Eastern Washington agents balance business and wildfire disaster recovery

Washington’s wildfire season continues to set grim milestones, with more than 850,000 acres burned statewide and hundreds of homes destroyed in the Spokane area — forcing residents, insurers and real estate professionals to navigate a housing market altered by disaster.Residents who escaped with little more than what they could carry are now confronting insurance claims, temporary housing and difficult decisions about whether to rebuild or leave their communities.For real estate professionals in Spokane, the disaster has added another layer of uncertainty to an already complicated market. Denise Thrasher — an agent with Epique Realty-affiliated Haven Real Estate Group in Spokane — said she and colleagues are adapting to rapidly changing circumstances for buyers and sellers in fire-affected areas. “Yes, we do have to continue running the business because we do have many clients that we’re still servicing who were even not affected by the fires, and we still need to help them through their process,” Thrasher said. “I think one of the bigger things is just trying to be aware of the changes that could be coming, regarding homeowners’ insurance and buyers who need to have homeowners’ in...