08/25/2023
Tips for those who lost their home in the fires - from a builder with experience replacing homes destroyed by fire.
First - I’m so sorry for your loss - I’ve stood beside many victims of fires at their home site and it’s heart breaking. There were 47 in just one neighborhood. I have seen their initial sorrow, followed by the recognition that life is far more important than possessions, and shared their joy as all those feelings become replaced by hope and gratitude when they begin the rebuilding process. So wherever you are in this experience- please know that hope, joy and gratitude is in your future!
2nd - insurance companies often offer cash value payouts on your home - that will be a depreciated value based upon the homes age. Check to see what their $ limits are for rebuilding - it was about double the cash payouts in my past experiences. So building again, even if only to sell, often meant several hundred thousand more in benefit to the homeowner.
3 - check with your insurance agent regarding money limits for temporary housing needs as well as the contents of your home. For contents - you may need to itemize your contents down to the paper clips, pencils, toilet paper etc to max your recovery from that benefit.
4 - get with a builder asap. If every builder could immediately take 5 homes (which is very unlikely) then the need in Spokane right now is about 50 builders!
5 - work with a local and reputable builder. Builders will come into the area and people will get their license - you don’t want an unknown or inexperienced builder.
You can find us at www.LewisConstructionInc.Com or my cell at 509-951-6959 and you can find reputable builders at the Spokane Home Builders Association.
6 - be careful about having to give large cash deposits to builders. They may require a deposit to reserve you in their construction schedule but it should be $10k or less. Many folks have been scammed by large deposits followed by disappearing builders. The builder will be billing your insurance company - just like they bill a bank each month. High cash up front deposits may be required for cash buyers or builds that exceed the insurance payment. But that builder should be willing to have that held in escrow and drawn from the escrow agent each month.
I hope this helps you in your next steps and recovery from this disaster. Please do share this information so others who are affected benefit and don’t get harmed as they rebuild their lives.
Waterfront Expertise We are your partner for navigating the many challenges of building on waterfront. We get your site “ready…
