I spent the morning checking on all my listings and replanting For Sale signs in their front yards. Since we managed to dodge the bullet that was Hurricane Irene by mere miles I didn't expect to find any terrible damage to the properties I represent in Chapel Hill, Durham and Carrboro. Other than the expected debris, all were safe and sound.
It isn't always that way. Those of us who have lived our entire lives in North Carolina understand that hurricanes are capricious and preparing for them is not optional. We know that these “weather events” can strengthen, subside, change direction or fall apart in short order. So we gather deck furniture, secure loose objects, trim loose limbs, and whatever else we can think of to secure our homes from avoidable damage.
As a professional Realtor I have more than just my personal home to worry about. I speak with my clients, particularly if they have not lived here during a previous storm preparation. I drop by each listing and secure my real estate sign in the garage or other area where it cannot become a projectile. I always cringe when I see pictures of a hurricanes' aftermath showing mangled real estate signs embedded in trees or a roof. My signs will never be in those pictures.
This time, we were not in the hurricanes' direct path. I was happy to spend my morning replanting For Sale signs and reporting the lack of damage to sellers who were not here to check their properties themselves. Real estate professionals are not just “fair weather” friends.
As a meteorologist said on television this morning, science has gotten good at predicting when a hurricane will pass over New York City but still isn't very good at predicting what condition the hurricane will be in when it arrives. That is exactly why we in the hurricane zone prepare for them and why we always will.We were some of the lucky ones this time. Our hearts are with those who weren't so lucky.
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