On March 27, 2024, our spirited and hyper excited buyers, P+E, closed on their dream house in the Pacific Palisades and soon after they moved right in. We searched for the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood for 3 years before they absolutely knew that this house was the one. On January 7, 2025, at about 8 pm, I called E and she said they just arrived at their hotel and they were safely evacuated. I asked if she took valuables with her and she said no, it was too rushed. The next day I called and they were crying; their dream house (and most of their dream neighborhood) burned to the ground. I called my insurance agent and he assured me that they have the best insurance policy and they would suffer no financial loss, although obviously it would be so much mental + emotional + physical healing and a long road & process. P said if he had to go back and do it all over again, he’d choose this house because their 9 short months in this home in this neighborhood was everything they dreamed of and wanted. The hardest part is losing the kids’ childhood pictures, photo albums, keepsakes + mementos + heirlooms. The most comforting part is grieving all together as a close-knit community they feel privileged to have joined. On Friday, I scrolled through all the pictures the listing agent generously shared for their insurance claim and tears silently fell down my cheeks. I offered my Oxnard house to them as a retreat, but they have so much to do sourcing + replacing + figuring out that they need to be close by and tackling so much stuff.
Another favorite client has her young kids home all day because their school burned down in the Alta Dena fires. She had a thought to move to our area and enroll her kids in a different school. In the last week we toured 13 different houses, some more than once, to fully explore options and choices. There was a house that piqued her interest in the hills. Looking at the history, it was first listed 11/1/21 and expired with 428 DOM. It was listed again on 1/11/23 with a 400k price reduction and it expired with 233 DOM. Expired the next time with 182 DOM and canceled 11/7/24 with 224 days on market. It’s a new listing now. I asked the agent if there might be any flexibility in price given the history. Response was that the owner is thinking of raising the price now given the likely increased demand. That owner is not the only one; many sellers are thinking the same.
When the fires happened, one of our lease listings was on the market for about 3 weeks with no applications. The weekend after the fires we got 3 applications, the likes of which we wouldn’t ordinarily see because the applicants seemed overqualified and not people who usually apply to be renters. Our clients, the landlords, needed time to think and process (as landlords often do) and by the time our landlords were ready to respond, all three applicants, who were naturally in a very big rush, had found other places to rent. We leased 130 S McCadden and 151 S Vista. We have available for lease 133 N Orange, 629 N Citrus, 641 N Fuller, 625 N Fuller, 1210 S La Jolla, 5319 W 8th, 934 N Harper. Obviously none of our owners have raised prices since the fires.
We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in showing requests on many of our listings for sale. In talking to the people who come to see, some are victims of the fires and others are buyers who think it’s prudent for them to shop & buy now before prices go higher over time given the likely increased demand for housing that will be much greater than the supply, even in areas like ours that did not burn down in the fires. A past client introduced and referred us to an unrepresented buyer who asked to see one of our listings; we offered to represent them for free on our listing as a show of support for their house burning down. The week was emotional and heart wrenching talking to so many people whose houses unfathomably burned down. It’s so sad to witness all the mass shocking grieving and pain.
We have a beautiful new listing in impeccable remodeled condition at 116 ½ N Sycamore! It’s a fully renovated top floor condo in a spectacular Mediterranean fourplex fully updated & yet rich with original character + charm, on a beautiful tree lined street adjacent to Hancock Park. It’s safe with a controlled access entrance + remote control driveway gate. The living & dining rooms are spacious and feel like a home. The remodeled kitchen has carrera marble countertops, new stainless steel appliances and cabinets with soft close cabinetry. There’s a separate laundry room with a sink, built-in storage, & a door to a back staircase to the yard. The spacious and light primary suite features a beautiful en-suite bath and walk in closet recently outfitted by California Closets. There’s a large guest room with a California Closets closet. The unit has recessed lighting, central A/C with Nest thermostat, SimpliSafe security set-up, and Shade Store custom blackout shades in guest room + laundry room. There’s brand new engineered hardwood with a custom rich stain throughout the entire space!! The unit is unusually rich, beautiful, new, and pristine.
We have a new duplex listing coming at 6306-6308 W 6th St (near the intersection of 6th + Crescent Heights) for 1,999,000. Built in 1928, the building is 4319 sq ft on a 6252 sq ft lot. The downstairs has a true center hall floor plan with living room and dining room on one side and a center hallway leading to the 3 bedrooms, 2 of which overlook the backyard. There’s a bonus room at the front of the property with an exit door, and there’s another exit off the kitchen/breakfast room. The downstairs is delivered vacant and the upstairs is delivered with a long term tenant in place. The rent for the upstairs tenant is $3044.54 a month. We’re taking pics on Monday and we will go live on the MLS Tuesday of this week. We can show the vacant downstairs unit anytime!
The closing on our listing at 313 S Sycamore had to be postponed while there was a moratorium on new insurance policies in LA while the fires were actively burning. It closed on Wednesday and 2 other deals were able to secure decent policies of insurance at fair prices since then. As expected, insurance companies will keep diligently asking about roofs, leaks under kitchen sinks, age of the plumbing, and past claims filed on the property.
Our hearts are with all the victims of the fires. The people we’ve been talking to speak of their love for their city & their community. We hear of hopes + plans to rebuild, not only to bring back what they had, but to make it even better the next time around. We love witnessing firsthand the generosity of support – friends who have friends move into their homes, clear-minded smart friends who volunteer to file insurance claims for grieving & distracted friends, smart caring friends who accompany displaced friends to showings as moral support carrying bags of new clothes with tags for their people who lost their whole closets. I have so much admiration for the incredible resilience, strength, and mental fortitude of people shopping to buy a house to not be in a hotel or a guest or a renter but to have the dignity and comfort of being in their own home. I love driving around and seeing business signs, electronic signs and theater marquis in all areas of our city that say thank you to first responders and We <3 LA. Even in its sad, burnt state, with ashes all over the houses + cars everywhere in our city, I’m proud to live in the most beautiful city with the most beautiful strong souls; I love LA.
Wishing all an awesome week ahead!
Xoxoxoo,
Sheri