WAVELAND - With her long blonde hair, rhinestone-studded sunglasses and electric blue suit, Chari Rapp cuts a striking figure as she cruises the ruined streets of Waveland in a sparkling white Jaguar luxury sedan.
Since Hurricane Katrina gutted her office building, rendered her rental properties uninhabitable and destroyed her listings, the real estate agent has been working out of the trunk of her instantly identifiable car with an unshakable faith that this devastated area will recover, and eventually grow bigger and better than before.
Real estate agent Chari Rapp works out of her Jaguar in Waveland. Click "play" to see some of the area properties up for sale and to hear Rapp talk about rebuilding Hancock County.
But it took the 20-year industry veteran nearly three months to close her first deal since the storm: the sale of a new three-bedroom home in nearby Diamondhead for $135,000 to a couple relocating there -- at least temporarily -- from a badly damaged section of Waveland.
The area’s real estate industry is slowly getting off its knees, with transactions being closed in trailers and sheds and deeds filed in one of the many mobile homes that are expected to serve as county offices for as long as several years.
Hancock County Chancery Clerk Tim Kellar said more than 700 transactions had closed since Sept. 9, when his office opened in temporary headquarters to begin recording warranty deeds – at least those that did not require title searches, which have been available only for the past month. The average rate of 100 deals a week is about one-third the level before the storm.
The very first deal to close was the sale of a 5-acre commercial property in Waveland to the Lowe’s hardware chain, which had the property under contract before the storm and plans to build a warehouse-style home improvement store on the site.
Buyers looking to higher ground
But most of the deals done since the storm have been for acreage north of Waveland and Bay St. Louis, with many buyers looking to build new houses on higher ground, Kellar said.
“A lot of people are real hesitant about buying anything except in the north end” of the county, he said. “So many folks who have lived down here forever, especially people with some age on ‘em, they are just saying, ‘I’m not going to go through it anymore.’”
Rapp agreed, saying most developers, investors and residential buyers so far are looking outside of the “flood plain,” the definition of which has expanded dramatically since Katrina.
For those who do not need immediate occupancy, there are plenty of partly or completely wrecked houses, commercial properties and debris piles to be had in the heavily damaged towns.
As Rapp gave a guided tour of her neighborhood in the Idlewood subdivision of Waveland, where the solid brick homes look almost undamaged from a distance, she stopped at one of her listed properties, a three-bedroom, two-bath house with a painted statue of the Virgin Mary out front.
Inside, the home has been gutted to the studs. Sheetrock has been ripped out from the floor to the four-foot water line, all the appliances are missing and a thick layer of dust covers the bathroom fixtures. Above the water line things are eerily intact, including a gaudy three-dimensional painting of a Spanish dancer, a brass chandelier in the entryway and a complete set of china in the upper cabinets. The house is being offered for $90,000 “as is,” compared to a value of about $130,000 before the storm, according to Rapp.
Daunting obstacles for buyers
Obstacles to buying a totally or partly wrecked home are daunting.
The vast majority of insurance claims are unsettled, making it difficult for would-be sellers to provide the repairs that are demanded by many bank underwriters. The lack of available contractors means it might be six months or a year before salvageable properties will be ready to inhabit.
No building permits are even being issued in the devastated “south of tracks” section of Waveland, and the two towns are only now settling new rules on building elevations. Preliminary federal flood maps published Friday also could play a role in building decisions.
And then there is the obstacle of uncertainty, another legacy of Katrina.
“That house right there – the “for sale” sign has gone up and down at least four times since the storm,” said Rapp. “That just goes to show you how undecided people are.”
For the few relatively undamaged homes available, prices seem to be holding at pre-Katrina levels. A two-bedroom house on Main Street in Bay St. Louis recently sold for about $400,000. A three-bedroom, two-bath craftsman-style house that took only 5 inches of water is on the market for $675,000 and has drawn interest, said agent John Harris of Latter & Blum.
Helene Giles, another agent at the brokerage, is about to close on a 1400-square-foot home in Waveland that was left undamaged by the storm, although it needs new flooring and a bathroom sink. The house, which is going for about $80,000 in a foreclosure sale, was under contract before the storm, but the prospective buyer, who lived in New Orleans, backed out of the deal and left the area.
