean up. If you want to sell your house fast and get cash in your pockets, we’ll buy it as it stands right now.
All you have to do is contact us and let us know about your situation. We’ll make an appointment to talk or visit the property so we can assess it. Then we’ll make you a fair cash offer without any need by you to make repairs or upgrades. If you like the offer, you can close on the deal on your time, often in a matter of days. Then you get cash in your pocket, don’t have to worry about renovating the fire-damaged house, and get to move on with your life.