Natural disasters happen when you least expect it and having insurance can alleviate an enormous amount of stress when it comes to recovering what you’ve lost. Katy’s client never thought he would ever need insurance and was concerned that he’d have to accept a lowball offer on his flood-stricken house. In this episode, Leigh welcomes Katy Caldwell who has been in real estate for almost 11 years. She is an agent for Remax in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:21 – Introduction for today’s episode 00:40 – Leigh introduces Katy 00:59 – Katy has been a realtor for 11 years and is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana 01:09 – Katy does anything residential 02:13 – Katy shares her story starting with a big flood, in 2016 02:19 – 110K homes were affected and most of them did not have flood insurance 02:50 – There was 30 inches of rain in 48 hours 03:00 – There are over a million people in the metro area of Baton Rouge 03:43 – Some homeowners have never had flood insurance, even if they live in a flood hazard area 04:07 – Some elderly owners dropped their insurance because there had been no floods 04:23 – A 78-year old seller purchased the house with his mom 04:40 – The seller never had insurance and got 3 feet of water in his home 05:31 – Some volunteers helped him with the damage 05:42 – The house was gutted, but not treated for mold 05:58 – The seller continued to live in his house while it was molding and he did not have an AC 06:30 – The seller’s friend made contact with Kate about an investor 06:37 – The market had been flooded with investors wanting to take advantage of these damaged homes 07:20 – The investor offered the elderly person $75K for the house, but the seller declined 07:42 – Katy shares how much the house would have normally cost in a normal market 09:48 – The seller decided that Katy would list the house, instead 10:40 – The house was listed on December 22nd for $125K 11:48 – The seller did not believe the house could sell for $125K 11:52 – There was multiple offers after a few days 12:17 – Katy went to the property with the buyer who had memories of the house as a kid 12:53 – The day before closing, the seller still couldn’t believe that the house was going to sell 13:22 – The seller asked Katy if they can take pictures of the house and was getting very emotional about the sale 14:05 – Katy told the seller about the buyer to cheer him up 14:36 – The seller was thinking that the buyer wouldn’t actually show up on closing day 15:21 – On closing day, the buyer really bought the house 16:17 – Leigh was really surprised about the investors flooding in 17:34 – Leigh shares how she feels about investors 18:13 – Real estate is not a game 18:27 – There are realtors who make assumptions about their client 19:37 – Having flood insurance is a legislative issue now 19:51 – Realtors have been doing a lot of political work about a flood insurance program 20:07 – For realtors, contact Leigh to find out about the re-authorization of the flood insurance program 20:15 – For consumers, make sure to have a realtor who is aware of what’s happening in the political arena and is fighting for you 20:53 – Katy’s pet peeve 21:33 – For sellers, don’t be comfortable until everything’s done 22:53 – Reach Katy through her phone at 225-241-4113 and email at remax@gmail.com 23:09 – Katy’s website is com 23:59 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate 3 Key Points Get a realtor who will not only protect you, but all things regarding your house as well. As a realtor, be fair and give an honest price for a property. Investors should not take advantage of calamity-stricken areas. Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives Cover Design by Two Minds Design Original Music by Rimsky Music