ShareWhen preparing for a natural disaster, real estate professionals need to think about safety in terms of not only their physical workplace—whether at their home, office or elsewhere—but also their access to critical business and client data. Take it from REALTOR® Rocky DeVon, whose community in Washington state was burning in a wildfire at the time this episode was recorded in August. Host Tracey Hawkins talks to DeVon about how his real estate business is powering through the 20th blaze in his lifetime, as well as how the REALTORS® Relief Foundation saved his neighbors. Former FEMA inspector and trainer Coni Meyers, who faced a tropical storm in Las Vegas, where she lives, also joins the conversation with disaster preparedness and insurance tips.
Meet the guests:
DeVon is the broker-owner of RE/MAX Lake and Country in Oroville, Wash. He’s a lifelong resident of rural Okanogan County whose family homestead is a ranch built in 1888. DeVon has spent his life preserving that acreage for future generations of his family. He is the president of his local Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board of directors for the Washington State Farm Bureau and the City of Oroville Planning Commission. He also has served as the Okanogan County representative for the North Central Washington Association of REALTORS®.
Meyers is the founder and CEO of the Crisis Knowledge Management & Preparedness Foundation, which provides resources for disaster planning and mitigation. She has worked to educate and support thousands of individuals and businesses in their sustainability and crisis preparedness efforts. An international bestselling author and speaker, Meyers’ former career with FEMA has enabled her to equip people with the knowledge and tools to navigate and manage crises effectively. Her core mission is to strengthen resilience and empower individuals to face and overcome challenges.
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Podcast Transcript:
About the Host
Tracey Hawkins, also known as “Tracey, the Safety Lady,” is a former real estate agent who founded her own safety education program, Safety and Security Source, in 1995. Hawkins is a content creator who teaches 12 interactive safety classes that she wrote herself. She teaches agents to stay safe and build their businesses by protecting the consumer. She teaches brokerages how to reduce liability. Hawkins has written expert safety content for REALTOR® Magazine and other national real estate publications, including RISMedia, Inman and The Close.