When Life Gives You Lemons

I recently read about this company in the latest newsletter published by Houston Business and thought it was an excellent example of an entrepreneurial humanitarian effort.  Having experienced Hurricane Rita first-hand last September and seeing the struggle that homeowners and business owners face in the rebuilding process, this effort is a wonderful way to pair storm survivors who want to sell with investors who have capital for rebuilding efforts.  And, this can’t come to soon — our hurricane season just began for 2006 on June 1.

Website Turns Lemons into Lemonade when It Comes to Hurricanes

With the beginning of a projected busy hurricane season, one company is trying to convert tragedy for devastated home owners into opportunity both for those holding destroyed homes and entrepreneurs. The Internet is its primary tool in this effort.

New warnings of possible hurricane devastation are a bitter reminder to the 850,000 plus residents along a 200-mile stretch of the Gulf Coast from Texas to Alabama, many of which have yet to start rebuilding their homes and their lives from Hurricane Katrina. The rebuilding effort will take up to 25 years say some experts and the government is sounding the alarm that people need to get ready now to prepare for possible evacuation calls – food, water, and shelter. There is so much uncertainty in the region as experts specifically grapple with the New Orleans area rebuilding effort. 

One company is sounding the call for Real Estate investors nationwide to be a part of the recovery effort currently underway. Government officials have acknowledged that the private sector will be a critical component to the success of total reconstruction. BPI Management, Inc. out of The Woodlands, Texas started two websites to create a market for the hurricane affected homeowners (many facing foreclosure and financial burdens) and Real Estate investors looking to facilitate the rebuilding effort with resources and deals that can be gotten as a result of the devastation. "SellYourFloodHouse.com was launched on April 10th" says Andy Valadez, Marketing Director for BPI Management, "We really didn’t know what kind of reception we would get in the market, but the response has been overwhelming, beating our projected monthly goals for listings."

The resource is free for homeowners looking to liquidate their properties in any condition, some completely destroyed, paid for, but without flood insurance – a sad situation for many. A sister site ""MyPropertyLeads.com" was launched this week. Larry Haines, Founder and President of BPI Management, Inc. is an active member of the Real Estate Investment Club of Houston serving on the Board as Director of Focus Groups. "Real Estate Investors have never had the digital tools we are going to provide to them via GoogleEarth and Geographic Information Systems Technology," says Mr. Haines, "Real Estate Investors have a lot of questions about properties they are looking to buy. We help them find the best investments in the fastest possible time with online, easy to use, due diligence tools," he says. "We have nothing to do with the individual offers or transactions. Our goal is to provide a marketplace to bring motivated sellers together with able, willing and ethical investors from around the country. We also provide training regarding issues in the region for active and savvy investors who have the temperament and resources to buy several properties at a time," says Mr. Haines. Anyone interested in learning more about the Gulf Coast investment opportunities can attend a complimentary Webinar scheduled for June 14th, 10:00am Central at www.mypropertyleads.com, titled "Why Invest in the Gulf Coast?"