Sell a Fire Damaged House in Broadway-Fillmore, Masten Park, Genesee-Moselle or Buffalo's East Side

Ask One Question First

Is there a mortgage on the property. On this side of the city a great many houses have been owned free and clear for decades, frequently passed within families, and section 1308 has nothing to attach to.

Where there is a mortgage and it goes delinquent, the whole machinery described on this site engages: inspection within 90 days, repeat inspections every 25 to 35 days, a notice posted within seven business days of a determination, and reporting into the statewide registry. The framework is on our page covering the inspection and the registry.

What If I Inherited It and Do Not Know?

Very common here, and it is answerable. The county clerk's records show what was recorded against the property and whether anything was ever discharged. An old mortgage that was paid off decades ago may still appear unless a satisfaction was recorded, which is a different problem from an active lien and one worth clearing up before selling either way.

Without a Mortgage, a Different Set of Questions

No first lien holder means no statutory inspections and no posted notice from a servicer. What replaces it is ordinary municipal code enforcement, and a burned house left open attracts that on its own schedule.

It also means nobody else is securing the building. Where a lender has duties, a deteriorating property is somebody's statutory problem. Where there is no lender, it is entirely yours.

Is That Better or Worse?

Better in that no foreclosure clock is running and nothing is entering a state registry. Worse in that the burden of securing and maintaining sits with you alone, and on modest values that burden can approach what the property is worth. Owners here sometimes discover that owning outright has left them with a building nobody else has any obligation toward.

We publish no lien findings, code positions or values for individual East Side properties. The county clerk's records and the city's code enforcement office hold those.

The Housing Repairs Well and the Values Are Tight

Much of the stock predates modern framing, and dimensional timber of that era chars on the surface rather than failing at connections, so members can frequently be assessed, cleaned back and retained.

That lowers the cost of repair meaningfully, which matters more here than anywhere else in the region because a full repair can otherwise approach or exceed the finished value.

Winter Does the Rest

Water entering charred timber freezes, expands and thaws repeatedly through a Buffalo winter. A frame an engineer could have assessed and largely retained in autumn is frequently not retainable by spring, and that moves the property between the repair market and the rebuild market.

Securing costs a fraction of repairing and it is the only item that gets more expensive by waiting.

The East Side in Context

Where values carry the work, see our page about North Buffalo and Elmwood. Where similar older stock sits west of downtown, see our page for the West Side and Black Rock.

The Sections Behind an East Side File

The Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act took effect on 20 December 2016, adding sections 1308, 1309 and 1310 to the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law.

Where a first lien exists, section 1308 requires an exterior inspection within 90 days of delinquency, repeat inspections every 25 to 35 days, and a notice posted within 7 business days of a determination. Penalties reach $500 per day per property.

East Side Questions

Is There a Mortgage on My Inherited House?

The county clerk's records answer it, including whether an old one was ever discharged. Worth checking before selling either way.

Nobody Is Securing the Building.

Where there is no first lien holder, that duty is yours. It is the cheapest work on the property and the most urgent before winter.

Will You Buy on the East Side?

Yes, in any condition, including long-vacant property and houses with unclear title history.

Sell a Fire Damaged House in The East Side