After the Fire: Your Options
A fire leaves you with two jobs at once: recovering from what happened, and deciding what to do with a house you may not be able to live in. The insurance claim, the mortgage, the board-up, the permits and the question of whether to rebuild all land in the same few weeks. Here is how each one works in the Las Vegas Valley, in the order you are likely to meet them.
We are a property solutions company based in Henderson. Buying a fire-damaged house as-is is something we do, but it is only one of the answers. For some owners, rebuilding with the insurance money and staying — or rebuilding and then listing — is the better outcome, and we will tell you when that is the case.
The first weeks after a house fire
Most of what matters in the first few weeks happens before anyone decides whether to sell. Take these in order.
- 1
Stay out until the fire department clears it
Do not go back inside until the fire department says it is safe, and do not turn the water, power or gas back on yourself — if firefighters shut utilities off, they did it for a reason. Floors and walls may not be as sound as they look. Before you leave the scene, write down the fire incident report number and keep it with your claim paperwork; you can request the full report from the department that responded. The Clark County Fire Department, for example, says it processes incident report requests within 30 days.
- 2
Call your insurer and your mortgage servicer
Ask your insurance company what it needs from you first and what you should do to protect the house until it is repaired. Then tell your mortgage servicer what happened. Your payments are still due after a fire, so ask directly whether forbearance or a temporary payment reduction is available. From the first day, keep every receipt for money you spend because of the fire.
- 3
Secure the house
A burned house with broken windows and holes cut in the roof is an open invitation. You may need to board up doors and windows, and it is worth telling the police the property will be empty. In the City of Las Vegas, owners are required to keep structures secure, and code enforcement may step in to secure or demolish a fire-damaged or unsecured building. If there is a pool, it needs attention too: the city prohibits stagnant, polluted water.
- 4
Get the damage assessed and find out what permits apply
Repairs need permits. For houses under the Clark County Building Department, a Damage Assessment Inspection Report (DAIR) is an optional route for limited repairs: an inspector posts the house red, yellow or green, lists what must be repaired, and says which permits are needed. It restores the house to how it was — no remodeling, no added space — and it cannot be used where unpermitted work sits in the damaged area. Asbestos testing is required before renovation or demolition regardless of the house’s age, and a DAIR expires 180 days after the request. Inside the City of Las Vegas, the city requires permits for structures and for work on gas, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems, including reroofing, and to demolish; if your house is in another city, ask that city’s building department how it handles fire repairs.
- 5
Decide: rebuild, or sell
Only now do you have what you need to decide. Read the loss settlement section of your policy before choosing, because how and when the insurer pays can depend on whether you repair. Weigh the realistic repair timeline against how long your living expenses are covered, what the mortgage costs you each month, and whether you want to go back to this house at all.
How the insurance money actually moves
Whether rebuilding or selling makes more sense depends heavily on your policy, so it is worth understanding the mechanics before you choose. Four things catch people out.
Your lender's name is on the check
If you have a mortgage, the settlement check is generally made out to you and your servicer, and the servicer typically releases the money in stages as the work is done. You still owe your monthly payments the whole time. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains the process.
Repairing can change what the policy pays
A home can be insured at replacement cost or at actual cash value. One homeowners form on file with the Nevada Division of Insurance pays actual cash value until the repair is done, pays replacement cost if it is finished within 12 months, and pays only actual cash value if it is not. Yours may differ — read its loss settlement section.
Living-expense coverage does not last forever
Loss of use coverage pays some additional living expenses while the house is repaired after a covered loss. It does not run indefinitely, so a long rebuild can outlast it. Ask your adjuster exactly how long yours lasts and what it covers.
An empty house can lose coverage
The Nevada Division of Insurance warns that a vacancy clause may exclude a loss after a home has been empty for a set period, usually 30 days or more, without regular visits. A burned house is empty by definition, so tell your insurer and ask what it requires.
Smoke, soot and the damage you cannot see
The room that burned is rarely the whole story. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, smoke and the water used to put the fire out can ruin things the flames never touched, and the soot and dirty water left behind may contain substances that make you sick. Firefighters may also break windows and cut openings in the roof and walls to vent smoke and make sure nothing is still burning inside them.
That is why a fire-damaged house needs a proper assessment before anyone prices a repair. Firefighters open walls precisely because fire can hide inside them, and a wall that looks intact from the room is not proof of what is behind it. A walk-through alone does not tell you what the repair will cost.
Why a buyer with a mortgage may not be able to close
Lenders lend against the condition of the house. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide rates property condition on a scale where C6 means damage severe enough to affect safety, soundness or structural integrity — and a loan on a C6 property is not eligible for sale to Fannie Mae until it is repaired to at least C5. Other loan programs set their own standards, but the practical effect is similar: a house with serious fire damage can be hard to sell to a buyer who needs a conventional mortgage until the repairs are done.
That leaves two broad routes: repair first and then sell to anyone, or sell as-is to a buyer who is not relying on a conventional mortgage for the house in its current state.
Selling as-is does not mean selling undisclosed
Nevada requires the seller of a home with one to four units to complete the state's disclosure form and give it to the buyer at least 10 days before the sale closes (NRS 113.130). The buyer cannot waive that, and the seller cannot require them to — so it applies to a cash sale too. A defect is any condition that materially affects the home's value or use (NRS 113.100), and the form also asks whether repairs were made without required building permits. A seller who knowingly conceals a defect can owe the buyer three times the cost of repairing it (NRS 113.150). Disclose the fire, the repairs, and anything you know about how they were done.
Your realistic options
Three of the four do not involve selling to us. The right one depends on your policy, the extent of the damage, and whether you want to live in this house again.
