"When Was the Fire?"
Always first, and it surprises people who expect to be asked about damage.
Why: two separate two-year periods run from that date under the state nonconforming use statute, and where a property sits against them changes what can lawfully be put back. An owner eighteen months out is in a different position from one three weeks out, and no amount of discussion about the building changes that.
"What Did the Fire Actually Reach?"
Roof, framing, one room, the whole thing. We are listening for whether the structure is likely repairable rather than for a description of the damage.
Why: it decides which market the property is in. A repairable house attracts buyers pricing close to finished value; one needing replacement attracts buyers pricing land plus construction. Those are different numbers and we would rather be in the right one from the start.
"Do You Know If It's Near the Base?"
Most people know roughly. Few know which zone, and that is fine because we can look it up.
Why: in the accident potential zones a replacement must be of equal or lesser density or intensity than what was there. That caps the finished value we can honestly assume, and a buyer who has not asked this has not priced your property. The full position is on our page covering the clocks and the ceiling.
"Has Anyone Told You Whether the House Is Nonconforming?"
Usually nobody has, and the honest answer is usually "no idea", which is a perfectly good answer.
Why: a conforming house is not relying on the statutory protection at all, which removes both clocks and simplifies everything. It is the single most useful thing an owner can establish and it takes one enquiry to the zoning administrator.
"Is the Claim Open, and Is That All Right With You?"
Two questions in one. The first is factual. The second is asking whether you want us anywhere near it.
Why: who keeps the insurance proceeds is a contract term rather than a barrier, so a sale can proceed either way. But your settlement is a negotiation where our interest runs opposite to yours, and we would rather establish that boundary out loud than drift across it.
"Is There Anything Making This Urgent for You?"
Asked once, and not pursued if the answer is vague.
Why not: because knowing that somebody needs to sell quickly is knowing how hard to push, and we do not want to price on it. Partly that is a matter of not exploiting a bad month in somebody's life. Mostly it is that sellers who feel squeezed find a reason to stop, and a negotiation that collapses in week four costs us more than a fair number would have.
What We Do Not Ask
What you owe on the property. What you would accept. What other offers you have. Whether you have somewhere else to live.
Some buyers open with those and there is a reason. They are inputs to a negotiating position rather than to a valuation, and we would rather value the property and let you decide.
What Happens After
We check the zoning position and AICUZ mapping, the Circuit Court Clerk's land records for the deed and any liens including Navy easements, the assessor's record and the permit history. None of that needs anything from you.
Then a written figure within 24 to 72 hours, with finished value, cost of the work, carrying cost and margin each on their own line, and a statement of what we assumed can lawfully be built on the lot.
And If the Answer Is That You Should Not Sell?
What We Are
A private buyer of fire-damaged residential property across Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads cities, in any condition from smoke to cleared lot. Claims open, settled, denied and uninsured. Owner-occupied, tenanted, vacant and inherited, including for owners posted elsewhere.
We buy as principal, in our own entity, with our own funds, and we take title. The contract is not assigned. Nothing is charged to you at any stage.
We are not brokers, not public adjusters, not contractors and not lawyers. Whether a particular fire is an act of God within the meaning of the statute is a real question and a lawyer's question, and we will say so rather than reassure you.
Beyond this region the picture changes and we would be the wrong buyer.
To start, send an address through any form here. Before you do, read the three constraints on our page about how the process actually runs, and the sorting questions on our page about how to tell local cash buyers apart.