Speculator cashes in on Houston floods

Houston – Addressing a real estate conference in flood-ravaged Houston this month, longtime investor Ray Sasser detailed his strategy: buy up to 50 flooded homes at deep discounts, then fix and flip them for a hefty profit.

Sasser first followed that game plan after tropical storm Allison flooded the city in 2001. He bought homes for 30 to 40% of their prestorm value, spent another 15% on repairs, and sold many a year later – at full value.

The quick recovery surprised him, he said.

“This can’t be true,” he recalled thinking at the time.

The bet that home prices in hard-hit Houston neighbourhoods will fully recover after Hurricane Harvey could be riskier, Sasser and local economists said.

But a rush of investors eager to snap up flooded homes reflects broader confidence in the resilience of Houston’s unique metropolitan economy.

While the region’s unchecked development has come under fire for exacerbating flooding, it also reflects its core strength: a rare combination of rich job opportunities and low cost of living, driving explosive population growth in America’s energy capital.

The surging demand has sustained home prices through four major floods since 2001 and a historic oil price crash starting in 2014. – Reuters