In the latest episode of the Real Trending Podcast, host Tracey Velt sits with team leader Claire O’Connor. O’Connor Estate and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties.
They explore O’Connor’s personal experiences with the Los Angeles wildfires, including evacuation efforts and current dynamics of the real estate market. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Velt: Can you share your experiences during evacuation? Some real estate agents noted that they only had time to pack their bags.
O’Connor: It was similar. I was in a sales meeting with Berkshire Hathaway, and the manager finished the meeting. We were all sitting there, one of those kinds of things like, “Where were you on September 11th?”
I knew it wouldn’t get better. My first trend was to go to my father-in-law’s house as he lived near Malibu. I got there and the nanny was in my nine month car.
O’Connor explained how her family is invested in the Pallisard community. She also said her family is still deciding whether they will return to the community. Velt continues his questions about real estate agents outside the area who targeted Palisades after the wildfire.
Velt: What do you see? Have you received a lot of calls from real estate agents in other fields?
O’Connor: I’m not getting it now. There’s an agent behavior that I found to be mean. As agents, I think it’s really important that we do ourselves with extreme professionalism, while considering the current discourse.
Velt: How has your practice changed since then? Have you changed your focus?
O’Connor: About 20 agents in my office have lost their homes. And many of those agents were hyperlocal. They were Palisade agents.
My business has always been more focused on design. I work with a variety of designers and I also develop them. So, I’ve been turning the house upside down, but there are partnerships of higher-end designers. It has been successful for me and I am grateful for it. Because I wasn’t focused on Palisades.
One thing I’m starting to see with buyers is that I think there’s a boom south of the sunset, away from the hill.
Velt: Do you think other buyers’ preferences are changing? Is anyone asking questions you’ve never got before when you’re searching for a home or developing it?
O’Connor: I’m currently working with clients on all lists who want to know what the evacuation route is. For me, I don’t know if that’s the right way of thinking. I don’t seem to burn anywhere, and I don’t seem to burn anywhere. So it’s really prepared and has fire-resistant building materials, sprinklers and so on.
To conclude the conversation, O’Connor offers advice to agents who may be experiencing trouble in the market.
O’Connor: Some of the advice I received came from great agents in the West. It helped me and my sister to inform our approach and understand our values. Honestly, I think it was amazing.
