If your house was damaged by fire in Fort Collins and you want to sell it, you have two options: sell it “as is” or renovate it before putting it on the market.

Let’s start with the more complicated process, The Renovation.

Selling A House After Fire in Fort Collins: Option #1 Renovation

The renovation of a burned house will also include a deep-cleaning process to remove the soot and the smoke. Don’t forget the mold, a normal by-product after a fire. So here are the steps you should consider:

• Contact your insurance company, of course, if your house was insured. The insurance company will offer advice and assistance, not only to fund the renovation.
• Hire a professional to do a minute safety check of all things that might have been damaged during the fire: foundation, electrical system, pipework. This professional will also look for any signs of mold. With the checklist in hand, you can start repairing what was damaged.
• Perform a deep cleaning but first strip the house for smoke crawls behind cabinets and other pieces of furniture and stains the walls. Again professional deep cleaning is best. Usually, specialized companies will use a non-toxic substance: baking soda. The house surfaces will be sandblasted and this procedure will do wonders in quickly removing the soot and the smoke odor. You can try to perform this deep cleaning yourself but it will take longer and you will most probably have to use a more toxic chemical since you do not have sand blasting equipment. Take all the necessary precautions when using a toxic solution for cleaning: use protective gloves, a mask and don’t forget to install a fan for air circulation in the area you are working at.
• The smell of smoke tends to seep into the walls sometimes you can use what’s called an Ozone Generator to remove the smell but in some severe cases, all the sheetrock in the surrounding area to the fire needs to be replaced.
• This is will be the best time to modify the floorplan if the current is not what the buyers are looking for.
• Even if after cleaning, repairing and remodeling the fire damage is completely removed you will have to make a complete disclosure that is compulsory by law.
• List your house and be honest both about the damages caused by the fire but don’t forget to emphasize the improvements that you made, the curb appeal and all the other selling points your house has. Some of the possible buyers will not want to buy a house that was damaged by fire, but other buyers will not have a problem buying such a house if all inspections were done properly and the house is in very good shape again.

As you realize from the information above it is not an easy task to renovate and after then sell a house after being damaged by fire so let’s examine the other option: Sell as is.

Selling A House After Fire in Fort Collins: Option #2 Selling House “As Is”

This will be a fastest and easiest option if you don’t have house insurance or enough insurance to cover your renovation costs and no savings for such an endeavor. Selling your house after a fire in Fort Collins might also be a good option if the damage of the house is too severe and a complete remodelling will take a long time and lots of money. Even with a less complex renovation of a burned house when you take into account the emotional stress of the experience you might come to the same conclusion as other homeowners: selling my Fort Collins house “as is” might just work best for me.

If you decide to sell a house after fire in Fort Collins call us at (970) 744-4944 or fill out this form and we will get you a fair price cash offer for your property. You will be able to sell the house without the pain of a complex renovation and deep cleaning and the sale will be fast and smooth; as we can close in as little as 9 days. Thus you will be able to move on, in no time, after the painful experience of seeing your Fort Collins house damaged by fire and after losing dear, and most of the time, irreplaceable memories.