My experience after Hugo hit here in Charlotte in 1989 - the city stood still as far as any business goes besides construction going on. Gas was very difficult to find, but, the community was out in force, helping one another. For weeks, you saw very little but, power trucks from all over the east coast and heard the sound of chain saws during every daylight minute! I cannot imagine how many weeks it will take to recover from a storm of Irma's magnitude though, Annette.

Worry about getting out - not about duct taping anything right now - just GET OUT! Be safe and keep us posted, Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041.

you made it in real estate...you'll make it through a hurricane.... stay safe...

Come on up north, we can find you a Hurricane season home and when the repairs are done you can head on down for the winter.

Take care, Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 . Nothing is worth your safety!

Stay safe. Houses can be rebuilt.

Annette,

We keep praying that Irma will slow down.  I am sure that with your resilience you will handle whatever happens.  The main objective is that you stay safe.  A

Im in the same situation right now my friend hang in there, we will get through this. 

Stay safe... it is not a positive outlook for a while for your state. I've never had to live through any such catastrophe, so can't share any experiences.

Thankfully I do not have any experience after a real estate "disaster" beyond the mortgage crisis.  Nothing compared to what the hurricanes are producing. 

I have no words other than stay safe.  Batten down the hatches. 

Prayers to everyone.  

Safety first. Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 

Stay safe.  That's most important.

Re: the aftermath, things were a mess here after Irene and Sandy.  We had many without power for 2 weeks.  After Sandy, major gas shortage.

For the flooring business, for Irene we had jobs delayed due to power; then 2-3 months later a bit of extra business from flooding in basements (after insurance kicked in).

Sandy was worse overall...basically 2 weeks of no business/no school...you couldn't drive anywhere w/ all the trees and lack of gas/3 hr gas lines.  Then, I had jobs that were sold pre-Sandy that got canceled as people had to pay to remove trees and fix roofs so they could no long afford interior projects. Then, election distraction...then, it was too close to Thanksgiving for jobs to be done in time so they delayed in Spring.  It was not good for my business.

For both hurricanes, we had jobs delayed due to delayed closings as houses needed to get reinspected.

But, I was glad that everyone I knew here was safe (we got lucky as the storm shifted).  But, NYC and Long Island and Queens were a mess.

Oh, and many businesses in NYC were "relocated" for months. 

I think people overlook the big impact...even beyond the obvious people/houses directly impacted. For some areas esp on Long Island and a few coastal areas in our county, there were big impacts to flood insurance (and hence house values) and a lot of homes had to be elevated.

Most important, I hope people are safe.  I'm trying to write a mega article to give people advice on the insurance/recovery end.  But, I have a hunch I won't finish until next week.

Take great care and be safe.

Still living the experience here in Minot after our flood in June of 2011 Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 . 6 years later it's still just about impossible to sell homes in the valley. The other thing about a disaster... expect a LOT of conmen flooding the area posing as contractors.

Clean up is the hardest part. I suspect those day labors will charge an arm and a leg too. Here they want $25/hr and a big lunch.

Stay safe. 

There is always an opportunity to help those who will consider selling after this kind of disaster-to-be. And there are a lot of people coming in to take advantage of lower rates.

I predict it will weaken! Buckle down and ride it out at this point. Good luck.

First and foremost, get to safety!

I have no experience with a natural disaster aftermath.  I can only imagine the market will be pretty dead for a while as the damage is assessed and recovery starts.  For those agents living on the income from sale to sale, it could be a personal financial disaster. That is another reason to work toward multiple streams of income.

Stay safe Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 and please send updates to let us know you are ok

This too shall pass, it is a matter of when and the amount of destruction. 

You're a strong woman who will florish in the aftermath.  Until then - thoughts and prayers for your safety!! 

Was just thinking about you and here you are.  Our thoughts are with you - above all stay safe - all else can be rebuilt!

It will take quite a while for things to get back to normal if the storm is as horrible as predicted. Just stay safe and do whatever is necessary to keep your spirits, and those of your family and friends, up. 

Be safe and good luck to you.

Stay safe.

A few months after receiving my real estate license, the Northridge earthquake hit and while my area was more than a few miles east of the epicenter there was an impact for all of Los Angeles County.  

That first year, I represented more tenants in transactions than in any year since.   I worked with a lot of people looking to relocate temporarily.   It was obviously a year filled with many new experiences in a new field...I took it all in.   Changes occurred in the marketplace that certainly taught me about flexibility.   

Prayers for you and all those who are in harms way.  Everyone "Stay Safe"

Sorry about that happening but it shifted from our SE Florida home.

Stay safe. It will be a big distraction for a few weeks. After you weather the storm and everything settles back down you will likely see a surge in the market where people will decide to relocate locally or away from the coast.

Yes, duct tape will 'fix' most anything, though my first thought, if it's not too late, is to evacuate.  You need to be safe Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041.  We have not experienced a disaster of that magnitude here in AZ. 

You can still count on the Snowbirds coming south !

Oh no, Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 !  You need to get out and stay safe!

Annette, you and your home stay safe. 

So far the worst disaster I've been in was the 1989 SF Quake that leveled the Bay Bridge, Embarcaderro and many other landmarks. I was in property management not sales back then, I don't recall what the market was doing...but I bet many wanted to sell and leave Cali. Godspeed Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 

Take care of yourself, family and friends Anette. And please keep us updated. We wish you the best of outcomes.

Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 Stay safe!!

Hold on Annette! It looks like the West coast of Florida is "Taking one for the Team" this time.  Not fun.

Geez. Be careful.

Stay safe, Annette!

Stay safe Annette.

Stay safe.

Stay safe.

My only question is why you stayed? I truly hope you have supplies and stay safe.

Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 - Stay safe my friend.

Forget  the tape...leave and  be safe

Consultation demand should rise to the top of the list for "what to do" now

I hope you and yours are safe.....

Looking forward to your updates. 

Duct tape and a couple Sham-Wows and you should be fine.

Seriously, I hope everything is OK.

Please be safe and keep us inform on you.

Be safe.  The big earthquakes didn't hit my area hard (we're bedrock here).  While Northridge fell over in 94, we had a lamp fall over.  People moved to our area, it was a good selling feature!

Don't worry, my 88 year old parents are in Venice and refuse to leave their home. Fortunately, the storm surge is not expected to reach their neighborhood.