New Hampshire situation guide · Updated November 2026

Wholesaling Fire-Damaged Houses in New Hampshire

Wholesaling fire-damaged houses in New Hampshire means putting a burned home under contract at a discount and assigning that contract to a rehab buyer. In Manchester, older wood-frame triple-deckers often sit scorched for months while owners wait on insurance, and a careful wholesaler can offer a clean exit.

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The short answer

Can you wholesale a fire-damaged house in New Hampshire?

Generally yes. You buy the burned house under your own contract, and a rehab buyer later takes over your position. Searches turned up no law written just for wholesalers here, yet the state’s broker licensing chapter can still reach you, so read it and get a lawyer’s view before you advertise.

A fire changes the math more than almost any other problem. Smoke, water from the hoses and a damaged roof can add up fast, and the repair bill decides your price. Start with our fire-damaged house guide, then price the work with the repair cost guide before you talk numbers with the owner.

Ownership matters here. An insured owner may have a claim open, and a mortgage lender is often named on the insurance check. Ask who controls the claim money before you sign. Your contract should say plainly that you are buying for yourself and may assign it, as our assignment guide explains.

Fire-Damaged Houses in New Hampshire at a glance

Typical buyer	Rehab investors who can handle structural repairs
Broker chapter	RSA 331-A, the Real Estate Practice Act
Law aimed at wholesalers	None located in our search
Transfer tax	$0.75 per $100 of price under RSA 78-B:1
Main risk	Hidden structural and smoke damage
Best local lead	Burned multi-family homes in Manchester

The opportunity

Why burned homes create openings in Manchester

Manchester is New Hampshire’s largest city, and much of its housing is old wood-frame stock on tight lots in the West Side, the North End and near the Millyard. When one of those buildings burns, the owner often faces a long insurance process and a contractor shortage. Some would rather sell as is than manage a rebuild. A buyer with crews can move quickly, and you sit between the two. Winter makes timing sharper, because an open roof keeps causing damage.

Tired owners

Some owners want out after a fire and will take a fair cash price. See our negotiation guide.

Thin competition

Many retail buyers avoid burned homes, so contractors and rehab investors have less company.

Clear repair math

A scope of work gives you a firm number to back into with the MAO calculator.

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Lead sources

Where to find fire-damaged leads in Hillsborough County

Drive-by checks. Boarded windows and tarps stand out. Use our driving for dollars guide.
Local news. Fire reports name the street and sometimes the owner. Follow up respectfully, never on the day of the loss.
Registry records. Pull the owner from the county Registry of Deeds. Our owner lookup guide shows how.
Insurance adjusters and contractors. They meet owners who are stuck mid-claim and may pass along a referral.
Absentee landlords. A burned rental owned from out of town is a strong lead. See absentee owner leads.

Your exit

Who buys burned houses in New Hampshire

Your buyers are rehab investors and contractors who can pull permits and manage structural work. Show them photos, the fire department report if the owner has one, and your repair estimate. Send them to our cash buyer guide if your list is thin.

Expect the buyer to want proof of funds and a quick inspection. A damaged house often needs a clean title and a payoff letter from the lender, so open title early with an investor-friendly title company.

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Step by step

How to start wholesaling fire-damaged houses in New Hampshire

Find the loss. Spot the house, then confirm who owns it through public records.
Ask about the claim. Learn whether insurance is open and who gets paid.
Walk it safely. Never enter a house that may be unsound. Use a contractor.
Estimate repairs. Get a bid and run the ARV calculator for the repaired value.
Sign the contract. State your buying role and your right to assign in writing.
Market the contract. Send the deal to buyers only, never as a public ad for the house.
Close. Assign, or use a double close if the lender wants that.

Your checklist for wholesaling Fire-Damaged Houses in New Hampshire

Get the fire report and photos before pricing.
Learn who is named on the insurance claim.
Have a contractor confirm the structure.
Write your assignment right into the purchase contract.
Run your marketing plan past a local lawyer.

A New Hampshire example: a scorched triple-decker on the West Side

Property	Three-unit house, Manchester
Repaired value	$520,000
Repair bid	$165,000
Contract price	$215,000
Assignment fee	$18,000
Buyer paid	$233,000

A West Side owner lost the top floor of a three-family house to a kitchen fire and was tired of the claim. You agreed on $215,000 as is and wrote that you could assign the contract.

A contractor bid $165,000 for the work. With a finished house worth about $520,000, a rehab buyer still had room for profit once costs were counted.

You assigned the contract for an $18,000 fee. The buyer paid $233,000 at closing, and the owner left without running a rebuild.

New Hampshire rules to know

RSA 331-A, transfer tax and disclosure for burned homes

Advertising is where burned-house wholesalers get into trouble. RSA 331-A:2, III(g) lists holding yourself out as being in the business of buying or selling real estate among broker activities. A public post that sells the fire-damaged house itself, before you own or control it, looks like that. Keep marketing about your contract and send it to buyers privately. Check current text.

At the closing table, RSA 78-B:1 sets the state transfer tax at seventy-five cents per $100 of the price. Your title company can say who pays it on a given deal. Seller disclosure duties, including septic, may apply, so check current rules. If you call owners, follow RSA 359-E:8 and the federal registry, using our TCPA guide. See our attorney guide.

Learn it with a mentor

Price the damage before you promise a number

Fire deals fail when the repair estimate is a guess. Mentorship students send us photos and bids, and we help them test the numbers and the contract before they sign.

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FAQ

Fire-Damaged Houses in New Hampshire: common questions

Is wholesaling fire-damaged houses in New Hampshire legal?

Usually, when you hold your own contract and assign it. Our search found no New Hampshire law aimed at wholesalers, but broker licensing under RSA 331-A can matter if you advertise property you do not control or earn pay from another party. Confirm with a New Hampshire attorney.

Who gets the insurance money after a fire?

It depends on the policy and the loan. A mortgage lender is often named on the claim check, and an owner may not be free to sell until that is sorted out. Ask the owner for the claim file and let the title company confirm payoffs before closing.

How do I price a burned house in Manchester?

Pull comparable sales for the repaired value, then take away the contractor’s bid, the buyer’s margin and your own fee. What remains is your ceiling. Run both calculators, and add a cushion for smoke in the walls, water from fire hoses and scorched wiring.

Can I go inside a fire-damaged house?

Not without written permission from the owner, and not before a contractor calls the structure safe. Burned floors and roofs can give way without warning. Photograph from the street first, and let a professional walk the inside before you name a price.

What does New Hampshire charge at closing?

Mostly the transfer tax: seventy-five cents for every $100 of price under RSA 78-B:1, with a $20 minimum on sales of $4,000 or less. Add title and recording fees. Ask the title company for a settlement estimate before you sign, since it can say who pays what.