All Forum Posts by: Jeremy VanDelinder

I flip fire-damaged properties and own a fire damage restoration company.  There really is not such thing as an "average." Depending on the extent of damage it could range from a light cleaning to "bulldoze and rebuild." 

The challenge with fire damaged properties is that there is more than meets the eye. For example, often fire damage is water damage--they put the red stuff out with wet stuff. Unmitigated water damage becomes mold damage and and there is the potential of extensive smoke damage in the same airspace. 

@J Scott's advice is spot on.I would recommend you find a fire restoration company/contractor to walk the property with you and give you a good understanding as to what needs to be done. There are many things that could be overlooked as part of the renovation on fire-damaged properties.

Let me know if I can help by providing any advice, looking at pictures, etc.

So let's try this again--I posted in a previous post, but somehow a moderator took a genuine offer to help as a solicitation of services. So to be clear--I'm almost 200 miles away from you. You are way outside of my area and I DO NOT work in your area. 

That having been said, fire damage is my area of expertise because I own a fire damage restoration company and flip fire damage properties. If you need any advice or have questions, I'm happy to help. (For NO CHARGE) 🙄...because I'm pretty sure that's what the forums are for. Helping fellow investors.

It looks to me like they did the bare minimum. I do see bracing put in place to reinforce the damage (hard to tell just from the pictures, but I see a corresponding to "sister" (aka "scab") for the badly damaged pieces. (I do see at least one that should have been reinforced). That being said, I do not see anything that concerns me from a structural point of view. (DISCLAIMER--my view is limited and I'm not a structural engineer, so that's not an official 'stamp of approval.')

How is the odor?  In addition to reinforcing the structural elements, I prefer to take out as much affected wood as is practical to eliminate odor. Everything should be sealed (sometime a clear coat seal is used, so I can't really tell if it has been sealed or not), but our standard is that everything that has "alligatoring" (the heat damage that has the ridges like the back of an alligator) comes out. 

Any concerns with electrical? Was there any wiring in proximity to this damaged area? Has that been thoroughly inspected? There is evidence of fairly high heat which will also damage wiring. 

Personally here is what I would do in this situation--for what it's worth: I would bring in a contractor and get a price to redo this area of framing and put on a new roof (decking and shingles). Then I would use that to negotiate the price down. After you buy it, its up to you as to whether you fix it or not--if you are going to hold it for a while and odor is not an issue, you may just leave it alone. If the roof is not due to replace, you could just save that money and redo the framing when you redo the roof.

(Keep in mind that because of what I do it is a bit less intimidating to me--not everyone has the stomach to deal with that kind of damage. It's just a matter of what your goals and risk tolerance is as an investor.)

Hope that helps--let me know if there is anything else I can answer. Good luck!

Let me add one other thing—who says it needs to be re-wired? I am right now working through a home inspection sent to me on a home I am selling and am reminded that some of the things that inspectors put on reports reflect that they don’t really know the specialty trades ( inspectors are not electricians) and sometimes they just put stuff to earn their check.

This may be an occasion for a second opinion from someone who actually knows what they are talking about

By the way, what market are you in?

I flip fire-damaged properties and own a fire damage restoration company. My biggest concern with what you are describing is whether the restoration work was done properly, however I'm not getting enough information from what is here. When you are referring to "charred framing" how extensive is the damage? Is any of it reinforced? Has it been sealed or can you tell? Is there an odor?  

I would recommend you find a fire restoration company/contractor to walk the property with you and give you a good understanding as to what has been done/what needs to be done. You may also want to ask questions about who did the fire mitigation and research the company-- was is a certified company or just some dude with a hammer that did it? There are many things that could be overlooked as part of the renovation on fire-damaged properties.

I would also be happy to look at pictures or videos and answer any specific questions you have. 

As a fire-damage Restoration contractor myself, I’m very sorry to hear about this, however I agree with @Chris Seveney’s assessment—probably not a fight you are going to win.

I flip fire-damaged properties and own a fire damage restoration company. It can be a big undertaking, although there can be good profits in it IF the numbers are right and you have done your homework to know what you are getting into. @Marc Winter's advice above is sound--Unless you are rather experienced with this type of damage, it may be hard for your to tell the extent of damage. 

The challenge with fire damaged properties is that there is more than meets the eye. For example, often fire damage is water damage--they put the red stuff out with wet stuff. Unmitigated water damage becomes mold damage and and there is the potential of extensive smoke damage in the same airspace.

I think I know what you are talking about with the asbestos--perhaps I can help explain. As many of you know, asbestos only becomes a problem if you "disturb" it (for example if there is asbestos in something it only has to be mitigated if you change it out.) Well, once there is a fire of any size, virtually everything is now "disturbed." So the fire damage and the asbestos remediation put together amplify the job dramatically.

I would recommend you find a fire restoration company/contractor to walk the property with you and give you a good understanding as to what needs to be done. There are many things that could be overlooked as part of the renovation.

I've used a variety of methods to contact the home owner--letters, phone calls, driving to the house and talking to the homeowner. 

I flip fire-damaged properties and own a fire damage restoration company. It can be a big undertaking, but there can be good profits in it IF the numbers are right and you have done your homework to know what you are getting into. Unless you are rather experienced with this type of damage, it may be hard for your to tell the extent of damage. The place to start is by asking the seller what the insurance company decision is—if they will share that info, that might tell you some of what you need to know.

The challenge with fire damaged properties is that there is more than meets the eye. For example, often fire damage is water damage--they put the red stuff out with wet stuff. Unmitigated water damage becomes mold damage and and there is the potential of extensive smoke damage in the same airspace.