Giles, 64, whose own house near the beach was destroyed by the hurricane, will be fully compensated through flood insurance and decided to snap up the foreclosed home, knowing it probably will be at least two years before she can rebuild on her former property.
Finding something livable
“The hardest thing is to find something that’s available right now -- that’s not gutted and that doesn’t need total renovation,” she said. “The prices are still the pre-Katrina prices, and maybe even a little bit higher if you can find something available. I don’t know what is going to happen in a couple of months. I think we’re going to see a lot of foreclosures.”
Commercial property also is in play throughout the Bay-Waveland area.
As Rapp drove her Jaguar down the main commercial drag of Highway 90, a small white helicopter swooped low and hovered over the giant shopping center parking lot that serves as the home of the New Waveland Café and Market -- a relief center that has offered thousands of free meals and supplies since the hurricane.
Rapp said it was a prospective buyer who has expressed interest in bulldozing the property and building a new shopping center, probably with a grocery store as the anchor tenant. The asking price is $3 million.
Another commercial property, a pile of wreckage that was once an upscale retail shop on the Bay St. Louis beachfront, is listed as “in contract” with an asking price of $565,000.
Harris said he has had inquiries from investors “all over the country” interested in picking up Bay St. Louis property on the cheap.
'Prices are going up'
“They think the prices have dropped,” he said. “But prices are going up, not going down.”
Harris is a real estate salesman and a promoter, but he is far from the only one who believes the towns will get back on their feet and return to their status as a great place to live, work, retire and enjoy the good life.
“This is a resilient community,” said Rapp, 50, vice president of the county port commission and a mother of two children, including a high school senior. “There is nowhere in the world that I would rather live than Hancock County.”
Like thousands of others in the county, she is living in a federally issued FEMA trailer, even though she probably could afford to rent a house elsewhere in the county while she rebuilds her life.
But if she moved to more comfortable quarters, “How am I going to feel what other people are feeling?” she asks. “How can my parents be in a trailer and me be in a house? I just can’t do it.”
An active member of the Word of Faith Christian Church in Waveland, Rapp expresses a pride that is typical of the area, saying she will rebuild her homes and business without taking on a mortgage -- and probably without much in the way of insurance money.
“This is the first time in the last 20 years that I have not been the helper, and it kills me,” she said. “I’m not a person to ask for help. That is probably the hardest thing for me to do.”
If Rapp does stay and rebuild, there will be a certain symmetry to it. She moved to the area in 1969 at the age of 14 when her father, a building contractor, came from the small town of Jackson, Ala., to help with the rebuilding after Hurricane Camille. The family fell in love with the area and has been here ever since.
“I cried when we left (Alabama), but I wouldn’t say it was more than a month (before) I didn’t want to go back,” she said. “And it looked just like you’re seeing it now.”
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I would hope that we, as Americans, would focus on trying to help people rebuild their lives ... wisely.
I would hope that our fellow citizens, service agencies, and government insititutions would do their best to: ... mitigate the suffering ... create a sound rebuilding plan ... and execute with the utmost efficiency and cooperation ... for the betterment of America.
These are the important things ... just my opinion.
Wes Maughan, West Chester, PA. (Sent Nov 22, 2005 11:26:59 AM)
Real estate people are a poison to this nation and to God. They are no less than agents of Satan himself.
John Delfor, Ann Arbor MI (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:01:53 PM)
I definitely agree it is in poor taste for Chari Rapp to drive around a jag, and to stay in a trailer when she really doesn't need to. I also can understand the negative remarks regarding real estate agents. I also have had plenty of negative experiences. I decided to pursue a real estate career of my own in hopes to provide better service that I myself received. I am not going to guess what percentage of agents are good vs bad, but the suggestion of a $10,000 car ride is way off base. The amount of information and law that an agent needs to know is mind boggling. Do some agents work harder than others, definitely. However, trust me when I say that the process is a lot more involved that driving a client to see a house.
I am not hear to promote by real estate career, so my website will not be included.
