It was January 7th, 10:30 a.m. Robert was watching the news on their television while his 82-year-old father entertained his 1-year-old son, Myles. His wife Leah was busy picking up toys scattered across the living room. Three generations had called this Palisades property their home for the past 32 years, and this seemed to be just another typical day. It turned out that within hours, their lives would be changed forever.
Robert’s mother, who suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s, was sitting on the couch as Robert was waiting to take his dad to his doctor’s appointment in Santa Monica.
"Dad, it's time to go!" Robert shouted just as he started to notice black smoke outside their living room window. The sound of helicopters and people raising their voices began to take over the normally quiet cul-de-sac neighborhood in the Pacific Palisades community.
It would take 3 hours for them to fight through the bottleneck of LA traffic to get to his dad’s doctor’s office. Robert would never return to his family’s home. He would watch his home burn to the ground on his Ring camera later that night. Instead of panicking, Robert took immediate action to take care of his family. “I didn't have time to start crying. I didn't have time to start complaining,“ said Robert in a very direct, mature manner. They had nothing left but the clothes on their backs and were all crammed into a local Residence Inn. He knew he had to find a different solution immediately. His family was depending on him.
Enter Boyd The Broker. A seasoned real estate professional whose own story of hope and recovery has been widely publicized, was advertising a home for sale on Google. A single level with easy access for his elderly parents as well as an oversized yard for his energetic toddler. Boyd rushed into action to secure the property the very same day and initiated the plan to get them out of the hotel and into their new home. No bed, no plates, no towels, no clothes: they had nothing. But Boyd knew he was about to be part of something special when Robert's elderly father, Hajime, just sat on the couch the entire time they were inside, making himself at home. Boyd and Robert sprang into action and worked together to find a suitable lender, contractors, and service providers, and now, 3 weeks later, Robert says this is "a new beginning."
Boyd says that most people are not returning to the Palisades because the process to rebuild will be too long. “They just want to move forward and try to resume a normal life but that takes time and planning. The biggest struggle is to find new homes for these families because there is a lack of inventory in the South Bay. I am calling all my past clients in Manhattan Beach to see if they might be interested in selling their home. Some families have been considering a life change, and this could be the opportunity. The beach cities community literally has the opportunity to provide much needed housing for so many people."
Check out Robert's Google Review here
