Carol Knott

This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Texas RE/MAX Top 250 Individuals Retreat. This had been planned for a while to be held at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. When Ike struck the coast with all his force and fury, we were certain the retreat would be canceled or relocated. About 2 weeks ago, we all received emails saying the retreat was on at Moody Gardens.

Although there was not a great crowd of agents that attended, it was a fabulous conference. Big thanks to RE/MAX of Texas for that.

BUT the important thing about this conference was how fabulous Moody Gardens was. The manager of the hotel actually addressed our conference attendees and thanked us for not canceling the reservation. He went on to say that the employees at the hotel were thrilled and felt blessed that they could be back at work serving guests. He talked about having employees that he had always said hello to in passing whom he now knows on a first name basis. He related a story about telling one employee he was "out of uniform" only find out the employee had the only clothes on his back that he owned. Ike had taken everything from him. What a humbling experience.

I urge all of you to daily lift the residents of Galveston County and surrounding areas up in prayer. The piles of debris are not limited to limbs, carpet, sheetrock, but include furnishings, appliances, clothing, kids' toys, and so much more. If you have the opportunity to go to the coast and put back into the area a little economic stimulus, please do so.

And finally, count your blessings. I know I am.

As mentioned in a previous blog, I have some clients here from out of state to buy a home. They will be moving here and starting a new job on November 1. This is specifically a house hunting trip; pre-approved, down payment in the bank, motivated buyer. They identified several homes via the internet before arriving that they wanted to see.

Luckily and miraculously, none of the homes they wanted to see had a tree crush it, windows blown out, etc by Hurricane Ike. But some areas here are slow to regain electricity.

One of the top 3 choices they wanted to see had no electricity. Repeatedly I tried to make an appointment to show the house to my buyers during the 4 day period they were here to look. Always the reply was, "Sorry, we do not have electricity. It doesn't look as good without the lights on. I have had people staying with us since I have a generator." Finally, my persuasive talents worked and on day 4 I got permission to show the house. No, it wasn't perfect but it was neat, orderly, decorated nicely and as show ready as anyone would have expected. As soon as we walked in the door, my clients said, "This is it." This, after over 30 homes viewed! Just when they were ready to decide on another home, we got in and got it under contract.

My clients are thrilled and the sellers seem happy. The point is, Sellers, if you want to sell, do not decline showings unless you absolutely MUST. You never know when the Buyer is walking through the door!

The Houston, TX market is a strange one indeed. Aren't they all? Hurricane Ike brought the mosquitos in swarms but luckily, it brought buyers. We are not in as depressed a market as much of the USA but lately buyers have been in short supply.

Since Ike's exit from the area, we have had cooler temperatures and somewhat less humidity. I am not sure if that is what has brought out the buyers or if it is just coincidence. I sure would like to have the insight to know and a crystal ball but more than that, I am thankful to have buyers. I am also thankful other agents have buyers because many "idle" listings are now being shown.

We actually have some 100% loan programs through FHA that are in place because we were an "affected area". My friend and fellow AR member, Jeff Anderson, can help you with that!

Clean up here on the north side of Houston in and near The Woodlands is progressing well and we have power so send your buyers to us!

Ike and all his fury has been here and gone. I was fortunate--limbs down in the yard, pool a mess but no real damage. One of my best friends had a tree fall through the house and everything is a mess. Of course, I had the home listed for sale so there is one less listing on the market. But you know, that is not what is important. Her kitchen was wet everywhere, the beautiful wood floors buckled, sheet rock has to be cut out; the list goes on and on. One huge blessing we had was a break from normal temperatures. Usually we hit 90-95 and we are only at 77 degrees right now. You don't miss the AC so much at 77.

Ike first blew into The Woodlands about 2 AM on Saturday. The sounds were unbelievable: roaring, constant wind with occasional branches slamming against the house and roof. Heavy, heavy rain but no thunder or lightning that I recall. About 4:30 we finally slept thinking maybe we would not lose power after all. About 6:15 AM all was quiet, at least the "hum" of electricity was gone. Dark. Do you know how many times you reach for a switch to turn on the lights? Many, too many to count.

Monday morning when I got up, it was a beautiful day. I looked outside and saw 2 newspapers in the drive. I figured out how to make coffee without my fancy coffee maker. Birds were on the bird feeder. I thought some normalcy had returned.

And today, Tuesday, we got power. I am not sure how many residents in The Woodlands have power, but my neighborhood has power. Back to AC, phone, TV, cable, MLS, computers, AR, refrigerators! You cannot imagine how much food was thrown away. So sad. Some things just don't do well in a cooler.

What good came out of Ike? Neighbors helping neighbors. Our neighborhood got together for meals: barbecue, steaks, ribs, soups, salads. Today we even grilled bacon and had pancakes and mimosas. The kids never complained about no tv, no video games. They were too busy running, hiding, laughing. Life was good. FEMA and other entities were fabulous! Ice, water, meals were all available. Gas wasn't too hard to come by as long as you agreed to wait in line. The Montgomery County Sheriff's department and the constables were saints. One deputy, Bryce, kept everyone laughing in the long gas line and he kept the jerks from cutting in line.

So, power is back to the people. Many have lost much and I ask you to pray for them. If there is a way to physically help, do so. But for me, I have gained. I know my neighbors better, I realized the priority of home and family over "stuff". God bless you all. I hope you never have to live through a hurricane even if you come out good in the end.

I started my day early preparing to hunker down. After a breakfast meeting, I headed straight to the grocery for all the things I thought we had to have for Ike: food, ice, water, batteries, snacks, chlorine bleach. (I forgot instant coffee; I hope to find some tomorrow.) Then I headed to the gas station to fill up. Went home, unloaded groceries, and went out to get gas in the other car, picked up two bottles of Propane gas and ran to the office.

One thing we do when a storm is coming is call clients to have them remove their yard signs so they do not become missiles with the wind. I have three houses listed that are vacant so I had to go pick up those signs. Reschedule clients, change a doctor's appointment, make sure prescriptions are filled, the list goes on. It all seems like normal "stuff" in a day but it's different today. The stores are packed, check out lines long BUT everyone is friendly, helpful. People, although anxious, are friendly. It is as if there is a concern for others. One shopper is actually offering a last bag of ice to another shopper. Someone found a stash of D batteries at the store after it appeared they were all sold. Everyone was thrilled and so appreciative of the one who discovered them.

Tomorrow I am going to secure the exterior of the home, put away all the lawn furniture, etc. Then I have just been told by the tv people that I need to take pictures of my home and stuff, so I probably will do that.

My newborn granddaughter is spending her first night in her home. I don't worry about me. I do pray she and her parents will be safe. It is a new life full of hope and wonder. God bless her and keep her safe, please.

If you are in the path of Ike, I wish you safety, protection, and God's provision.