Get a cash offer for a water-damaged house.
Burst pipe, flooded basement, mold through the drywall. Enter the address and see a real cash number. We buy as-is, mold and all.
Water does the damage. Mold makes it worse.
Three water problems show up most: burst pipes in winter (pre-1960 galvanized lines fail first, and any cold-climate market sees this), flooded basements from storm sewers backing up (chronic in older urban grids nationwide), and roof leaks that go unnoticed for months. Each one leaves the same aftermath — wet structure, ruined drywall, and within 48 hours, mold.
Mold is where cost explodes. Category-2 water (clean water) dries out in a week if caught fast. Category-3 (sewage, flood water) requires full gut of affected materials. A $3,000 burst pipe ignored for a week turns into a $35,000 remediation.
Most sellers who call us are post-remediation and deciding whether to finish the rebuild or take a cash offer. Some are pre-remediation and don't want to manage it at all. Both are normal.
Your stage sets your buyer pool and your offer range.
What a cash buyer actually pays here.
The base math stays the same: ARV × 0.65–0.75, minus repairs, minus margin. What moves is the repair line. A standard water loss adds $8k–$25k for remediation; a structural water loss adds $40k+ plus framing and systems work. Mold specifically is $6–$12 per square foot for professional remediation (EPA-compliant containment and HEPA filtration), per RS Means and recent contractor quotes.
Example: $270,000 ARV in Atlanta, GA, $18,000 in mold remediation and drywall, $12,000 in bathroom and kitchen work (water came from a second-floor bathroom). The math lands at $270,000 × 0.70 = $189,000, minus $30,000 total repairs, for a cash offer around $159,000.
Insurance matters here too. If you have an open claim for the water event (burst pipe is usually covered; flood from outside water is usually not unless you have flood insurance), keep the claim proceeds. We price assuming you do.[1]
Cash vs. listing — here's how long each takes.
If mold is active, a standard buyer's inspection flags it and most lenders refuse to finance. That makes cash the primary option by default. We close in 14–30 days. If the water event is recent (within 72 hours) and remediation could still prevent a mold problem, call a remediation company first, not us.
With work before listing, photos, time on market, and inspection risk. On a tight timeline, a listing usually doesn't close in time — you'd want cash or a hybrid strategy.
When cash is NOT the right move on water damage.
If the water event was clean and caught fast (category 1, dried within 72 hours, no mold), a contractor can patch and paint for under $10k. The house sells normally on the open market. No cash discount needed.
If your homeowners policy covers the event and you have the bandwidth to manage the claim, remediating and rebuilding usually nets 20–30 points more than a cash sale. The insurance check pays most of the work.
And if the mold is minor and localized (a single wall in a bathroom), a qualified remediation company (most states require licensure or registration for mold remediators) can treat it for $2k–$5k, disclose it, and sell normal. Cash is overkill for small mold problems.
Cash offer · List with agent · Remediate + sell normal.
The questions homeowners ask us first.
See your cash offer.
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