Out first was a duplex (which we are house hacking) and our newest is a flip property.The first floor has beautiful, easy to restore hardwood floors.

It could be that the drain hose popped out of the drain hole in the laundry hook up box.It could even be that the dryer vent is clogged and condensated water is actually coming from the dryer.I don't think you'd need to remove the flooring but I'm not sure.If there was A LOT of water, I'd call a flood restoration company. 

Everything can be fixed--the question is simply how much it will cost.I would suggest getting an experienced restoration company or contractor with fire-damage experience to look at it and give you a run-down on what it will need.

to each their own and only you knownyour financial situation. but personally id put 3% dowm or something close to that (yes you will have a higher interest rate but it wouldnt be outlandishly higher) and invest the rest. or put 20% down and buy a duplex (though idk how big duplex get if you have 3 kids)

Noble Restorations does great work in the StL market  https://www.houzz.com/pro/noble-restoration/noble-restoration

It has a line about restoring property after catastrophic damage, at owner's option, and rent abatement until restored.

I'm trying to decide if I should refinance to a conventional loan after a while, so that I can move to another location and purchase another house with my VA restored VA loan.

Sometimes they make you jump thru hoops sometimes they don't.I work with a fire restoration guy and get most of my land deals from them. 

Hi Wesley,There are furniture repair finish restoration contractors who use hot melted color sticks and stains to blend scratches in fine furniture. 

But now I have to restore my 25% below market rents to market in 10% annual increments to restore my property value.