Dave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:08:05 PM)
Miranda from Cleveland...EVERYONE has experienced what you describe..at least you have a job and hopefully you're health, and by the bitterness in your post I'm sure you do....Instead of me,me,me,me look around and see what people do not have!!!
Kevin, Boston, MA (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:14:13 PM)
I can't believe with all out technology we still employ real estate agents @ 3-6% of the sale price. Are they really worth the money? Are we supporting the real estate agents dive a Jag lifestyle?
John S (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:28:14 PM)
I don't even know where to begin. First, P. Wallace, have you tried to insure ANYTHING in the Gulf Region lately?? Premiums are substantially higher there than anywhere else in the country. Insuring my car and my house cost three times what it did to insure it in Florida....FLORIDA!!! Also hurricane prone! Residents here are certainly contributing "their fair share".
And to all of you questioning rebuilding the Gulf region: you are hypocrites. No one questions rebuilding lower Manhattan, or San Francisco after the 1989 earthquake, or Miami after Andrew. New Orleans and the Gulf region have been there for 300 years, and they will be there for another 300 years, not only because of the mettle of the residents, but because the area is critical to the security and prosperity of the United States. For example, without the surrounding area, the Port of New Orleans, the nation's 2nd or 3rd largest port, would cease to function. I'd like to hear your griping about prices then when EVERY commodity you purchase increases in price because of the scarcity of docks and workers to unload goods. Seems few people in this forum think long term, or, for that matter, have any idea what they are talking about.
What I find most striking about these postings, though, and what I find typical of residents of the Gulf South, are that, despite the baseless, hysterical opinions offered by outsiders, the residents respond with kindness and respect, even offering to open their city to these hypocrites to visit. That is truly the measure of the hospitality of the region, and a large part of the reason I miss it so. To the rest of you, unless you are willing to leave NY in ruin, leave San Francisco in the rubble, and Miami flooded, do something constructive: write to Congress to appropriate funds for storm surge protections for the area. We're gonna be back -- but you can help determine how much future disasters will cost you. Do something constructive with all that energy.
A.P., Jacksonville, FL (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:47:57 PM)
I agree wholeheartedly that the people living in the hurricane prone areas should pay for an approiate amount of insurance for the potential damage that may be caused by a hurricane.
Hmm, lets see now. On a house valued at $740,000, my homeowners insurance premium was $7,000 per year. When a claim was filed, due to Hurricane Katrina's damage, we were informed that all the damage we received from a 35 ft tidal wave,that totally destroyed our home, was due to rising water, and homeowners does not cover rising water.
The federally funded flood insurance,available to everyone in the US, without regard to where they live,
has a maximum limit of $250,000 per house. This helps but it comes up way short as to covering my damage.
As to the writer that suggested people be required to carry more and better insurance, if they live in hurricane prone areas, just let me say that my mortage holder requires that I carry hazard insurance, as I'm sure that all the other home owners in the area were also required to carry a sufficent amount of insurance, that in the end,did not cover their property due to the fact that homeowners polices do not cover rising water.
Most, (the majority) of these people that did not have flood insurance in addition to homeowners, lived in an area that, according to US Goverment flood maps,was not flood areas, thus no flood insurance.
When you receive a natural disaster such as Katrina,with it's 35 ft tidal wave, or the tsunami with it's 50 ft tidal wave that hit South Asia last December, about all you can do is grab your hat and run for the hills, as no structure in it's path is going to be left standing.This includes houses, Interstate Highway bridges,railroad bridges, commerical buildings etc.
So the bottom line of this whole discussion is, if you have not lived thru a disaster such as Katrina, which by the way was the largest and most expensive disaster ever to hit the US, and unless you understand the scope and magnatude of the tidal surge, then you do not have the right to offer lame brain suggestions that people should move out of that area.
Robert Royals Waveland, Mississippi (Sent Nov 22, 2005 12:58:01 PM)
Just have to say, I am a Christian Realtor!
I love helping people and working with them to get into a home! I am not poison to anyone and am a child of God!
You are a sick man John Delfor.
I agree that the sensationalism of this woman in a nice suit with a fancy car is too much! Some real estate agents give Realtors a bad name! I am sorry!
