Selling a Flooded House

We've purchased multiple flooded homes in the past, and we're always willing to buy more. Whether your home has flooded in a one-in-a-lifetime natural disaster, is a multiple-time flood home, or took on severe water damage as a result of plumbing or roof issues, we are interested in purchasing it.

Flood Home FAQS

You'll find a list of the frequently asked questions we receive from homeowners in general here. You'll find a list of flood specific frequently asked questions below.

Is it legal to sell a flooded house?

Yes. You can sell a house in any condition as long as you disclose any issues with the home you know exist. We have all sellers fill out a seller's disclosure form as required by Texas law (whether the sale is on-market or to a cash buyer). This form lets you, the seller, tell us, the buyer, what is wrong with the home. Texas disclosure laws only require that you disclose items or issues you're aware of – you are not responsible for disclosing an issue if you were not aware of it.

Do you have to disclose if a house has flooded?

As mentioned above, the answer is yes. By law, a seller must disclose not only if a home has flooded, but how many times, whether insurance claims were made with their insurance companies or with FEMA or the SBA, and whether or not they presently carry flood insurance. Sellers must also disclose whether or not they know the home is located wholly or partially in a floodplains, floodway, flood pool, or in a reservoir.

Do I need to do any repairs on my flooded house before selling it?

No. When we buy flooded homes, we're buying them as-is. They can be down to the studs and have visible mold, and we will still make you an offer.

Do I need to have mold remediation done before selling a flooded house?

Mold remediation can be an expensive process. Often, investors can get better rates because we provide repeat business. We've seen homeowners pay two, three, or even four times more than we do for remediation as investors. Unfortunately, not every remediation company has a conscience. There are also different levels of remediation, testing that needs to be done, and certificates that need to be obtained to have the highest level of confidence remediation was done effectively – which is why we typically prefer to handle the remediation ourselves.

Does it matter how many times my home has flooded?

No. We're interested in purchasing the home no matter what, but you are required to disclose how many times the home has flooded no matter to whom you sell it. The number of times it flooded does affect its after-repair value. Retail buyers are more willing to overlook a remodeled home flooding once in the largest flooding event in American History (Hurricane Harvey), but get a bit more queasy about purchasing a home that flooded in the tax-day floods, Hurricane Harvey, and Hurricane Irma. But people still purchase them. It all depends on the price.

I got insurance money but didn't use it to fix up the house. Is that a problem?

Not at all. We don't care what you did with your insurance money, and many owners who were lucky enough to have flood insurance decided not to reinvest the funds back into their flooded home. You can take that money, along with the money you get for selling the flooded home as-is and do whatever you wish with it. We're glad for those who were insured and were able to add their insurance funds to their sales proceeds from the property to get a fresh start.

Why do you ask if I got money from FEMA or as a result of having flood insurance?

Whatever payment you may have received from FEMA or your insurance company isn't a factor in our offer price from the perspective of offering you less because you also received a payout of some kind. We hope that you receive every dime of compensation - from insurance, FEMA, or us - that you can manage to obtain.

We solely ask if you received money from a flood claim because it can affect future insurability for the home, and we need to know what we might be dealing with in that aspect.

Can I sell a flooded house on the regular market?

You sure can. But you'll want to be sure you're using an agent experienced with selling flooded homes. The clientele interested in these homes will be investors 99.9% of the time. Not all investors are reputable, and you want an agent who knows how to achieve top dollar and watch out for investor scams to protect your interests and get your home sold as quickly as possible. We highly recommend Roots & Wings Realty Group if you're looking for an agent that fits this bill.

Does a house flooding affect its value?

The short answer is usually, even after the home is fully repaired and restored after the flooding damage. All other things equal, buyers will typically choose a home that has never flooded over one that has if they are priced the same. Homes with a flooding history typically need to be a lower-priced option to be chosen over one that hasn't.

How much does flooding devalue a house?

This can depend on several factors. The number of times a home has flooded can greatly affect its value. A home that has flooded three times is likely to be devalued signficantly more than a home that flooded one time during a severe-weather event. Additionally, the length of time since the home has flooded can also come into play. The further into the past the flooding event is, the less of a valuation hit it will likely experience. The ability to obtain flood insurance and the cost of the policy may also come into play. If the cost of flood insurance per year is significantly high due to the home's flood history, it will likely affect the sales price as buyers weigh the monthly cost for the flood insurance policy into their monthly PITI payments for the home.

How many houses flooded in the Houston area during or as a result of the rain dropped by Hurricane Harvey?

The numbers released by the DPS after Harvey give a picture of how damaging the storm and its resulting rains - which forced controlled dam releases - were. Harvey is said to be responsible for over 275,000 homes being damaged, and over 15,000 houses destroyed. Harris County took the vast bulk of that damage, with over 110,000 homes being flood-damaged. Fort Bend County saw over 8,500 homes receive damage.

While Harvey got the most news coverage, two other significant flooding events have occurred in the Houston area over the last several years – with the Tax-day floods and Hurricane Irma being the next most notable.