Being a homeowner means that you have a lot of responsibilities, including maintaining a clean and safe space. When there’s a natural disaster, like a lot of rain, a hurricane or other kind of catastrophe, it’s highly possible that there is going to be damage to your home. With a severe amount of damage comes some high costs, and some people simply don’t have the money to fix them. there are regulations that are required for repairing a house based on the categories of water that damaged the home.
What are The Water Damage Categories for a Water Damaged Home?
Damage from Clear Water
This is the first category that is seen in a water damaged house. Clear water means that there aren’t any contaminants in it. It’s not harmful at all to humans. This kind of damage from water will often come from regular precipitation, leaks from an HVAC without antifreeze in them, and leaking pipes that don’t contain contaminated water. This water damage will require some possible home renovations along with the normal cleaning, based on the amount of damage. Even though it’s not harmful, it still can disturb asbestos and cause mold if you don’t get it taken care of quickly.
Damage from Grey Water
This is the second water damage category. This contains some contamination. It can lead to some discomfort and illness in humans. However, it’s not deadly. It can come from used washing machine water, used dishwater, failed sump pump, and overflow from toilets that doesn’t have focal matter or urine in it. This water damage requires structural repairs and cleaning. Since the water damage comes mostly from home appliances, those appliances also have to be fixed so that other damages don’t happen.
Damage from Black Water
This type of damage is black water damage, which contains pathogens and is very contaminated. This contamination level is very dangerous to people and cause severe sickness as well as death if it’s ingested. This can come from the failure of a sewer system, stream and river flood water, HVAC system water containing antifreeze and other kinds of unknown sources. This is very dangerous and will require a lot of repairs and maintenance so that the space is cleaned and to make sure the damage from the water doesn’t happen again.
This category is highly dangerous and requires mass amounts of maintenance and repairs to clean the space and ensure that this water damage does not happen again.
Now that we have looked at the three types of water damage that can occur, we are going to concentrate on the most common type of water damage that a homeowner experiences – the one that happens due to natural disasters. This is either due to precipitation or flooding. Although the type of water that can cause damage can be clear water, which is what happens from a lot of rain or snow, it also can be black water, which is what happens with a flood.
If you have damage to your house from water, it’s possible that you are going to want to sell your property. Obviously you are going to be up front with the potential buyers regarding damage, and it’s possible that you are going to find someone who will happily buy the home, repair it and restore it. However, when you are selling a house that has water damage it could be a lot more difficult than expected.
Here are some of the drawbacks of selling a flood water damaged home.
Possible Drawbacks of Selling a Flood Water Damaged Home
Future Damage is Possible
One thing that any homeowner knows is that when you are buying a house in an area prone to floods, most people know that there’s a possibility of water damage. However, knowing there could be potential damage and actually seeing the issues is much different. A lot of houses for sale get listed online, so seeing the property with damage from water might just be what keeps people who are otherwise interested away from checking your house out further.
Electrical Concerns
When someone sees a home that has damage from water, they might have some aesthetic property concerns. However, they also might be worried about the the damage that was caused to the home’s electrical systems. Failing or damage electrical systems are a security threat. Although they are hoping that the issues would be uncovered by an inspection, it’s possible that they are not going to want to pay more money for fixing both electrical issues and flood problems.
Concerns About Health
Floods also can lead to worries about if the water damaged home is healthy to be lived in. Extra water can create mildew and mold, and many times these substances can’t be cleaned by simply cleaning. Even if the house has been restored after the damage from water, it’s possible that you are going to notice an area where mildew and mold keep coming back. Having professional mold remediation is often helpful with eliminating these issues.
Structural Integrity
Many times, when you have a water damaged home, it can lead to structural damage to the floors and to the roof, along with other places. If the home is too damaged, these problems can be a big concern for you as the current homeowner and anyone else who might be interested in buying the house.
Lower Prices
If you are finding someone who’s interested in purchasing a house that has flood damage, you’ll need to think about how much money they’ll need for restoring the property. If there’s an offer you receive for the house, it’s very possible that it’s going to be a lot lower than what you expected to get for it. It’s possible that you will want to think about investing some money so that you can repair your home and get a higher amount.
Choosing to restore a house before you put it up for sale is the best idea. When you try to sell a house with water damage, it can cause a lot of problems which decrease your problems and increase your selling time.
What Should You Do if You Have a Water Damaged Home?
It doesn’t matter what kind of water damage is in your home, there’re going to be a few repairs that are needed. You do have some options that you can choose from.
The first thing that you can do is go through your homeowner’s insurance and have your damaged fixed. Some of the damages could be minor, particularly if the damage’s from the first water category. This damage level will require cleaning. However, since the water’s safe and clean there aren’t a lot of things to worry about otherwise.
First, you can go through your home insurance and get the damages fixed. Although, simply because the damage is from clean water, it doesn’t mean that it can’t create more problems in the house. Clean water can also create problems with mold in your home and, if your home has asbestos, that also can be disturbed. It’s a good idea for you to assess all of those water damages no matter what kind of water did the damage. You then can have the information sent to your insurance company so that the repair costs can then be assessed.
If you have found that there’s a lot of damage to your home and you’re unable to fix it yourself, then you want to move on to the next option. This involves selling your house. You can do this in several ways. There’s always the possibility that relief can be provided by the insurance company.
However, that isn’t always possible. Your next best choice is to sell the house to a buyer who is willing to take a house regardless of its condition. This will let you get out of spending a lot of money than your home is worth. It also gives you a new start. Living in a space that is comfortable and safe is important and everyone should have this opportunity.
Do you have a water damaged home? No matter what kind of damage it has or what condition it’s in, we are ready to buy.
Here at Sell Fast Boston, we are ready to buy your water damaged home in Massachusetts regardless of its condition. We are always purchasing houses as is, offering really fast closings and cash payments. This means that you can save a lot of money and get cash for your house even with its damage. We know that you are under a lot of stress. That’s why we buy houses with a lot of damage. There are no realtor fees and no other stressors like selling through a realtor. We close quickly and get you the money that you need fast!
If you want to know more about what we can do for you and what we can give you for your water damaged home, contact us through chat today or contact us here. We are glad to answer your questions and put your mind at ease. We just want to help you by buying your home!
