When a fire has unfortunately damaged your property, you might have to face questions regarding whether or not your home is going to get sold. Generally, your two options are to repair it first or sell the house as it is. Naturally, these two options also have their pros and cons. Depending on the extent of the fire’s damage to your home, the availability of financial resources and the claim that you can have from your insurance could substantially affect your decision on which way to go. The bottom line is that yes, you can still sell your home even if it has remnants of fire damage.
That said, here are some tips for you to apply when selling your home with fire damage:
- First Restore The House To Its Original State
If you wish to make the most out of selling your home, then you’re going to have to restore the house to its original state. If your house comes with fire insurance, then this is also the right time for you to phone your home insurance agent. Note that fire damage can be costly, so you’re going to need whatever financial assistance you can get from your insurance providers.
Here are some facets that can make a house restoration costly:
- Fire clean up is expensive. Not only does this have to do with the difficulty of the job, but also because of the harmful toxic materials that the cleaners are going to be exposed to. Exposure to soot can heighten the risk of lung and other respiratory problems.
- Prolonged smoke damage can lead to permanent negative impacts. When you don’t take damage caused by the smoke seriously, you’re guaranteed lasting negative effects to your house. These can be visible in your walls, roof, ceilings, and attic.
- Fire remediation is the birth of other costly repairs. While restoring damage to your home due to fire, you should also be ready for additional expenses that you’ll necessarily incur. Often, these can involve mold removal and water damage restoration.
- Sell To A We-Buy-Houses Company
If you can’t go through the process of fully restoring your home, then you’ve also got the option of selling your property to a We-Buy-Houses company, like Axess Home Buyers. Especially if you’re low on cash and have no fire insurance covering your home, then this is the better way for you to go.
A We-Buy-Houses Company accepts your house in its current state, which means that you’d no longer have to undertake any repairs. In exchange for buying your home as it is, these companies usually pay you the full purchase price in cash, or through check.
Such companies buy homes that have not undergone repairs simply because that’s the business that they’re in. They renovate and flip the homes to improve their condition, following which they sell them for a higher price.
If you’re desperate to sell your home fast, then this option may be best for you.
- Always Go Through An Inspection
Never sell a fire-damaged home without first going through a thorough inspection process. Potential buyers are going to ask for this too. You wouldn’t want to be liable for any accident that may happen simply because you’ve withheld information. Perhaps you might not even be sure in the first place that the house is safe to live in.
It’s always vital to get a home inspection from a professional who knows what to look for in a house that’s been damaged by fire. Also, these professionals can find hidden defects that you may not have noticed.
- Disclose All Necessary Information To Your Buyers
Especially when you’re selling to private buyers, you must disclose the necessary information about fire damage to them. Don’t even try to hide the fact that your home was previously affected by fire. Potential buyers are going to find out about this anyway. The more honest you are, the higher the chances that you’re going to be able to sell the house fast.
Conclusion
There are many ways for you to go about selling your home that has suffered fire damage. You could opt to sell your house as it is. By this, it means that the house will undergo very little to no repairs at all. Of course, this would necessitate that you have buyers willing to accept the house in its present state. If not, then you’re going to need to do the necessary repairs. With these tips, hopefully, now you can see some light that it’s still possible to sell your house even if it has fire damage. You’ve only got to be patient and put in a little bit of hard work.