Selling a House With Fire Damage in Florida
3 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)
Cash Flow Deals is one real option if your Florida house has fire damage: a locked net price before repairs get scoped, arranged through a licensed brokerage partner. Florida law allows an as-is sale of a fire-damaged home. It still requires you to disclose the fire, and an open insurance claim, which often takes 60 to 180 days to settle, can add real time to a traditional sale.
| Factor | Traditional Listing | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Buyers and their lenders often want repairs finished or the insurance claim settled first, and a Florida fire claim typically takes 60 to 180 days to settle. | Net price locked at signing, before the fire damage is scoped and while the insurance claim can keep moving. |
| Repairs | Lender may require smoke, structural, and wiring damage fully repaired and re-inspected before funding. | Repairs are re-costed only if something structural is found beyond what was disclosed; otherwise the price holds. |
| Fees / Costs | Commission is negotiable since the Aug. 17, 2024 NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement, plus the seller often absorbs steep price cuts to attract a buyer willing to take on fire damage. | Flat fee arranged through Silver Door Realty, listed as its own line item on the closing statement, not a markup on price. |
Why Fire Damage Changes How a Florida Sale Works
A house with fire damage still sells in Florida, as-is if that is what the seller wants. What changes is the paperwork trail: the fire marshal or investigator's report, the extent of the damage, what got repaired and what did not, and whatever insurance claim is open or already settled. Cash Flow Deals treats a fire-damaged property the same way it treats any Florida house: the net price gets locked before the fire damage is scoped and priced, and the seller decides how to move from there.
What Florida Law Requires You to Disclose About Fire Damage
Under Johnson v. Davis, the Florida Supreme Court's 1985 ruling, a seller must disclose facts known to them that materially affect the property's value and are not readily observable to the buyer. Fire damage fits that description even after repairs are made, since smoke and structural issues can hide behind fresh drywall and paint. Florida's First District Court of Appeal confirmed in Rayner v. Wise Realty Co. of Tallahassee that an as-is sale does not remove that disclosure duty. A buyer who signs an as-is contract still has not agreed to eat an undisclosed fire history they were never told about.
How an Open Insurance Claim Affects the Timeline
Fire damage insurance claims in Florida typically take 60 to 180 days to settle, and insurers sometimes deny or dispute part of a claim over the cause of the fire or a policy exclusion. Even an approved payout can fall short of the full repair and rebuild cost. A seller waiting on that claim to close before listing can lose months. A seller who wants to sell before the claim fully resolves needs a buyer, or a process, built to work around that open claim instead of stalling behind it.
Cash Flow Deals' Process for a Fire-Damaged Property
Cash Flow Deals is a Florida real estate investor that locks in a net price for a seller's house before repairs are scoped, using a novation-based, flat-fee process arranged through its licensed FL brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty — not a traditional listing, and not a brokerage itself. Cash Flow Deals' Process: 1. Request your net-price walkthrough, where the fire history and any open insurance claim get disclosed upfront. 2. Cash Flow Deals arranges the locked net price through Silver Door Realty before the fire damage is fully scoped or repaired. 3. Title transfers once, directly from seller to the real FHA or conventional buyer whose own lender funds the purchase. 4. Cash Flow Deals gets paid as a separate line item on the closing statement, never as a markup on your price.
Common questions
Do I have to disclose fire damage even if I already repaired it?
Yes. Under Johnson v. Davis, Florida sellers must disclose known facts that materially affect a property's value and are not readily observable to the buyer, and a documented fire history is material even after the repairs are done.
How long does a Florida fire insurance claim take to settle?
Fire damage claims in Florida typically take 60 to 180 days to settle, and the timeline can stretch further if the insurer disputes the cause of the fire or applies a policy exclusion.
Can I sell my fire-damaged house as-is in Florida?
Yes. Florida law allows an as-is sale of a fire-damaged home. The disclosure duty for known fire damage still applies regardless of the as-is language in the contract.
Does Cash Flow Deals require me to finish repairs before locking a price?
No. Cash Flow Deals arranges the locked net price before the fire damage is scoped, once the fire history is disclosed upfront through its licensed brokerage partner Silver Door Realty.