Wisconsin situation guide · Updated November 2026

Wholesaling Storm-Damaged Houses in Wisconsin

Here is the idea behind wholesaling storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin: you sign a purchase contract on a home that wind, hail, a tornado or rising water has hurt, then pass that contract to a buyer with a repair crew. Some would rather sell than argue with an adjuster, and our motivated seller guide shows where to find them. The state’s wholesaler statute governs each deal.

Wis. Stat. 710.13 noticeTornado and flood hazards100% online mentorship

Get the free starter kit Book a free call

Call/Text818-532-0481

Let’s find your starting point

Explore the mentorship.

Request a free fit call to discuss your goals and whether the program is right for you.

The short answer

Is wholesaling storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin legal?

Generally yes, provided you deliver the written notices described in Wis. Stat. 710.13 and describe the storm damage candidly. Look up the statute’s current wording and ask a Wisconsin attorney how it fits your deal.

Anyone who signs as buyer intending to transfer the contract for pay is a real property wholesaler under the statute, which covers one- to four-unit homes. Two documents matter for a hail-damaged duplex or a single-family house alike: the seller reads your written notice at or before the purchase agreement, and your end buyer gets one at or before the assignment. Walk through both in our assignment guide and offer guide.

A missed notice generally gives the other side a way out before closing, with the deposit going to the seller or back to the buyer depending on who was shorted. Storm deals often involve open claims, tarps and temporary repairs, so ask what has been done and by whom. A deal that looks easy can hide mechanic’s liens. See our mechanic’s lien guide.

Storm-Damaged Houses in Wisconsin at a glance

Wholesaler notice	Written notices for both the seller and your assignee (Wis. Stat. 710.13)
Property types covered	Residential, one to four dwelling units
Condition report	Usually furnished by an owner-occupant roughly 10 days after acceptance
Transfer fee	$0.30 for each $100 of value, owed by the grantor
Common risks	Open claims, contractor liens, roof and water damage
Hazards	Tornado, high wind, hail and river or lake flooding

The opportunity

Why storm damage creates wholesale deals in Wisconsin

Once the wind dies down, the roofer’s calendar fills and the waiting begins. Along both banks of the Fox River in Green Bay, older streets lose shingles, limbs and finished basements first. A homeowner might be holding an insurance check that falls short, or might never have called the carrier at all. Lay out your math plainly, never guess what the insurer will pay, and lean on our repair cost guide with cautious numbers.

Backlogged repairs

Owners facing long contractor waits may prefer a sale. See our cash for keys guide for tenant cases.

Insurance gaps

A deductible or denied claim can push sellers toward a cash exit.

Investor appetite

Rehab buyers like roofs and interiors they can price and schedule.

Get the free starter kit See the mentorship

Lead sources

Where to find storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin

After a storm. Drive affected streets in Green Bay, De Pere and nearby towns and note tarps, missing shingles and fallen trees.
Local inspection offices. Municipal inspectors may know which homes have open orders. Ask what you can access.
Neighbors and contractors. Roofers and tree services often know which owners are stuck. Build respectful relationships.
Owner research. Our skip tracing guide explains how to find contact details.
Direct mail. Mail a brief, caring note to streets hit by the storm, following our direct mail guide.

Your exit

Who buys storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin

Buyers tend to be nearby renovators, roofers who invest on the side and landlords. Give them pictures of the roof, attic and basement, plus a clear note on any tarps or patches already in place.

Hand over the written wholesaler notice ahead of the assignment contract, and keep a copy. Matching a damaged home to the right investor is easier with our buy box guide. It also helps to ask whether that investor expects to pull permits, since that changes the real scope behind your price.

Book a free call

Step by step

How to start wholesaling storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin

Learn the damage. Ask what happened, when it happened and what repairs are done.
Check claims. Ask whether a claim was filed and who holds the check.
Look for liens. Search for contractor or mechanic’s liens before you set a price.
Run the numbers. Use the ARV calculator and the MAO calculator with a roof and interior budget.
Seller notice. The seller reads and receives the wholesaler disclosure before the purchase agreement is signed.
Buyer notice. Your end buyer receives the matching disclosure before the assignment is signed.
Close at title. An investor-friendly title company can sort out liens and handle the money.

Your checklist for wholesaling Storm-Damaged Houses in Wisconsin

Write the notice to the seller and the buyer on separate documents.
Ask whether any insurance proceeds are owed to a lender.
Search for contractor liens and open permits.
Describe the damage honestly in your marketing.
Get a Wisconsin attorney to review your contract.

A Wisconsin example: a wind-damaged colonial in Green Bay

Contract price	$96,000
Estimated repairs	$48,000
Repaired value (ARV)	$215,000
Buyer’s all-in cost	About $162,000 with fees
Assignment fee	$10,000
Transfer fee, 30 cents per $100	$288 on a $96,000 sale, paid by the grantor

A Green Bay couple owned a colonial near the Fox River. A storm dropped a limb through the roof and soaked the upstairs ceiling. A roofer quoted three months, and they had already bought a smaller home.

The price settled at $96,000. Ahead of the signature, the couple received your written wholesaler notice and heard that the contract would be assigned. To pin down the after-repair value, you worked through the ARV guide.

An investor who renovates roofs and siding paid a $10,000 assignment fee once his own written notice arrived. A minor lien was cleared by the title company, and everyone signed off inside four weeks.

Wisconsin rules to know

Notices, brokers and fees for storm-damaged houses

No special wholesaler license exists, yet Wis. Stat. 710.13 still imposes a written-notice duty on deals involving up to four units, so re-read the current text each time. Also keep in mind that the state’s broker definition can catch someone whose sales add up to a pattern. Our license guide explains how to stay careful.

Owner-occupants generally owe a condition report about 10 days after the offer is accepted, and a buyer who never receives it may get a brief window to walk away. Storm damage is exactly what that form asks about. Transfer fees of 30 cents per $100 land on the grantor, subject to exemptions. Plan ahead with our legality guide and attorney guide.

Learn it with a mentor

Price storm damage with confidence

Damage from a storm often runs deeper than it looks. Students in our mentorship forward roof photos and contractor quotes, and we talk through the offer amount and how to explain it to the owner.

See the course See the mentorship

FAQ

Storm-Damaged Houses in Wisconsin: common questions

Can I wholesale a house with an open insurance claim?

It can work, but first find out who has a right to any claim money and what the mortgage lender demands. A title professional should review the file before you commit, and ask what temporary repairs were made, and by whom.

Does wholesaling storm-damaged houses in Wisconsin need a license?

Wisconsin issues no separate wholesaler license, though repeated sales could be read as brokerage activity. Confirm the current rules with an attorney before building a storm-house business. Five sales in a year or ten in five is presumptive evidence of a pattern.

Who pays the transfer fee?

Typically the seller, called the grantor, owes the state transfer fee of 30 cents on every $100 of value, unless a listed exemption fits the deal. On a $130,000 Green Bay house that is $390, so ask your title company to confirm.

What if I miss the buyer notice?

A missed notice lets the affected buyer generally cancel ahead of closing and recover the earnest money, so deliver it on time and keep a signed copy. The seller notice is due by the purchase agreement, the buyer notice by the assignment.

Where should I look first?

Start with neighborhoods hit by the latest storm and check local inspection offices. Along the Fox River in Green Bay, older streets lose shingles and limbs first, so look there first, and never guess what an insurer will pay on any claim.