Hurricaine Harvey in Texas

[Ned J.]

Holly crap.... the devastation is mind blowing.

I was curious if any of the BP REI community is being effected by the disaster.....either personally or your investments in that area...

I have a SFR in Kingwood....north east of Houston, near the "top" of Harris county. So far...knock on wood..... its looks like it will be spared from the flood, but fingers still crossed....more rain is still on the way. Of course we don't have flood insurance....no where near the flood plain data areas....but this appears to be a never before seen flooding disaster....so that data may not mean jack this time around. Not sure what we will do if it floods....

[Ned J.]

Sensitive question?

I would be lying to say that the investor in me hasn't been rolling through tons of questions about how this will effect me and my SFR investment in that area...... I feel guilty..... tons of people have lost everything they own...and it looks like my investment has been spared...... the city will take years to recover...and many people will be destroyed financially for years to come.... It looks like I dodged a bullet (sure hope I didn't just jinx myself)......and for that I am truly grateful. It has been a stressful week worrying about my investment.... but I can't even imagine the stress and fear for the people that are in the middle of it. My worries pale in comparison.....

But I'd be lying to say these questions haven't gone through my head....

Couple of weeks ago my tenant gave notice of moving out at the end of Sept and I need some work done....how the hell am I going to find a contractor now?

Does this mean the rental market is going to go through the roof, so should I increase my rent even more than I was going to ?....what a horrible thing to think about...... NO intention of gouging, but supply/demand sets the base rate..... do I get "soft" and cut someone a break as they get back on their feet? what's the right balance between ethics and business that takes care of my family?

Housing shortage....is this the time to sell and get the hell out of that area? How does this effect the value of the home? Does it go up since the supply just got destroyed or is the area now have such a horrible image that the value goes down?

Do I buy more? what a weird market situation to get into.....

Horrible things to think about as other people's lives are destroyed....complete devastation..... but these thoughts have been bouncing around in my head just as much as "what if I lose the house"?.... then what?...... the loss wouldn't destroy me, but it would definitely be a hit.... but nothing compared to the people living in Houston....not even close.....