// the mood & vibes this week
— hi, friends :) i am writing this to you from northern california. i'm getting ready to depart to los angeles after quite a wild ride of a month.
— as many of you know, we had a series of devastating fires in southern california that i was lucky to miss. the damage from these is widespread and terrifying; having leveled the entire palisades + altadena communites, and scarring much of topanga's parkland. the effects are both immediate and long-term. folks i know have quite literally lost everything, and even friends who live miles from the fires are reporting health issues due to ash/smoke/chemicals. it's been unbelievably scary to watch unfold, and i'm so grateful i wasn't in town at the time.
— you'll remember that i live on a back house in a larger compound in topanga. the good news is that much of the canyon's residential areas and town are completely safe; my place is safe. however, the parkland stretching from the beach to the southern edge of town is utterly charred. landmarks i drove by every day are gone, as are a litany of houses on pacific coast highway itself (aka, right on the ocean). the landscape has changed forevermore, and i'm feeling all the things about heading back. those who know me know that topanga has been my respite from the hubbub of LA. i'm not a city person by nature. i wouldn't say i'm a be-alone-in-the-woods-away-from-society person either. i like a mix - a small town next to a big city, with greenery and trails and good juju. topanga was most certainly that for me. operative word: was. i will be leaving my place starting in march, which is crazy for me to even type, and even more vulnerable to share with you. it just doesn't feel right to stay in an area so close to the fires from a health perspective. i've been listening to a lot of air quality scientists talk about the long-term effects of this kind of exposure, and i know i won't sleep well at night if i have an elevated risk for bad sh*t. and i'm lucky in that i'm young and flexible enough where i can make this kind of change pretty much on a dime - my place is month-to-month. it's also just quite frankly time for me to move on from my place. it served me beautifully, but in addition to the health concerns, my needs+wants have definitely changed. i have a lot of thinking and planning to do about my living situation, but wanted to give you that major update.
— an intermission for some fire resources:
— in terms of real estate things; LA is pretty much reeling from the events of this last month. with over 10K destroyed structures and tens of thousands of evacuees, the focus on everyone's mind is RENTALS. the competition is unlike anything i've ever seen; price gouging from landlords, folks scrambling to pay miles over asking. most folks who were displaced on the west / east side are looking for a new rental that's close to where they lived. that term is generally between 6 to 12 months. it's my prediction that once those leases expire, a portion of that demographic is going to enter the buying market. i think we're going to see a significant market spike in surrounding areas to the burn spots.
— it's the reality of how most folks will want to stay in town, and they need somewhere to live closer to where they were stationed at, and that's just simple supply and demand bb. wow that almost bordered on real estate finance bro talk but hey! us girlies must be educated as well!
— on the real estate note and in more somber terms … i learned a few weeks ago that a house i'd literally wrote an offer on for clients burned in the fires. we wrote the offer in december, fires broke out early jan. THAT IS CRAZY TO ME. thank god we didn't get the house, even though she was a gorgeous midcentury. the thought of all these architectural gems being lost quite literally brings mucho tears to my eyes … it's awful. i have to believe we will rebuild, and build back better, but i think we're all just shaken to the core from this loss.
— if you are reading this and are displaced from the fires / know someone who is, please reach out if you need help finding a great rental. i'm helping a great group of fire displacees (is that a word??) find rentals at no commission. feels really good to plug into the community and do my part.
— if you are otherwise thinking about buying / selling in LA this year (or even elsewhere on the california coast!) hit me up and let's chat! link to contact me
can be found here. — as always, with the houses i feature below, if you're a serious buyer & interested in more details, respond to this email. today i'll be showcasing some epic wood houses in norcal + one in LA!
— wonder what you're feeling this week. maybe respond and tell me.
— talk to you soon, and sending love.
xx,
sam
