Many Palisades residents found apartments in Marina del Rey.
By TEDDY RAY
Special to Circling the News
The week after the Palisades Fire was spent looking hard for a bed, underwear, a car and a place to live. Life has been tough for a lot of people, and the past seven days have shown both the best and worst of human nature.
Looters, insurance scammers, and price gougers have been in full force. Imagine an area where thousands of homes have been burned down, leaving only a few standing.
Supposedly the National Guard has been sent in to stop the looters from robbing the remaining homes. Scammers have been calling and texting us, pretending to be insurance companies. But on the bright side, lots of people have been really kind and helpful. It’s clear that good people outnumber the bad.
We’ve been looking for a house, condo, or apartment, and I’ve been to numerous places. The competition at open houses has been crazy, with people from all over fighting for the same properties. LA already has a housing crisis so adding 25,000 more into the equation makes it even more difficult. It reminds me of ticket scalping. It’s like a real-life version of STUBHUB but on a much bigger scale.
This past week has been a perfect example of supply and demand. It’s been super overwhelming, frustrating, and hard, but it’s also been a reminder of the power of human connection and the importance of helping each other out.
Two days after the fire destroyed our home, I set out on a quest to find a roof. Guess what I found? Many homes, condos, and apartments were listed at a single price. But when we got there, the prices had doubled or tripled!
It wasn’t the real estate agents’ fault; it was the buyers and renters who were demanding higher prices. Before the fire, these homes had been on the market for weeks or even months.
But thanks to a great network, I stumbled upon some hidden gems that we could explore. On Thursday, I found a fantastic home and told the owners we were ready to move in right away. The property belonged to an estate, and the estate attorney wanted more money, so I agreed.
I thought I had finally found our new landing, so I spent Friday, January 10, buying underwear, a car and a bed. But on Saturday, they still hadn’t sent over the contract. The estate decided to list the property and let it go to the highest bidder.
I went back to the properties I hadn’t seen on Friday only to find that they had either been rented out or had tripled in price. People were taking advantage of the situation and paying crazy prices.
Four years ago, my wife and I remodeled our home and lived in an apartment in Marina del Rey. It’s a beautiful place with lots of water and close to our family. We had fun there. I visited that complex and was told that most of the apartments had been rented out. They only had three left out of 200 or so. I went to see those three, but by the time I got back to the front desk, they had all been rented.
Bobby, the friendly receptionist, suggested we check out the sister property. The Dolphin Marina is a 1964 complex that’s recently been renovated and has a bunch of apartments available. When we got there, I was greeted by the most enthusiastic rental agent I’ve ever met, Ray Lewis. Ray was super excited to tell me that we had a bunch of new, remodeled apartments. I asked him, ‘If you could pick one, which one would you choose for your family?’ Ray said, ‘I’m taking you there right now!’
We stepped into the apartment and told Ray, ‘We’re taking it!’
If you’re in need of a place, the people there are amazing! Ray Louis, our agent at Dolphin, is a really nice and lively guy who understood what we were looking for and helped us find the perfect place.
He told my wife, ‘I can let you in early to start bringing in your belongings.’ She said with humor, “Ray, we don’t have any belongings!’
You know, there are some really kind and caring people out there. Wow! the kindness and support we’ve received from so many people have been truly incredible. If you’re reading this, it means you reached out, and we’re so grateful. Just the day after our home was destroyed, a wonderful young person we’ve known for just a couple years brought us bags of clothes. We were so touched by the generosity.
Amidst all the chaos, our amazing friends invited us to their place for dinner. Just 20 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I hesitated and told my wife that I didn’t want to go. I was exhausted. The rental home disaster had just hit us. We walked into our friends’ home, and they had prepared a delicious Lebanese food buffet. I was completely taken aback, I was overwhelmed by their kindness, surprise, and generosity.
To all of you who offered your homes to us, we will be eternally grateful. All of our children have generously opened their homes to us. They’ve provided us with food, clothes, and been a source of immense comfort and support. My wife has done a fine job raising them. I don’t know when the time will come, but I’m certain that there will be an opportunity for us to reciprocate this kindness and express our deepest gratitude. I’ve never experienced such an outpouring of support from so many people throughout my life and across the country and even the world. Our children’s friends have been incredible, offering legal advice, making us chili, offering Notre Dame tickets, workouts and clothes.
(Editor’s note: Ray’s experiences mirrors this editor and he summarizes what so many Palisadians have had to face. Next week he grapples with insurance and the disaster center.)