Interview With Damion Flynn, Realtor
Oct 27th, 2007 @ 5:16 PM by Alden Smith
In a recent post, I mentioned that I would like to do an interview with a Realtor in Gulfport, MS. I’ve known Damion Flynn for several years, having met him on Rich-Jerks.com membership site. This was shortly after Katrina, and Mr. Flynn gave me some real insight into what was going on in Gulfport after the hurricane. I mentioned this to Lauren, my editor, and she of course agreed to the interview. Lauren felt this to be very timely with the disaster at present in California with the wildfires and people’s loss of their homes.
I sent Mr. Flynn an quick email after mentioning him on the blog, and he quickly responded to my inquiry. The results of the interview are posted here. Many thanks, Damion!
(Writers Note: As the interview went very long, I have split it up into two parts. The rest will be published tomorrow)
Interview With Damion Flynn, Realtor In Gulfport, Mississippi
AS: Can you describe the process a homeowner undergoes following the loss of their home due to a disaster?
DF: There are many things going on right after a disaster. Homeowners must undergo several different processes, the main being insurance. If the disaster is a wide-spread disaster which has governmental entities involved such as FEMA, then there are even more processes to follow.
First and foremost, following a disaster of any sort, the homeowner should immediately call their insurance agent. This will get things starting to flow in the right direction on getting home repairs, loss of personal belongings, and also help them secure funds for temporary housing. Insurance agents can also be a good source of information for federal and state level programs to assist with major disasters.
The primary steps with the insurance company will consist of having an inspection and damage estimate. This is generally done by an insurance adjuster. In small instances, this will be done by the insurance companies while in larger disasters, they may hire outside adjusters. The insurance adjusters working for the insurance agency will generally try to limit the amount of the damages because in many cases they are paid based on what they save the insurance company. For an outside adjuster, many are paid based on what they write, meaning their estimates may be slightly higher than others. Keep in mind that these are just generalizations and are not true of all companies.
After an adjuster completes their job, they will file a report and the insurance company will respond with what they think they owe you under the policy. Keep in mind that if you do not like their figures, or you think they are off-base, you may request, at your expense, a private adjuster to come out. Private adjusters will generally adjust higher but also will generally get you more money if needed because many work with attorneys that will help you fight the insurance company if needed. Having a repair estimate from a contractor will generally help as well if you do not believe the numbers are on target.
Once you and the insurance company agree upon a price, you will receive a check. Depending on your mortgage company and the amount of the damage, the check may be written to you AND your mortgage company, in which case, you will generally endorse the check and send to your mortgage company. They will, in return, send portions back to you as repairs are completed. Not all mortgage companies do this but it is a way of limiting their liability in homes that had significant damage.
Generally, additional funding and help from state, federal, and non-profit groups are readily available through your insurance agent and/or local media and church groups. These programs can be a life-saver during the process of dealing with your insurance company, which can take up to 90 days, and sometimes longer. Most insurance companies do have clauses that will allow you to get small checks up front for clothes, food, and a place to stay if needed.
AS: Following Katrina, did you see a large percentage of the population move out of the area entirely?
DF: After Hurricane Katrina, we had a very large amount of people move out of the area. On the other side, we also had many people move into the area for construction work. The workforce moving into the area helped the local economy as well as the rebuilding efforts. Not only were there numerous “for-hire” contractors and laborers, but there were also many volunteers from organizations across the United States.
As the Mississippi Coast rebuilt, you could see a steady increase in the population returning but I feel we are still below our pre-Katrina census numbers.
Read the rest of the interview tomorrow…
A~
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I am inspired!
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