Sell a storm-damaged house in Palm Coast, FL for cash, as-is: hurricane wind claims versus NFIP flood claims, the 30% CRS discount and 2018 flood maps, and the 2024 flood disclosure form. Written offer within 24 hours of the visit.
Flagler County measures its storms in dollars. Matthew in 2016 left $72.8 million in private damage and 11 destroyed homes. Ian in 2022 added $10.6 million and Nicole, weeks later, $23.7 million and a closed pier at Flagler Beach. Milton in October 2024 did $19 million countywide, $4.7 million of it in Palm Coast, across 397 homes. Charley in 2004 was the last storm to hit the county at hurricane force, which means the storms since have done their damage without a direct hit: wind from the edge of the system, and water. The Intracoastal pushed over its banks onto low streets, rain that outruns the swales, and the saltwater canals of Palm Harbor rising against their seawalls. What follows is the adjuster, the contractor who cannot come until spring, and the tarp that becomes permanent.
Palm Coast Cash Buyers buys storm-damaged houses across Palm Coast and Flagler County in whatever state they are in today: roof open, interior gutted, contents inside, or under a city notice about debris. We buy with wind and flood claims open, paid or denied. This page explains how wind and water losses are insured differently, what the NFIP, FEMA and Palm Coast's flood program mean for a seller, what the flood disclosure form asks, how the city's debris clock works, and how the sale runs.
Wind claim or flood claim: two policies, two adjusters
Hurricane damage splits into two insurance categories. Wind damage, to the roof, soffits, screens, windows and everything soaked through the opening, is what a homeowners policy may cover, subject to its terms and its hurricane deductible. Rising water, from the Intracoastal, a canal, a swale or a flooded street, is flood damage, and a homeowners policy does not cover it; only a separate flood policy does. A house that took both has two claims and two adjusters. We cannot tell you what either will pay; your adjusters can. We price the house on the damage we can see and walk, and both claims stay with you for the loss during your ownership. Our contract does not depend on their outcome.
The NFIP, FEMA assistance and Palm Coast's 30% CRS discount
Most flood policies in the United States are written through the National Flood Insurance Program, which FEMA runs. FEMA also draws the flood maps; Flagler County's changed on June 6, 2018, and a house that was in zone X before may be in zone AE now. The difference matters: AE and VE zones carry four-figure flood premiums here, against several hundred dollars in zone X. The city participates in the NFIP's Community Rating System and has earned a 30% discount on flood premiums in Special Flood Hazard Areas since 2017. After a declared disaster FEMA may also give direct assistance to households. For a seller two things follow: a rebuild in a mapped zone must meet current elevation rules, and any federal assistance you received is now a question on a state form.
The flood disclosure form required since October 1, 2024
Florida's general rule, from Johnson v. Davis, requires a seller to disclose known facts that materially affect value and are not readily observable. Since October 1, 2024 there is also a specific form. Fla. Stat. 689.302 requires a flood disclosure at or before contract stating whether you have filed prior flood insurance claims, whether you received federal flood assistance, and whether you carry flood insurance. It applies to a cash sale exactly as to a listing. We prepare the form with you from your records, and an honest answer does not lower our number; we assume water reached wherever the house and the maps say it could. Keep the claim letters, the adjuster's estimate and any FEMA correspondence. They answer the form's questions.
Debris, tarps and the city's clock
A storm-damaged house draws the City of Palm Coast Code Compliance Division (386-986-3764) for debris, an open roof, a downed fence, or material dumped in the swale or canal, which the city prohibits. The notice gives a reasonable time to comply. An unresolved case goes to a civil citation or the Code Enforcement Board, which levies per-day fines that run until an affidavit of compliance is filed; board orders have set $400 a day for nuisance accumulations. Fla. Stat. 162.06(5) lets you sell with the case pending if you disclose it in writing, give the buyer the notices and tell the code officer within 5 days of the transfer. We prepare that paperwork, any recorded fine is paid or negotiated on the settlement statement, and the permits become ours.
Living somewhere else while the house waits
Many owners of storm-damaged houses here are not in them. Some moved in with family in Ormond Beach or St. Augustine after the storm. Some are seasonal owners; 2,548 units here are seasonal. Some are heirs who inherited the house with the tarp already on it and must wait for the Seventh Judicial Circuit's probate division in Bunnell to put the authority to sell in place. In every case the house does not have to be cleared. Take what is salvageable and meaningful and leave the ruined furniture, carpet and drywall to us. We contract now, close when title and authority allow, and you sign where you live with the proceeds wired.
How the sale runs
Send the address, the storm, the status of each claim and any notice from the city. We visit within a day or two, with a contractor where the damage is extensive, and deliver a written offer within 24 hours of the visit. The number includes remediation, the roof, the rebuild, elevation where the maps require it and the permits. If you accept, a title company searches the Flagler County official records, orders payoffs and closes in about a week once the title is clear, or on a later date you choose. We pay the customary closing costs and there is no commission; your proceeds are the price minus the payoff and any liens. If your carriers are funding a full repair and you intend to stay, Palm Coast Cash Buyers will tell you so and step back.
Selling to us or listing: how it compares in Palm Coast
| Sell to Palm Coast Cash Buyers | List with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to close | About a week after a clear title, or your date | roughly two to three months to a contract, then the buyer's financing |
| Repairs and inspections | None; bought as it stands | Inspection and repair credits, often a four-point and wind-mitigation inspection for insurance |
| Commission and closing costs | No commission; we pay the customary closing costs | Commission plus the seller's share of closing costs |
| Price | Usually below a renovated home's list price | Market price, if the house qualifies and the buyer's loan closes |
| Certainty | Written contract; no lender between signing and closing | Depends on the buyer's appraisal, loan and inspection period |