Milddle west winter damaged pipes

[Nazz Wang]

A house was sitting on the market during this past long cold winter in the Midwest with no heat and utilities. I was told by the realtor that all the pipes broke as a result. Never lived in a place that snows in my whole life, would someone please share knowledge on how this happens and how much it would be to fix it?

[Aaron Reynolds]

You also have to consider the cost to repair the damage caused by the water once things thaw out and your broken water lines are now allowing water to flow into the house.  This can include damaged hardwood floors, drywall and mold issues due to standing water.  

I recently checked out a house where the pipes froze over the winter and once the water started flowing again, there was so much of it that it caused some settling issues with the front porch!  Not to mention the damage to hardwood floors, cabinets and mold.