Lisa, Polson, Montana (Sent Nov 22, 2005 1:25:50 PM)
For all the realtor bashers, if you dont want to pay the commissions don't hire one! I'm a recent first-time home buyer and I handled the entire transaction myself without the help of a realtor. I STILL haven't figured out what my $10,000 in commission would have gone to had I hired a realtor. I can search through listings myself, drive myself around, find my own lawyer and title company etc. However, many people out there are far too incompetent to do it themselves and that's why realtors can charge such outrageous commissions.
Sam, Atlanta, GA (Sent Nov 22, 2005 1:30:00 PM)
Let's cut to the chase as to why so many are deeply distrubed by the real estate profession. First, let's understand the real economics of this business. Assume that you owned several homes over the years and 4 years ago you traded up to a $600,000 home. Now you sell the house with the help of an agent for $800,000. Most would assume that you made a $200,000 profit and you would be wrong. After substracting improvements, repairs (normally 2% of the asset's value per year)and other costs, the real gain is probably halve that amount. As for the imputed value of living there, that would be offset by the cost of capital (approx 6% of $600,000 or $36,000 per year)plus any interest expense on the mortage.
For the sake of argument, assume a net gain of $100,000, which is generous. Since the real estate company's share is 6% split three ways between the listing agent, the selling agent and the broker, that means that a payment of $48,000 ($800,000 x .06) is due. At the end of the day, adding in closing costs, both you and your real estate company will have made about $50,000. In other words it was a 50:50 split. Congratulations you made the real estate agent an equal partner in your investment and you spent 4 years of sweat equity fixing the place up while the agent probably spent only a week or two, if you add up the actual number of hours dedicated to your house. Nice scam!
Second, the only reason that they can charge these outrageous amounts is the multiple listing which they control. If the multiple listing service was open to anyone, rather than just brokers, that 6% fee would drop to about 1-2% depending on the price of the house. I live in a neighborhood where the average home sells for 1.3 million, what means that the average commission is $78,000. Have you ever meet a real estate professional that was worth $78,000 for one week of work.
Finally, real estate is the only profession where they avoid the customer. If you don't believe me, ask them if they will be at your home eveytime a potential buyer is there to explain what makes your home unique. They are never there. Try selling new cars with a showroom that has no sales people. In point of fact they do not sell homes they stock inventory. They are totally indifferent to the home that is sold they are only concerned with closing on something. This is the economics of their busines and we all work in our self interest.
Every agency pushes for listings and could care less about the sales. You see the Broker is guaranteed a sale if t any agency sells it as long as they have the listing.
I have tried to explain the economics to a few real estate agents, icluding my sister but they are too busy getting new listings. It's time for DOJ to break up the multiple listing monopoly
J Bucholtz (Sent Nov 22, 2005 1:31:53 PM)
Truth be told we are all just a stones throw from disaster whether it be natural or man made. If we could choose all the good in life we would. But these people did not elect their disasters, be it rain, wind or fire (as in California)they did not choose it. We as humans are so wrapped up with what we have to pay for or who's taking the gold from our castles that we simply do not care about human life and the problems these people are going through. Not only are they having to go through so much RED TAPE brought on by our government but just the simply thing of life are like a maze in everyway. We have become so comfortable with all the conveniences of life that we do not now how to survive without it but these people are doing an awesome job at survival. If you could only see the devestation and picture do not do justice to seeing it with your own eyes it rips your heart. And the Jag/Realtor, she has no idea what it means to be without and to pretend to elect to do so is shameful. Even the tinyest of things are gone. Sewing needle, spoon to eat with,toothpick, the smallest of thing you cannot just walk to the drawer or cabinet and get that, there is not a drawer or cabinets. Go to the corner store, there is no corner store. Those who may have had vehicles. some do not even have those any more. Think people this could very well be you the nest time around it make not be A KATRINA but it could be otherwise. And see if you would not want someone to care what happens to you.
Clara, Jackson, MS (Sent Nov 22, 2005 1:37:41 PM)
Real-estate transactions are the single most complicated transactions that people commonly enter. There are many potential pitfalls, some of which can result in financial catastrophe. If I am involved in a transaction involving $1M, for me, the prudent course of action is to pay the small percentage to insure that someone who is familiar with these pitfalls is overseeing the entire process, on the lookout for things I (and YOU, Einstien), haven't even thought of.