Rebuild and stay
If the policy is solid and you want to go home, this is the obvious route. Expect it to take time: assessment, permits, contractor schedules and staged payments from your servicer all sit between you and moving back in.
Rebuild, then list
A fully repaired house can be sold to any buyer, including those with a mortgage, and a traditional listing usually nets more than a cash sale. It means carrying the house through the rebuild, but if the insurance covers the work, it can be the strongest financial outcome.
List it as it stands
An agent can market a damaged house to investors and renovation buyers. It widens the pool beyond one cash buyer, though showings of a burned house are difficult and financed buyers may not be able to close.
Sell it as-is for cash
No repairs, no clean-out, no permit process, and no buyer financing that can fall through over the condition of the house. It fits best when you do not want to rebuild, the policy will not cover a full repair, or the carrying costs are piling up.
Where we come in
Our part is the last option, and only when it genuinely fits. We can look at the house as it stands, make a no-obligation cash offer, and close through a licensed Nevada title and escrow company on a date that works around your claim — subject to the signed agreement and the usual title work. We will ask about your insurance and your mortgage up front, because both shape what a sale actually leaves you with. If the numbers say rebuild, we will say that instead, and if you are also behind on the mortgage, our guide to Nevada's foreclosure timeline explains the options that keep you in the home. Fire suppression leaves water behind too; our page on leaks, mold and water-damaged homes covers that side.
A fire-damage case study
After a fire destroyed the house, selling the lot
Las Vegas
A homeowner’s house in a gated community had been destroyed by a fire, leaving only the lot. He called us after getting one of our mailers to see whether we would buy what was left.
We bought the property as vacant land. The contract was signed the day he called, we set a closing date a few weeks out, and we kept in touch with him until it closed on that date.
From our deal records, reviewed by Alex Wentland, CEO — September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Fire damage questions we hear a lot
Can I sell a house that has been damaged by fire?
Yes. A fire-damaged house can be sold in its current condition, and the sale runs through title and escrow like any other. What changes is who can buy it: a buyer relying on a mortgage may not be able to finance a house with serious fire damage until it is repaired, so the realistic buyers for the house as it stands are those who do not need that kind of financing, such as cash buyers.
Should I take the insurance money and rebuild, or sell?
It depends on the policy, the extent of the damage, and what you want next. Some policies, including one form on file with the Nevada Division of Insurance, pay actual cash value until the work is done and the rest only if it is completed within a set period, so choosing not to rebuild can change what the claim pays. Read your policy’s loss settlement section, ask your adjuster the question directly, and only then compare the numbers. If rebuilding and staying, or rebuilding and listing, leaves you better off, we will say so.
Why is the insurance check made out to my mortgage company too?
Because the lender has an interest in the house. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that a settlement check is generally made out to both you and your servicer, and that the servicer typically releases the money in stages as repairs progress, with the rest paid once the work is finished and passes inspection. Call your servicer early to find out how it handles this.
Who gets the insurance payout if I sell before the claim is finished?
That is decided by your policy, your lender and your purchase contract, not by a general rule, so do not assume. Before you sign a sale agreement, get written answers from your adjuster and your servicer about any payments still to come, and make sure the contract states who keeps them.
Does my insurance pay for somewhere to live while the house is repaired?
If your policy includes loss of use coverage, it pays some additional living expenses while the house is being repaired after a covered loss, such as rent or a motel and extra meal costs. How long it lasts is set by your policy. One policy form on file with the Nevada Division of Insurance, for example, pays for the shortest time needed to repair, or if you permanently relocate, the shortest time needed to do that.
Do I have to disclose the fire when I sell?
Under Nevada law, with a few narrow exceptions such as sales between close relatives, a seller of a home with one to four units must give the buyer a completed disclosure form at least 10 days before the sale closes, and a buyer cannot waive that, even on an as-is sale. Fire damage that materially affects the value or use of the house is a defect the form covers, and so are repairs done without the required permits. Knowingly leaving out a defect can make a seller liable for three times the cost of the repair.
The house is vacant now. Is my insurance still in force?
Check with your insurer. The Nevada Division of Insurance notes that a policy may contain a vacancy clause, and a loss that happens after the home has been empty for a set period, usually 30 days or more, may be excluded if nobody has been visiting regularly. Tell your insurer the house is vacant and ask what they need from you.
What does it cost to talk to you?
Nothing. Looking at the house and giving you an offer is free and carries no obligation, and when we buy we cover the standard closing costs. If rebuilding with the insurance money and listing afterwards is the better answer, we will tell you that and take no referral fee for pointing you elsewhere.
About this guide
Written by the team at Alex Buys Vegas Houses, a Henderson-based property solutions company that buys houses across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City. We buy fire-damaged houses across the Las Vegas Valley as they stand, and we tell owners plainly when rebuilding with the insurance money is the better route. We are not insurance adjusters, contractors or attorneys; questions about your policy belong with your insurer or the Nevada Division of Insurance.
Last reviewed September 2026. This is general information about Nevada's process, not legal advice — for advice about your specific situation, talk to a Nevada attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
When we do buy, here is what that means
As-is, any condition
No repairs, no cleaning, no staging. Leave behind what you do not want.
No agent fees or commissions
You are selling directly to us, so there is no listing side to pay for.
We cover standard closing costs
The usual closing costs come out of our side of the table, not yours.
Close on your timeline
Days or months — you pick the date that actually works for you.
A local buyer, based in Henderson
We work across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City, and we come to the house. Not a national iBuyer, not an out-of-state fund.
No pressure, either way
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Tell us about the house
The address, roughly when the fire happened, and where the claim stands. Unsure of any of that is fine. If you would rather talk it through, call (702) 793-2582, or read how a sale with us works first.