Families in Spokane area fires face tough decision: Rebuild or sell?

SPOKANE, Wash. — As families recover from the Spokane area fires, many face a difficult decision: rebuild or sell their burned properties?

More than two months since their home burned down in the Autumn Lane Fire, Erik Schubach and his wife have the keys to a new place.

“It hasn’t hit me yet that this is home,” Schubach said. “This is our home.”

Schubach said selling their old property near Nine Mile Falls was a tough decision. The couple had lived there for 35 years, and it was his wife’s childhood home.

Schubach said they were under insured, and clearing the lot could have cost up to $100,000. Building a new house could have taken another $120,000, depending on what type of new home they wanted. Altogether, Schubach said they would have paid more than the land was worth.

“Pretty depressing actually, but we had to do what we had to do,” Schubach said.

Rather than rebuild, they decided to take the insurance money they got, combine it with some life insurance money from a family member and buy a 120-year-old house in the Garland District.

Schubach is not the only one taking this route to recovery. In the Rifle Club Road area, at least one cleared property has a for sale sign on it. Other homeowners have also said they plan to sell.

For families still deciding what to do, Schubach has some advice.

“If they’re attached to it emotionally and they just can’t give it up, keep it,” he said. “But otherwise, it only makes sense to move on if it’s going to cost more than what the property is worth to make it livable again.”

As the couple and their pets settle in, they’re slowly collecting things to make the new house feel like a home. Schubach said there’s another silver lining.

“We’re in a district that I’ve always wanted to live in: the Garland District,” Schubach said. “I mean, perfect date nights. Just go walking with my wife, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”