Selling a House With Storm or Hail Damage in St. Louis
Hail dented the roof. Wind lifted a run of siding. A gutter is hanging, or a window no longer closes. The house is still a house. It is not a fire file, and it is not a decades-old foundation file. It is weather damage, often with an insurance claim sitting next to it, and you want to know whether you have to finish that claim before you can sell.
I am David Dodge, Senior Buyer at House Sold Easy. Michael Slane and I have bought 1,000+ houses in this metro since 2016. We buy as-is, including houses with open storm or hail damage. Typical close is about two weeks when title is ready. We typically cover our standard closing costs. Call 636-525-1566. We are not your insurance adjuster, and we do not settle claims.
This post is the weather-damage path. If the house burned, took interior water from a failed plumbing line, or is gutted, use sell a fire- or water-damaged house. If the roof failed from age or the foundation is the item that stopped a listing (with no storm file) use sell a house that needs a roof or foundation. If the repair list is the whole house, start at too many repairs.
Storm and hail are not the same file as fire or a tired foundation
Sellers lump every damaged house into one pile. The buyer’s problem is not the same in each pile.
A fire or major water loss often makes the house unsafe to occupy. The question on that page is whether you rebuild, and whether a carrier will pay enough to do it. We can still buy those houses as-is. The walkthrough is limited if the floor is bad. See that situation page if that is what you have.
A roof or foundation that has been deferred for years is a contractor-bid problem. Retail buyers and their lenders treat those items as deal-killers. We price the work we will take on. That page is for the house that has been leaking through two owners, not the house that took a storm last month.
Storm and hail sit in a third bucket. The damage is often exterior: shingles, flashing, siding, soffit, gutters, downspouts, window glass, screens, a fence, a shed. The interior may be dry. You may still be living there. There may be an open claim. There may be a check that has not been endorsed. There may be no claim at all because the deductible looked larger than the visible work, or because the policy lapsed. None of that is a statistic about St. Louis storms. It is the file we actually see.
You can sell as-is with the damage still open
As-is means the buyer takes the house in its current condition. You do not have to replace the roof, hang the gutter, or paint the siding first. You do not have to collect three contractor bids for a cash buyer. If you already have them, send them. If you do not, skip it. We walk the house and write a number.
That is the same rule as do I need repairs to sell?. Storm damage is a condition we price. It is not an automatic no.
A listed sale is a different clock. A retail buyer’s inspector will photograph every bruise on the shingles. The buyer’s lender may require a sound roof and an occupancy certificate before it funds. City and municipal occupancy programs can add a punch list on top of the storm work, occupancy permits by municipality. That is why a storm-damaged listing often turns into a credit fight or a walk-away. It is not because the house cannot sell. It is because the financed path assumes a house a lender will insure.
We buy the house with the damage open. You pick the closing date when title is ready.
Insurance is yours. We do not run the claim.
House Sold Easy is not an insurance company. We cannot speed a carrier. We cannot promise a check. We will not quote a deductible, a depreciation holdback, or a timeline. Those numbers live in your policy and in the adjuster’s supplement, not in a blog.
What we need to know is practical:
- Whether a claim is open, closed, or never filed
- Whether a check has already been issued, and whose names are on it
- Whether a mortgage servicer is also on that check
- Whether the house is open to the weather or already tarped and boarded
- Whether the city or a municipality posted a notice
Bring the claim number to the call if you have one. Bring the last letter from the carrier. If you have photographs from the day after the storm, those help. We still walk the house. Photos do not replace a walkthrough.
Some sellers close after the claim pays and the roof is done. Some sell with the damage still open and keep, transfer, or split remaining proceeds the way the policy, the mortgage, and the contract allow. That last sentence is the whole rule. We do not write an insurance-proceeds form on this page. Title and the purchase contract have to say who is entitled to any remaining insurance money. Your carrier and your closer will tell you what they will accept. If a mortgage is on the house, the servicer often has a say in how a claim check is endorsed. That is a lender rule, not ours. See what happens to your mortgage when you sell.
If you want the claim to finish first, say so. A later closing date is easier than an earlier one. If you want out before the supplement is approved, say that too. We can often still close. We cannot close on a story about a check that does not exist yet.
Occupancy, listings, and why a financed buyer may still stall
You can live in a house with a bruised roof. A listed buyer’s lender may still require occupancy or a certificate before it funds. In the City of St. Louis, Housing Conservation inspections are a Building Division process. Read the current rules on the City’s residential occupancy page. Unincorporated County has its own occupancy desk. Municipalities inside the County run their own programs or contract with the County. City vs County is the map.
A cash purchase to us does not need a buyer’s lender. Who clears an occupancy punch list is still a contract question. We buy houses with open code items, selling a house with City code violations and sell a condemned house if the paper on the door is more than a storm note.
If a storm opened the house to weather and the city posted it, photograph the posting and call us the same day. Do not pull boards “to help” if the city closed the structure.
What the walkthrough looks like
David or Mike comes to the house. About thirty minutes. You do not have to clean. You do not have to climb the roof for us. We look from the ground and from inside: ceiling stain, soft decking you can see at the eaves, missing shingles, loose siding, failed windows, standing water in the basement if the storm put it there.
If the house is unsafe to enter, say that first. We would rather price from the exterior and your photos than put anyone on a bad floor.
We buy within about 75 miles of St. Louis. Areas we serve. The storm file does not change the three steps on how it works: call, walkthrough, written offer, then a closing date you pick when title is ready. Payment is usually released one to two business days after closing. Method clocks (cash, listing, FSBO, iBuyer) are compared in how long it takes to sell a house in St. Louis.
What we will not do on a storm file
We will write a cash offer for the house in the condition it is in. We will tell you when listing looks like the better net if the damage is small and you have time. Compare categories on cash offer vs listing. We typically cover our standard closing costs. Your mortgage, tax, and lien payoffs still come off the statement. Google shows 4.7 from 65+ reviews. Office: 1750 S Brentwood Blvd, Suite 503, Brentwood, MO 63144.
Common questions
Can you buy the house before the insurance claim is finished?
Often yes. We review the file. We cannot speed the carrier. Tell us the claim is open on the first call.
Do I have to replace the roof first?
No. A cash buyer can take the roof as it sits. A listed financed buyer is a different path.
Who gets the insurance check if we close with the claim still open?
Title and the contract have to say. The carrier and any mortgage servicer have rules. We do not write an insurance-proceeds form on this page.
Is storm damage the same as selling a fire-damaged house?
No. Fire and major water loss belong on sell a fire- or water-damaged house. Storm and hail are usually exterior weather damage with an insurance overlay.
What if the city posted a notice after the storm?
Photograph it and call. Code or condemnation is a separate file: sell a condemned house.
How fast can you close?
About two weeks when title is ready. You pick the date. Occupancy, probate, or payoff delays can stretch it.
Who will I meet?
David Dodge or Michael Slane. Call 636-525-1566.