Everything that we do at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Shanahan Group is about home and family. It's the passion of every one of our agents and at the core of who we are as a company. When there is a crisis like Hurricane Harvey, it hits at the nerve of who we are, personally and professionally. 

As we all know, water in a home causes wide spread damage not just to the structure and systems of a home, but can pose health risks as well. With the catastrophic flooding in Texas, there will be so much work to do in the coming weeks and months for our friends and colleagues in Texas, as they try to put their lives and homes back together. Imagine how many contractors will be needed to make these repairs and how difficult it will be to find a good one! Those will be challenges that homeowners face as the flood waters subside and people return to safety. Today though, we can help in our own small ways. 

Help Disaster Relief Efforts: At The Shanahan Group, our parent company Realogy is coordinating donations to the American Red Cross to support their disaster relief efforts in Texas though their charitable foundation. Through this effort launched this week, the Foundation has already surpassed its initial fundraising and matching goals. Donations can be made using this link: http://bit.ly/RealogyRedCrossFund

We also know that in addition to supplies provided by the Red Cross and other organizations, there is a serious need for diapers for families displaced by the storm. Disaster relief agencies do not supply diapers and there is critical need among families that have been displaced by the storm. The Texas Diaper Bank has issued an urgent request for donations, so that they can continue to provide diaper kits to these families. To donate to the Texas Diaper Bank, use the following link: http://bit.ly/HarveyTexasDiaperBank

Finally, we are thinking of our colleagues at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene in Houston. Many of their agents and staff have lost so much- homes, cars, clothing. They have also established a fund to help their agents and staff begin to rebuild. (http://bit.ly/BHGREGG)

These are just a few of the ways that our agents have chosen to help. The important thing is that we help- pick a good, well-respected charity and give what you can.

At the end of the day, families and homes are what's most important, the foundations of our health and happiness. It's why we are in this business and why it's so important that we support the process of recovering and rebuilding in Texas.