In response to the recent devastation in Western North Carolina, a new resource is available to help displaced families and individuals in North Carolina find temporary or permanent housing quickly. HurricaneHomes.org, a complimentary website, has been launched to provide immediate access to available residential leases and rentals.
Canopy and Doorify Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) are actively delivering resources to the affected areas. HurricaneHomes.org seeks to support these efforts by offering an easy-to-use platform where those affected can find homes in real-time. The collaborative goal is to help as many people as possible find safe, secure housing as they navigate the challenges in North Carolina and beyond brought on by the hurricanes.
“Efforts are being made at every level to provide assistance to the families affected by the hurricane,” said Canopy MLS CTO Steve Byrd. “This search portal is another way for Realtors from all over the region, state and country to share in these efforts.”
The website, provided by Solid Earth, a technology provider in real estate, is entirely free to use and offers real-time access to available listings. The hope is that it will serve as a crucial tool for REALTORS® as they support the recovery efforts by making housing information and new resources more accessible to those displaced.
As part of this larger effort, HurricaneHomes.org is also calling on industry vendors to waive rental fees for hurricane victims. By lowering the financial barriers in the rental process, they hope to provide more options and relief for those affected by the storms.
Additionally, the team behind HurricaneHomes.org is advocating for standardized industry changes to better prepare for future disasters. They will be bringing disaster data fields to the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) for consideration as additions to the RESO Data Dictionary. This would allow for more efficient management of available properties during future disasters. In gaining the support of many additional MLSs, the aim is to change the way, and, more importantly, how quickly the real estate industry can mobilize and act in times of emergency.
Solid Earth is committed to not only providing immediate relief in showcasing available housing inventory through HurricaneHomes.org but also by contributing to a more efficient and responsive housing market in the face of future natural disasters.
hurricanehomes.org