If you feel that way about realtors and are more comfortable risking 6 or 7 figures, then don't use one. To me, it's worth the 5% to have some sort of recourse if things go wrong.
Lastly, claiming that people you've never met are "a poison to this nation and to God" and "agents of Satan" is the surest indicator that yourself, and not the realtor is the real poison.
DC (Sent Nov 22, 2005 2:13:44 PM)
There is a song out there that has a line that says "The world is full of stupid people" Wow what a statement. I read almost all of the postings and wow, that song just popped into my head.
barbra Romero (Sent Nov 22, 2005 2:44:46 PM)
Miranda-
thanks for the explanation of how you ended up in Cleveland. I always wondered how someone could possibly choose to live there but you explained it well.
and as for the problem with her driving her old jag around.....what is she supposed to do? buy another car so she doesn't offend people who think her car is too expensive? Rent a car for work days? take the bus? What car should she replace it with? would a buick be okay? how about a honda? maybe a honda would offend people in detroit who are losing their jobs at GM.
It sounds like sour grapes and jealousy to me....if you envy her so much....then go live in a trailer down there (bring your jag) and see how much better she has it than you.
as a taxpayer, I find it disturbing that she "chooses" to live in a FEMA supplied trailer "even though she could afford buy her own house".....does that sound like a waste of housing and taxpayer money to anyone else?
Dennis, Chatham, New Jersey (Sent Nov 22, 2005 2:51:33 PM)
The real question here is why housing has gone up so much, a house such as a levitt house built in the 1950's only 1800sf sold in the 50's for 5,000 now its selling for 450,000. another house bought in 1966 for 16,000 was on the market for 150,000 in 1990 now sells for 500,000 this is in long island ny. but saleries especially for the working class have not gone up. I cant even afford to live where i grew up in ny when a house less than 2000sf on a 1/4acre goes for 500,000,,,so i moved to N.C. bought a 4000sf house on a full 1 acre for 199,000 with an inground pool big diffence.
frank, better place, nc (Sent Nov 22, 2005 3:32:53 PM)
Point #1
It looks like some people here have been burned or had a bad experience with their realtor in the past....but "HELLO" You set the price of your home when you sell it and you select the home you purchase according to your needs and income so why do you think so poorly of realtors??? If your realtor does not show you a high level of customer service then select a new one...People are talking about them as if they are bad or not very honest, I have found the opposite to be true. I own several properties and I am bulding a new home currently. Over the years I have fired one realtor for poor customer service skills but found most others in the business for ten years or more to be very good honest people.
Point #2
How can some of you complain about these poor people who have lost everything and want to live where they grew up or have lived for many years. All they have are memories at this point and if them living in a flood plain or high risk area effects an insurance policy I can tell you with 100% confidence it is effecting their policy far greater than the pennies it effects everyone else on a national level. As for safety I would never live where I knew it was putting my family in danger of a Annual Hurricanes or Tornado's but their home is their home...
Will, Dallas Texas (Sent Nov 22, 2005 3:37:01 PM)
Realtors are overpaid for their skill level and services performed. I'm surprised it took the Dept. of Justice so long to get involved with challenging their commissions. I'm with the guy from MI. Just because it wasn't catagorized as "flood plain" when they built, oceans are rising. It will just get wiped out again. Tornadoes generally don't wipe out entire regions. Earthquakes generally are more infrequent than an annual hurricane season whatever category the storms.
Bill, Portland OR. (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:06:46 PM)
Are you people ever right about realtors. When the dust settles, and the water is dried up, you can bet that the biggest landowners in the New Orleans area will be those real estate firms that are now saying prices are going up. Real estate firms are speculators, they speculate how stupid the average person is. Do yourselves a favor, sell the properties yourself (if you must leave), put a little extra cash in your pocket, and leave the realtors holding the bag.
