Fire damage · Arizona
Sell a fire-damaged house in Phoenix
After a fire, the insurance claim, the mortgage lender, and the condition of the house all affect when and how you can sell. Here is how they fit together.
- No repairs, cleaning, or showings
- No commissions. We pay the closing costs
- Close in as little as about 14 days, or later
Get your cash offer
Takes about a minute. No obligation.
You can sell a fire-damaged house before or after repairs. Insurance checks for the structure usually name your mortgage lender as well as you, and the lender often releases the money in stages as repairs are done. If you sell before rebuilding, settle with your insurer and lender on who keeps the claim money before you sign a contract. A cash buyer can buy the house as it stands.
The first few days
- Secure the house: board up openings, tarp the roof, and fence it if needed. Your policy probably requires you to prevent further damage, and the cost is usually covered.
- Get the fire department report number and photograph everything before cleanup.
- Call your insurer and your mortgage servicer. Ask about additional living expenses if you lived there.
How the insurance money flows
Payment for the structure usually comes as a check made out to you and your mortgage lender. The lender typically deposits it in a loss-draft account and releases it in stages as repairs are inspected. Contents and living-expense payments usually come to you directly. Depending on your policy, the full replacement cost may be paid only after repairs are done; until then you may get the actual cash value.
Selling before repairs
This is common. You keep the house as-is, and the sale pays off the mortgage. The open question is the structure claim. Your choices are usually to settle the claim and keep the payment (with the lender's agreement, once the loan is paid off at closing), or to work out an arrangement with the buyer if the insurer and lender allow it. Get the answer in writing before signing a contract.
If you have questions about how the insurer is handling the claim, the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions takes consumer complaints.
Disclosure
Disclose the fire, the repairs done, and anything you know about smoke, water, or structural damage. A buyer will inspect closely. Hidden damage is what leads to disputes after closing. See our repairs page.
When a cash sale is the wrong choice
If the damage is limited, the insurance will fully fund the repairs, and you want to stay or list a finished house, rebuilding can come out ahead. A cash sale fits when the damage is extensive, the claim won't cover it, you don't want to manage a rebuild, or you have already moved on.
How a sale to us works after a fire
We walk the house as it is, safely, with you or your adjuster's report in hand, and we make a written offer. We work around your insurance timeline and close at a title company that pays off the mortgage. You don't clean up or rebuild anything.
Sources
General information for Arizona homeowners, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Huge Cash Offer is a home buyer, not a law firm, lender, or housing counselor. Laws and fees change; check the linked sources.
Straight answers
Read before you decide
How do cash home buyers in Phoenix calculate an offer?
How Phoenix cash home buyers get from a house to a number: after-repair value, repairs, holding and resale costs, and margin, with a worked example.
Read the guideShould I fix my house before selling in Phoenix, or sell as-is?
How to decide whether a repair pays back before you sell in the Phoenix area, which items financed buyers' lenders care about, and a side-by-side example.
Read the guideWhat must a seller disclose in Arizona, even selling as-is?
Selling as-is doesn't remove the duty to disclose known defects in Arizona. What the SPDS covers, what the law says you don't have to disclose, and how to handle it honestly.
Read the guideQuestions
Straight answers.
Can I sell a fire-damaged house before the insurance pays?
Often yes, but agree with your insurer and lender in writing first about who keeps the structure claim payment.
Who gets the insurance money if I sell?
That depends on your policy, the lender, and your contract. Usually the owner keeps the claim after the loan is paid off, but confirm before signing.
Why is my mortgage lender's name on the insurance check?
The lender has an interest in the house, so the structure payment usually names both of you. The lender may release it in stages as repairs are done.
Do I have to disclose a fire when selling?
Yes. Disclose the fire, any repairs, and what you know about remaining damage.
Do I have to clean up before selling to a cash buyer?
No. Secure the house; we buy it as it stands.
How it works
- Tell us about the house. About a minute, no obligation.
- Get a written offer. We walk the house once; offer usually within 24 hours.
- Close when it works for you. At a licensed title company, in as little as about 14 days.
Who you are dealing with
- Buying Valley houses since 2012
- Local office: 3602 E Greenway Rd, Suite 105, Phoenix, AZ 85032
- We proudly partner with Great American Title Agency.
- A+ rating with the BBB
“Thank goodness for the great people at Huge Cash Offer. They bought my house and paid for my moving truck. It was convenient to have that taken care of. I would sell my house to them twice if I could.”
Find out what your house is worth to us.
Get a written cash offer, usually within 24 hours. No obligation and no pressure.
- Houses in all kinds of condition
- A real person calls, usually the same day
- A flexible closing date
Get my cash offer
Takes about a minute. No obligation.