Things You Wish You Knew Before Flipping a Flood House

[Rae Hoffman]

I'm closing on my first flood house in two days. We purchased the property off-market and we got a good deal. We already have two bids (still deciding), have done the mold inspection, and the numbers work - excited to get started. 

My question is - to anyone who has ever rehabbed a home that has flooded before - is there anything you learned during the process (specific to the home having flooded) that you wish you knew when/before you did your first flood deal?

[Kevin Enderle]

Some things to always check. 

First is the attic. A flooded house will pump tons of moisture into the attic. This can lead to damaged roof sheathing from mold and wet or compromised insulation that will need to be replaced. If it is gutted to the roof then insulation isn't a concern, though the roof structure should still be checked for moisture as it is often overlooked. If the sheathing is OSB, a roofing inspection should be done to make sure the roof hasn't become...crunchy from mold growing on the topside under the shingles. 

Second is HVAC ducting. At a minimum, assuming it is a ducted system it will need to be cleaned and sanitized. At a maximum, the ducting may need to be replaced fully, especially if it is lined. 

And make sure you have a full set of mold and moisture clearance tests in hand before proceeding. Visual isn't good enough. Moisture can hang out inside structure and not show on perfunctory surface moisture readings. And because it was moldy, You should have mold clearance tests available for the disclosure.