T he calls started just weeks after wildfire devastated the Pacific Palisades, an exclusive neighbourhood nestled in the hills of Los Angeles. Since then, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. “We’ve had just a ton of calls from people from outside the state that have been wanting to move here,” says Carlos Labrada, an office administrator at Sotheby’s International Realty, which sells luxury properties across LA, including in the Palisades.
The prospective buyers — from New York, Denver and beyond — wanted to know if there were any lots of land available. If so, would they be able to purchase it at a knockdown rate? • Floods, fires and earthquakes: how to protect homes in the future “They’re like, ‘Oh, I love the Palisades. I’ve always wanted to live there,’” Labrada says.
“One of the couples, the wife goes: ‘I know it’s really unfortunate, but it’s ideal if I’m able to build my dream home there.’”.
