3 Reasons for Fire Damaged Homes in Chicago – Southside

URB Chicago is a distressed home buyer in Chicago’s Southside neighborhoods. We love southside Chicago. Even more so, We love the southside homes. There are few places in the world that offer such a variety of unique homes and design ideas. From Victorian homes in West Englewood to multi-flat apartments in Ashburn, worker’s cottages in Back of the Yard, and Chicago Bungalows in West Pullman. The architecture tells the story of Chicago’s fabled history. Some of that history is of sacrifice. Some of that history is of excellence. And some of that history is notorious. Regardless of where you are from in the southside, you can guarantee that the story of your historic home is wrapped in excitement.

Take for example the Southside property in Englewood that was once known as H.H. Holmes murder castle. It is now the location of the Englewood post office. Well, despite local lore, the house was not mysteriously burned down by a coven of witches or flock of demons. Though, that would have certainly been an interesting thing to see. But the building did have a fire that created a lot of damage to the property. Still, we will never know the extent of the fire damage. By the 1930s the Murder Castle was torn down and replaced by the current Englewood Post Office. In fact, if you’re feeling brave enough, swing by the southside neighborhood of Englewood and see if you can stroll or glance into the post office basement where it is said ghosts are often heard to roam. The old H.H. Holmes property is located at 63rd and Wallace.

Putting ghosts aside, searching fire damaged homes near me in Chicago’s southside neighborhood isn’t hard to find. Older Chicago homes are prone to fire. And if you own an older home in Chicago this is why.

3 Reasons why distressed Chicago homes have fire damage

URB Chicago buys fire damaged homes in Chicago’s Southside. We offer fair market cash offer for fire damaged homes in as fast as 24 hours. We can even close on most Chicago homes in as fast as 7 business days.

Chicago has one of the highest ratings for homes lost to fire in the United States. Much of this is due to construction, age of homes, extreme weather, homeless population, and building code violations. We buy distressed Chicago single family homes, Chicago bungalows, 2-flat, 3-flat, and 4-flat multi-flat buildings, apartment buildings, and commercial real estate. And we’ve been buying Chicago abandoned and damaged homes since the 1980s. So, when I say we’ve seen a lot of fire damaged homes, you can probably take my word for it. Fire damage comes in several ways and the damage can be as small as a localized fireplace to engulfing the entirety of a home. And so you know, URB Chicago will buy fire damaged homes as is and regardless of the amount of damage.

One question I often receive is, how are so many fires started in Chicago? After the Great Chicago Fire many Chicago homes started to be built from brick rather than just wood. Building codes became stricter over the years. And a robust fire department grew and improved.

But fires still exist. From my experience, here are three of the most common reasons distressed Chicago homes have fire damage.

Outdated electrical leads to fires

Outdated electrical leads to fires in older Chicago homes. Updating the wiring in a home can be expensive. So, naturally over decades or even a century many older homes were never upgraded. This is especially the case in homes that a single family has owned for generations. While most abandoned or vacant homes in Chicago have had their power cut off, many distressed homes still maintain power if a family is using that home for storage or another purpose. Dimmed and flickering lights and 2-prong outlets are the biggest indicators of wiring that needs to be updated.

The fires in homes with outdated electrical are often caused by poor insulation and when the wiring, fuses, and outlets over heat.

Lightning strikes cause fire damage

Lightning strikes cause fire damage. Chicago has extreme weather. And in the summers, large storms roll over and bring lightning. While lightning may be fun to watch, when it hits an older home or large nearby trees there is always a threat of fire.

One way to minimize the threat of lightning fire is to keep your yard clean of excessive dry vegetation, over grown yards, and flammable debris. Many Southside abandoned or distressed homes for sale are notorious for the accumulation of trash in the yards. And as all of those McDonald’s wrappers pile up or the stacks of old lumber from home-renos piles up, the yard and house become possible fire damage victims.

Abandoned homes with squatters

Abandoned homes with squatters often burn. Chicago is known for its high homeless population. One impact of not having enough public beds for the homeless is that abandoned properties quickly become homes for squatters. I’d guess that most fire-damaged homes caused by people are not on purpose. But things such as cigarette butts, charcoal grills, and any other device used to keep warm or cook food can create a huge fire hazard. Abandoned homes are particularly susceptible as they are often surrounded with fallen debris, insulation flammables, and carelessness.

Contact URB Chicago to sell your fire-damaged southside Chicago home

Contact URB Chicago to sell your fire-damaged southside Chicago home. URB Chicago buys houses in as-is condition. We buy fire-damaged houses. We buy water-damaged houses. We buy distressed homes and apartment buildings. And we buy abandoned commercial property like warehouses and multi-use properties.