As I was going around and checking on things, I discovered that for some reason one of the properties I serviced still had power and running water. It was a short-term rental complex that had 38 two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments. Being a vacation rental, there wasn’t anyone staying there, and we certainly weren’t going to have tourists coming anytime soon.

I went to the police department, where displaced officers and their families had been staying and told them they could use the complex free of charge. They needed help and I was in a position to do something positive. They were able to cook, to shower, do laundry and just be more comfortable. It turned out over the next six or seven months we had police officers, the sheriff’s department, hospital staff, FBI, DEA, all types of emergency responders staying at the complex, and no one had to pay a dime.

I’ve always been the kind of person who believes you need to have faith and be confident that somehow things are going to work out for the best. In fact, I was eventually able to get FEMA to subsidize some of the costs for things. So, that was pretty cool.

As an agent, a lot of what you see are transactions with a single piece of property and a few individuals. I now truly appreciate just how much my position in real estate has enabled me to not only give back but to create a much larger positive impact on an entire community.