As I write this post, my heart is heavy for the recent, two horrific disasters that have happened in our country these past months. From the flooding in North Carolina to the fires that are still burning in California, these disasters are changing the landscape in many areas. Thousands of homeowners are currently trying to assess and determine their next steps.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who are dealing with these difficult times. I have gone through several aftermaths of flooding and hurricanes from living in the Houston, Texas area for 35 years. I have been up close and personal dealing with the clean-up, the emotions, and the insurance processes. None of it is easy and the events no doubt, are life-changing.
What we know as real estate professionals is when people are finally able to climb out of the rubble, there are decisions that have to be made. Do you rebuild? Is building even possible on the same property? How much will the insurance provide in order to build? And, so many other decisions and questions.
After Hurricane Ike, the Houston area was devasted over a large portion of the area. If you know Houston, you know there are many suburbs around Houston that cover hundreds of miles. I lived about 40 miles north of Houston and our area was in shambles. The worst was no electricity for almost a month in many areas.
As a real estate agent, I began making a plan for the listings I had at that time. I had listings that were in various statuses. The first step was reaching out to all of my clients. Thankfully, I printed all pertinent information for each listing including contact information prior to the hurricane. I am so glad I did this because Internet services were sketchy as well as cell service.
It was important to find out first, how my clients were and secondly, what was the condition of their home. Once I knew what we were dealing with, we had to come up with a plan depending on the status such as under contract, repairs needed, and the decision to either remove the home from the market or were they able to continue with either an ongoing offer or listing.
The other aspect of real estate was to determine new property values in the wake of a disaster. For the Houston area, many areas that had never flooded before experienced severe damage. No doubt, property values were forever affected. Agents had to go back to square one as we all climbed out of the rubble.
National disasters affect all industries no doubt. For those of us in real estate and because we deal with people's personal homes and businesses, we are faced with unique challenges. For those of you in the current affected areas, your fellow real estate professionals around the country are keeping you in our thoughts. Let us know if we can assist or if you simply need a shoulder.
Hang in there!
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