Selling a fire-damaged house is hard enough, but it gets even harder when homeowners make the following five common mistakes.

To ensure you sell your house as fast as possible and for as good a price as possible, try to avoid making these mistakes.

Mistake #1 – Not Getting the Fire Damage Properly Repaired

It is essential that you repair the damage in a house that has been burned by fire. Failure to do this will only remind a buyer that the house has been in a fire. This, in turn, can make them feel unsafe in the home.

Ideally, you want a fire-damaged house to look even better than it did before the fire. To accomplish this, you’ll need to hire a highly qualified contractor. Look for one who is also known for delivering on time and on budget.

You should also plan on keeping records of all repairs that are made so that you can provide them to prospective buyers. For example, if you hire a company to remove smoke or water damage from the property you want to be able to show this work was done to prospective buyers.

Smoke damage and mold from water damage are two major concerns of buyers of fire-damaged houses. Maintaining good repair records can help alleviate these concerns.

Mistake #2 – Not Staging the Home Properly

Repairing fire damage is not enough. You also must take time to stage the home to best appeal to prospective buyers. This can include such things as removing personal photos so the buyer can picture themselves in the home.

Other staging tips include making the home well-lit. Also, remove clutter so that the fire-damaged house looks larger and more comfortable to the prospective buyer.

Mistake #3 – Not Marketing the House Properly

Among the big mistakes when selling a fire-damaged house, failing to properly stage the home stands out, with improper marketing being another significant error.

Please keep in mind that buyers today are most likely seeing a home for the first time online. That means good, clear photos – and lots of them – are very important for driving interest in your home. You also need to take your time and craft an interesting description of the home and its features.

So what constitutes a good house photo? Good photos are crisp and clear. One way to ensure this is to take your photos at a time the day when there is plenty of natural light available.

Also, be sure to concentrate your photos on the fire-damaged house’s best assets. Additional photo-taking tips include:

• Using a wide-angle lens to get more of a room in a picture
• Taking multiple shots of each area so that you have options to choose from to ensure you get the best lighting and look.

As for writing the description, be clear and direct and really focus on the house’s features. Don’t embellish or lie, prospective buyers will ultimately learn the truth. Then they’ll be disappointed when they visit the home.

Mistake #4 – Not Pricing the Fire-Damaged House Properly (Over-Pricing)

One of the big mistakes homeowners make when selling a fire-damaged house is overpricing. Factors leading to this include:

• Spending too much on repairs
• Comparing the house too much to similar houses in the area that have not suffered a fire.

Unfortunately, because your home has been damaged by fire you are less likely to get what similar houses in the area are worth. You need to accept this fact. The truth is if you want to sell your fire-damaged house, you are likely going to have to do so at a reduced price. When it comes to fire-damaged houses, overpriced homes do not sell well.

Of course, you don’t want to go too far the other way and end up losing money that you could have made on the sale. There is a very fine line that must be carefully navigated to ensure the best possible sales price.

Things you can do to ensure the best possible sales price for your fire-damaged house include:

• Studying local comparable sales
• Talking to local real estate agents and investors.

Mistake #5 – Not Hiring a Real Estate Agent

Yes, a real estate agent receives a commission that takes money out of your pocket. But studies have shown that using a real estate agent more than makes up for this fact by increasing your sales price. A real estate agent can also save you time by simplifying the sales process.

Research shows that real estate agents typically sell homes for 13% higher prices than people who sell their homes on their own. The truth is selling a home – especially if you’ve never done it before – can be surprisingly time-consuming and emotionally challenging.

It Can Also Be Very, Very Stressful.

The process involves strangers coming to your house and criticizing it. They may offer you less than what you believe it is worth.

It’s easy to become too emotionally involved, which in turn can lead you to making many mistakes. These mistakes can include becoming frustrated and accepting less money than your house is really worth simply because you don’t believe you’ll get a better offer.

While selling a house is always difficult, it is even more so now due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. You’ll have to interact with strangers and even have them in your home. Also, if you are employed, trying to sell a house can quickly start interfering with your work duties.

A real estate agent can help take the stress and uncertainty out of selling a fire-damaged house. Services they may be able to provide you include:

• A Marketing Strategy – 98% of home buyers who searched for a home online said photos were among the most useful features. Forget “curb appeal” and “location” – if they can’t see themselves living in that home, then they won’t ever buy that home. Real estate agent s can offer professional home staging tips and often know from experience how much real estate photos matter. They can make sure these things are best used to drive eager buyers to your home.

• A Sales Strategy – Don’t sell out of desperation because you’ve been waiting for a year to find a buyer. The reason why you can’t find a buyer and can’t close your house at a good price is often a lack of proper sales strategy. A real estate agent can help. Whatever the market you’re in, your agent can use excellent preparation and negotiation to guarantee a great deal.

• Comprehensive Additional Services – Most real estate agents are passionate about delivering an exceptional customer experience. Many offer a complete suite of real estate services, including sales and rentals of residential homes and condos, multi-residential, commercial leasing and sales, land and new development marketing.

Want to Avoid a Long, Drawn Out Sales Process or Working With a Real Estate Agent?

At We Buy Fire Damaged Houses, we specialize in buying burned homes “as is.” That means you don’t have to make any repairs or market your home. We pay in all cash and offer a terrific price.

Simply fill out the form below to see if your fire-damaged house qualifies for a free quote from us.