Selling a Fire-Damaged House

How to Sell a House With Fire Damage 

Finding a buyer after a house fire can be challenging. Generally, you have two options: make repairs and hire an agent or sell it as-is to a cash buyer. 

You may get a better price for your house if you restore it, but that takes time and money. Selling your home as-is will save your wallet from expensive fixes. However, you might not receive as much money as if you made repairs and listed the house – this isn’t always the case. 

Consider the factors below when deciding which option is better suited for your situation. 

      1. Restore and Sell the House

Depending on the level of damage, you might be able to repair your home and list it. However, you’ll have to work with insurance and foot the bill for various inspections before the house is ready to sell. Here are some of the necessary steps you’ll need to take after a house fire.

Call Your Insurance Company

The first call you make should be to your insurance company. They’ll tell you the immediate steps to take. For example, you may need to secure the property to prevent vandalism or shut off your utilities, depending on the level of damage. 

Most home insurance policies cover fire damage. That said, you’ll want to determine the extent of your coverage and what your policy does and doesn’t cover. 

A claims adjuster will be sent by your insurance company to assess the damage and estimate the cost of repairing your home. Several factors will affect renovation costs, including: 

• The extent of fire damage
• Cleanup from fire extinguishers
• Smoke damage 
• Soot removal 
• Water damage cleanup 

Have Your Home Inspected & Repaired

Insurance adjusters differ from home inspectors, so you’ll need to hire your own home inspector. Your house may need several types of inspectors if there’s significant damage. This could include structural, electric, mechanical, and plumbing inspections, ranging from $400 to $600 each. 

Once you know the extent of damage, you can start gathering bids for repairs, so you’ll be in a better position to judge whether you actually want to restore the house or sell it as-is. 

Disclose Any Fire Damage to Buyers

Even after you repair the house's fire damage, you’ll likely need to disclose the fire to potential buyers. It generally pays to be upfront about fire damage, including how the fire started. 

You’ll also want to keep detailed records of all the work done on your home when repairing fire damage, just in case something comes up in the sale process. 

      2. Sell Your House As-Is for Cash

It can be difficult to repair a fire-damaged house completely. In addition to the damage caused by flames, there could be other issues you’ll need to resolve before selling. 

The fastest way to sell your house after a fire is with a real estate investor. Local home-buying companies, like Reliant Home Buyers of TN, can make you a cash offer and buy your property in “as-is” condition. This means you won’t have to hire inspectors or fix all of the fire damage. Plus, you’ll get to skip the cleaning and staging steps associated with listing your house. 

Cash offers also take less time to finalize because you don’t have any lenders to deal with. While the final price depends on the situation, a cash sale can give you peace of mind by helping put the fire behind you so you can move on and make a fresh start. 

For more information, check out these benefits of accepting a cash offer on a house.