Ryan Loofboro

Through the next several months trying to get your home, family and life back in order, you will be faced with demanding and disappointing challenges that may be a bit overwhelming at times. The fact is a very small percentage of people have ever been through or will ever go through anything of this magnitude in their whole life. This type of devastation will impose many new problems and obstacles that will come your way. Other than trying to settle you and your families home life, you have the burden of dealing with your Insurance Co. adjuster, a building contractor and that smelly mold infested house once called home. Here are a few facts and guidelines you may need to know that were compiled from United States hurricane damaged areas from 1992-2008.

1. The majority of the work that was performed to remove all the moldy or water damaged areas in the homes, were accomplished by non-skilled laborers. That is why it was done very quickly.

2. Out of all the workers that were here to fix the Hurricane Damaged Homes in Galveston Texas, there are only 12% of them that are professional roofers, carpenters, painters, sheetrock hangers and finishers that are working in this area under a legal licensed contractor. When you do the math with all the displaced people that need homes repaired, it will take 3 ½ to 5 years to put them back together.

3. If you still have not removed your wet furnishings or the mold from your home you can safely do so by yourself if you ware a protection mask to keep from inhaling mold spoors or you can hire a professional Mold Remediation Co. Remove everything that got wet even if it is dry now, furniture, Drywall, insulation, cabinets, carpet, wood flooring, and appliances etc; Wash all infected areas by scrubbing them down with mild soap and bleach including the wood studs and floors. Be sure to ware rubber gloves to prevent skin contact and chemical burns from the bleach. Open all windows and use fans if possible to dry your home out. Leave your home open as long as possible.

4. Before hiring a contractor it's always a good idea to hire a home owner representative that can assist you in choosing the right contractor and making sure his license, insurance and documents are in order. He will also make sure the contractor stays on schedule and will make sure the work was completed before contractor asks for a draw. He may also help you hire the contractor to pull the necessary permits but use licensed sub-contractors to do the work that will save you as much as $6,000 to $12,000 off a $50,000 contract. A standard fee for a home owner representative would be 10-15% of the contract, but in most cases he can save you more than that in fees, additional accruing costs from the contractor and headaches. 5. After choosing a contractor, tell him to give you a proposal that breaks down each major job. When he puts in for his draw, you will now by looking at the proposal how much you will be expected to pay him by the work completed. Do not allow him to put in a draw request by using a % of work completed but rather jobs that were completed. This is just a slick way of them getting more money out of you than the work that they actually done. Make sure you ask him for a copy of his license for your area and his insurance. Stipulate a date on the contract that he must start the work and a date that he must be completed with the job. Make sure there is no out clauses that gives him the right to take more time than the date specified to complete the job nor an out clause that gives him the right to keep your deposit should he not start the work according to he date on the contract. Try to avoid giving him any more than 10% of the total job for a deposit. If he wants 20%, tell him you will give him 10% now to secure the contract and an additional 10% after he starts the job. That will keep him honest. The last thing is to stay involved with the process between the jurisdiction that is issuing permits and your contractor. Stay on top of the permits that are required and making sure your contractor is following municipal guidelines and procedures. There is nothing worse than an inspector showing up to find out your contractor did not pull the required permits for some of the work he already completed.

These are some facts and guidelines that may help you with your reconstruction job and possibly make it a little more bearable. If you are dealing with Hurricane Damaged homes on the Island and have decided not to deal with the headache of put back, there are investors that will purchase your home. Call Lee Heath for more information on selling or buying Hurricane Damaged Homes. 832-921-3001

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate

The Houston Texas Real Estate market seems to have faired very well during the turbulance in housing, the stock market and mortgage crisis. While other major cities have seen dramatic increases in real estate values over the last five years leading to a sudden plummit, Houston has just continued on a nice steady upward curve. The energy market here is huge with all types of gas, plastics, and common american durables being produced. Goods here are shipped in and distrubuted all over the country. Pay is decent for the jobs that support this industry giving us a nice middle class even when the economy has slowed. Since the housing market in Houston TX is so reasonable, many Houstonians have extra income to spend on hobbies, eating out, and Big Boy Toys.

There are fantastic deals to be had over the next few months especially in the hard Hurricane hit areas. Homes that have been damaged can be purchased for 55-75 percent of value, put back and sold quickly do to the huge demand for housing. There are tens of thousands of people still in hotels and apartments ready to move back to the coastal areas. This demand will only continue to grow as homes can only be re-built at a respectable pace since only 12-15% of the workers that did tear out are now licensed contractors for put back. A good percentage of owners are actually still waiting to settle their claim with their insurance company. If you study what happend in areas such as Florida after a Hurricance came through, then you will understand that values actually go up because everything is fresher, newer, and upto the latest building codes. Im on Galveston Island 4-5 times per week and am amazed at how everyone is working to build back this hot vaction spot. There are over 25 million people within a five hour drive of this beautiful place, so even when the economy is slow people will take vacation. Galveston Texas and the Houston real estate market are where some investors are going to make a mint!

Please feel free to visit us at:

www.SellingGalveston.com GalvestonTexas Real Estate

www.clearlaketexasrealestateonline.com Clear Lake Texas Real Estate

Ryan Loofboro, Clear Lake Texas Real Estate Agent

832-385-9004

*Update on New Construction in Clear Lake, Friendswood and League City* My broker and I met with some top sales reps for Newmark Homes in Clear Lake today. We were amazed at their knowledge of the Houston market, their sales competion, and the affects the mortgage situation. In the last 5 years most builders have been generous with building inventory and spec homes in Clear Lake area. These are brand new homes that have been built to satisfy the buyers that need to purchase homes much quicker than the 5-7 months that it normally takes to build. In the last 6 months though, there has been a tightning of the market due to some mortgage tormoil and builders are producing much fewer specs. This absolutely helps the resale market! As an example, my clients and I were looking for some decent spec homes in a specific popular Master Planned community and there was only one available. We then realized with their short time frame that we needed to go with resale. This is an interesting change in the market and welcomed news for owners of existing homes. With all this said though, you can still build a very nice home for a small amount of money in the Houston market compared to other major cities in the US. Find new homes in Clear Lake Texas at www.clearlaketexasrealestateonline.com

*Update on New Construction in Clear Lake, Friendswood and League City* My broker and I met with some top sales reps for Newmark Homes in Clear Lake today. We were amazed at their knowledge of the Houston market, their sales competion, and the affects the mortgage situation. In the last 5 years most builders have been generous with building inventory and spec homes in Clear Lake area. These are brand new homes that have been built to satisfy the buyers that need to purchase homes much quicker than the 5-7 months that it normally takes to build. In the last 6 months though, there has been a tightning of the market due to some mortgage tormoil and builders are producing much fewer specs. This absolutely helps the resale market! As an example, my clients and I were looking for some decent spec homes in a specific popular Master Planned community and there was only one available. We then realized with their short time frame that we needed to go with resale. This is an interesting change in the market and welcomed news for owners of existing homes. With all this said though, you can still build a very nice home for a small amount of money in the Houston market compared to other major cities in the US. Find new homes in Clear Lake Texas Friendswood Texas League City Texas