Answers to commonly asked questions post-Harvey
Will the value of my home decrease if it flooded?
If the flood damage from Hurricane Harvey were not enough, homes that took in water for the first time will see their valuations drop, perhaps by as much as 60 percent.
Exactly how much appraised value a newly flooded home will lose depends on its location and how much damage was done. But four separate academic studies following past flood events show that values typically drop by at least 15 percent.
Texas law, by the way, requires a seller to disclose whether a home has ever been flooded. Flooded homes tend to regain their previous value within four years, on average.
Homes that don’t flood, though, often rise in value as more people seek them out within the same community. This could offset the aggregate value lost to the community. Flooded homes that are rebuilt in a way that prevents future flooding can also show increased value.
The longer term issue for many Houstonians will be how flood maps are redrawn after Hurricane Harvey, the worst storm in the city’s history. That makes Harvey the new “flood of record” and will trigger new flood-plain maps.
Many residential areas once thought to be in the 500-year flood plain may soon find themselves in the 100-year flood plain, even if they didn’t take on any water. That will force them to buy flood insurance, which is quite expensive.
Homes in the 100-year flood plain generally sell at a discount because of the added long-term expense of flood insurance for the new buyer. — Chris Tomlinson
I have tickets to the Alley Theatre. When and where will performances be held?
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the arts organizations of the Houston Theater District — as well as smaller companies throughout the city — are finding ways to bounce back and return to business. Organizations like the Alley Theatre and Houston Symphony are performing in university spaces for now, trying to return to their regular buildings as soon as they can. Though venues like Spring Street Studios and MATCH weren’t damaged by the flood, the organizations that perform in those spaces often have lean budgets. So the impact of two weeks’ lost revenue could be game-changing. This is what you need to know about these organizations as of Sept. 14.
Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre, whose lower levels were devastated by the flood, is now based in a variety of temporary locations, with artist spaces in a vacant office space downtown and administrative offices in Houston First’s former offices. It’s staging its current production at the University of Houston.
“Describe the Night” runs through Oct. 15 at UH’s Quintero Theatre.
The historical dramedy “Cleo,” written by Texas journalist Lawrence Wright and directed by Bob Balaban, was originally slated to premiere at the end of September. Due to the power outage at the Alley caused by the flood, it’s now postponed until April 6, 2018, and will run through April 29 on the Alley’s mainstage.
As a result, dates for “Satchmo at the Waldorf,” “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Holmes and Watson” and “The Cake” will shift.
The popular David Sedaris holiday comedy, “The Santaland Diaries,” is cancelled due to the Neuhaus Theatre’s destruction. “A Christmas Carol,” on the other hand, will return in full force as the Alley Theatre’s first in-house performance postHarvey, at the Hubbard Theatre Nov. 17 through Dec. 30.
For a full list of the 2017-18 schedule, visit alleytheatre.org.
Houston Symphony
Though Jones Hall was fairly lucky, water still penetrated the building. And concertgoers’ primary parking venue — the Theater District parking garages underground — remain shut due to total flooding.
But the symphony is recovering quickly. It opened its season this week, with three sold-out concerts at the Stude Concert Hall at Rice University. Andres Conducts Schumann concerts will take place Sept. 22-24, location to be announced.
A.D. Players
Largely unaffected by the storm, A.D. Players opened its coincidentally-titled comedy “Harvey.” But the theater is re-billing the show as “Harvey for Harvey,” and donating 20 percent of all revenue to support victims of the Hurricane. Tickets: adplayers.org. — Wei-Huan Chen
My will and other estateplanning documents were destroyed by flooding from the hurricane. Are these documents still valid, or do I need to sign new ones?
A copy of a will can be probated, if necessary. However, without an original document, probate may be more difficult. For instance, extra witnesses may be needed to testify in court, or a beneficiary who is not happy with the terms of your will may have an easier time contesting it.
Copies of powers of attorney and a living will can probably be used, but it’s always best to have originals.
If the estate planning forms were created recently, you should call your lawyer and ask to sign all of them again. Most lawyers retain forms they have prepared indefinitely on their computers.
Note, though, if it has been several years since you signed the forms, your attorney may insist that the forms be redrafted from scratch. Laws are constantly changing, and thus the wording of the forms has likely changed as well.
In particular, the Texas durable-power-of-attorney form recently underwent a major overhaul. You should not sign an old form, but instead you should sign the new version.