The real estate community has mobilized to aid the recovery process, sending financial help and more to those affected by the deadly blazes.
The Los Angeles area has faced raging wildfires that have reduced entire neighborhoods to ash in an area equivalent to the size of San Francisco. The real estate community has been quick to act by raising funds for victims of the blazes through the REALTORS® Relief Foundation (RRF), organizing donation drives and finding housing for the displaced.
And now RRF, which is the National Association of REALTORS®’ charitable arm, has approved a $1 million grant to the California Association of REALTORS® to provide disaster relief support to families affected by the wildfires. Donations that NAR members make to RRF by Feb. 7 will be 100% earmarked for wildfire victims.
Victims can apply for relief through CAR.
“Agents who are REALTORS® deeply understand that in times of crisis, we step up to help our communities remain resilient and united, even in the face of devastation like what we’re witnessing in Southern California,” says RRF President Greg Hrabcak. “This grant underscores RRF’s dedication to providing assistance during the critical weeks and months following a disaster, and we are committed to helping families stay in their communities and begin to rebuild their lives.”
RRF works through NAR’s network of state and local REALTOR® associations to help distribute funding in communities affected by natural disasters. It's an example of how the three levels of the REALTOR® organization work together to positively impact communities around the country.
The L.A. wildfires are estimated at over $250 billion in losses, which could make them the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history. About 16,000 homes and buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the fires broke out Jan. 7, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. For those who lost their homes, the wildfires also come amid an ongoing insurance crisis in the state as well as severe housing shortages.
Local real estate professionals say they’ve had dozens of clients who’ve been affected; some agents also have lost their homes in the fires. Aaron Kirman of Christie’s International Real Estate in Los Angeles recently told The Hollywood Reporter that 70 of his clients lost their homes in the wildfires. Kirman and other real estate professionals in the L.A. area have been banding together to find any available homes or furnished rentals for victims needing short-term or long-term housing. But that’s a difficult task considering there were housing shortages even before the wildfires.
Real Estate Pros Show Up to Help
As L.A. residents brace for what likely will be a long recovery, real estate professionals from across the country are offering their support. For example, the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® contributed $20,000 to RRF. “The devastation caused by the recent wildfires in California has been heart-wrenching to see,” KCRAR President Andrew Mall said in a statement.
Brokerages have been coordinating with charities to organize supply drives to victims. KW Cares, the philanthropic arm of Keller Williams Realty, recently delivered more than 600 air purifiers, 26,000 N95 masks and 33 emergency grants to their agents who were displaced by the wildfires. Tisha Janigian, Green, PMN, broker-owner of SHE IS HOPE Realty in Canoga Park, Calif., has been coordinating with local food pantries and donation centers to arrange collection drives for victims. She also is trying to identify more housing options for families in need.
“We applaud the efforts of local REALTORS® volunteering on the front lines of in-person relief efforts,” CAR President Heather Ozur said in a statement.
Real estate professionals also have emerged as a critical information source to those whose homes have been damaged, sharing resources on their social media pages, blogs and newsletters. NAR has created a Consumer Guide, Fire Damage and Policy Coverage, and CAR offers a list of disaster relief resources.
Source: nar.realtor
