Blog & Advice

Giving Back When Disaster Strikes

Floods, wildfires, and other disasters cause devastation to people’s lives and property, but often times bring out a spirit of giving and community as well. Here are two Real Property Management franchise owners who supported their communities when disaster struck this summer.

Billy Duncan, Real Property Management Premium Over 60,000 homes were lost in the recent flood event in the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. The cleanup and removal of the historic amount of debris has begun, but it will take months to revive the community. While the office and personal home of Billy Duncan, owner of Real Property Management Premium, were not directly impacted, Billy said, “My daughter’s house and several relatives’ homes flooded, and we lost about 13 properties that we manage. We are working through remediation and restoration with the home owners, but it will take a few months to get them back to rent-ready condition.”

Pictured are Fred Jeff Smith, Shiloh Baptist Church Pastor and Billy Duncan, Real Property Management Premium Owner 

Real Property Management Premium recently presented a $5,000 check to Shiloh Baptist Church to aid the 100+ members of the church who are flood victims. "Real Property Management Premium is committed to the communities we live and work in by providing professional property services and supporting civic, social, and humanitarian programs." To assist tenants Real Property Management Premium is giving tenants their full security deposit back, and FEMA is supporting tenants in finding places to live. “One of the greatest learnings for tenants is to make sure they have renters insurance to cover their belongings. Real Estate Investors must also have proper insurance to insure their properties. While FEMA does provide assistance to homeowners to restore their property, rental property owners/landlords do not receive FEMA support and must rely on small business loans as the only means of funding restoration.” We salute Billy and his team at Real Property Management Premium for his effort in his community to rebuild lives and homes for a stronger Greater Baton Rouge area.

Allen Wessel, Real Property Management Antelope Valley Several wildfires devastated California this summer, causing millions of dollars in property damage and lives lost. Real Property Management franchise owner, Allen Wessel, experienced the California wildfires firsthand. “The only house

that was part of the evacuation from the Sand Fire was my personal house! None of the rentals we manage were affected. The fire burned over 41,000 acres, lost 18 homes and one person died. It was pretty scary for a couple of days, but it all worked out fine.” Not only was Allen personally affected by the Sand Fire, he also helped those affected by the fires. Allen is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and has been a member of the Kern County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team for over 20 years. “I worked the Erskine Fire, helping with evacuations and providing other support. That fire burned over 48,000 acres. Two hundred fifty structures were lost and five people were injured, two of whom died.” Allen said the primary issue for the rental properties his office manages was the heavy smoke from the fires. “Air conditioner filters clogged, causing cooling issues during our 100+ degree weather in July and August. We've been really busy on the maintenance side of things.” With fall bringing cooler temperatures, the fires are now dying down. While Allen thoroughly enjoys supporting his community through his volunteer search and rescue efforts, he’s looking forward to a more calm and uneventful fall and winter, both personally and professionally.  

Far right: Allen Wessel, owner of Real Property Management Antelope Valley, and EMT