JR. Scranton, PA (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:10:11 PM)
I can't wait for the california (South bay) real estate bubble to pop. One more thing, this country is selling itself to China, India and a few other countries. I cannot believe that we are actually teaching our kids Chinese in some grammer schools as china may be the 2nd biggest economy by the time they reach the age of the working class...of course who knows what jobs there will be. We need to shut down our borders NOW! illegal aliens are driving wages down. Jobs are leaving the USA to China and India. Who is going to buy these items that are being made over there if a large majority of people here don't have jobs or lower paying jobs at that.
We need to focus on our own people here in this country. We need to be the America that was.
This country is heading for the "have's and have nots"
no more middle class. Just rich and poor.
If anyone thinks the economy is doing great they need to take another look at what it costs just to live.
bob p. Redondo Bch, California (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:21:11 PM)
Miranda from Cleveland sez:
--------------------------------------------------
Am I bitter? Yes. When I graduated from college, there were no jobs in my area, so I moved and moved again until I could finally come home to a good-paying job. Was it easy? No. Was it my preference? No. But I did what was was needed to earn my own way and I expect others to do likewise.
--------------------------------------------------
Just for your information - I did the same
thing you did, and it turns out that the big
Federal facility that the government built housed
the only laboratory where my specialty could be
put to productive use. That facility is near
Bay Saint Louis, and my house got 3' of water.
It wasn't even in the flood plain, and I have
flood insurance. Maybe if the government had a
time machine they wouldn't have built a lab
in So. Miss.
I like living here, kinda, but it's not my
first choice. Some of us down here are in the
same boat you're in - living somewhere because
this is where we can do our job - so careful
with the "wealthy" tag.
I'll be thinking of you the next time the
Cayahoga River floods or sets itself ablaze.
J., Bay Saint Louis MS (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:27:49 PM)
As in Pensacola, Florida after Hurrican Ivan destroyed many homes it was the local realtors, not the homeowners, who engineered the huge increase in home prices. Thier greed forced many who lost homes and appartments out of the area because they couldn't afford the hugh increase in prices. It's time for legislation to control the realtor monopoly in selling homes and to force them from discouraging discount realtors from entering the market. Commissions once around 3% are now at 6% and your local realtors will do anything to prevent the $2995 one-time fee realtors from influencing the market.
D. Gordon, Pensacola, Florida (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:30:56 PM)
I think she would be much more effective selling water damaged property in low lying areas if she would trade in the Jag for a Rolls.
Rich (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:40:48 PM)
Dennis finally said it. I was surprised no one else had. What offended me about this feature was the realtor *choosing* to live in a trailer. Aren't they meant for people with real need?? That's like signing up for food stamps with a six-figure salary. And she has the nerve to brag about it.
CD, Maryland (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:52:10 PM)
Have to put in my 2 cents! 1st for the agents out there. Most are crooks!I am a broker and work with them everyday! They dont like to answer questions and feel above everyone else. as for their pay. i am closing on a loan right now for 675K i am getting 1% they are making 3% and since they meet the customer the most when a subject of cutting fees guess who should cut whos! he made just over 20K i made 7K. as far has the agent's jag maybe it was what she had left after the storm. as far as being able to live on her own, she should cause thats our money and a loop hole that should be closed! as far as moving this is only country and we are all subject to something like this, so move past that.
doug b louisville, ky (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:57:22 PM)
I had a realtor, actually two, very good ones. Of
course I do live in CA. Bought my first house at
18, through one of my best freinds Mom.God rest
her soul, Virginia. She taught me no credit is better
than bad credit, and told me use my middle initial
in my signature. Still do.
My second house, the realtor told me the only thing
I did wrong is not ask for her porfolio. If she was
going to make me a million dollars, then what is she
worth? By the way Virginia drove a Jag, God rest her
soul. My second realtor also told me to not fall in
love with my house. But I did, and kept it.
Point is are you people evil or what? How dare you
curse or judge others. Not a millionare quite, but
close enough. As for the idiot, what a hypocrite I am, who says others might not be smart enough to do
title etc. research. time is money--I am better off
working. But idiot is not a curse, just an honest
observation.
JMD, Hillcrest/San Diego, CA (Sent Nov 22, 2005 4:57:26 PM)
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