Just a few days after being listed for sale, the first Altadena property with a home that was damaged by the Eaton Fire in January has officially been sold. The sale is taking place although there are still discussions happening in the community about the fact that their neighborhoods are not for sale.
Brock Harris, the realtor who advertised the home, said that there were over 100 prospective bidders as soon as it was put up for sale. He believes this is because the lot is flat and buildable, which is a rare find in Los Angeles County.
Harris stated, “Everyone here has three options: they can start trying to rebuild their house, they can wait and do nothing, or they can sell the lot and get on with their lives.”
Last Monday, he put the Calaveras Street property on the market for $449,000. It was still filled with ash and trash. Harris stated that it sold for a sum that was significantly higher than what was being asked.
The phone exploded. He stated that there are twenty to thirty calls each day. “However, I believe we set a good price, as we received a dozen offers in the end. It was a highly competitive environment, mostly due to the presence of professional home builders.
The woman who owned the property stated that she did not want to wait years to rebuild because she was renting the house out as an investment.
“There’s this whole thing about whether or not developers are going to ruin Altadena.” Harris asked, “Is someone going to build it for themselves, or is an evil homebuilder going to buy it?” “However, every time I received a call from someone who wanted to build a house, they wanted to build it in Altadena and they wanted it to be in the Altadena style.”
He believes that the city’s recovery will probably involve a combination of families who already live there and professionals who are rebuilding at various rates.
This is the reason that families like the Munoz’s are worried about what will happen to their community in the future.
Jeanette Munoz, whose home was burned when the Eaton Fire broke out on January 7, stated, “It was a lot of family homes, it really sucks.” The fire damaged hundreds of homes and businesses. “I am concerned about it, but I hope they persevere and come back even stronger than before.”
