CAR
President
Heather
Ozur
and
assistant
general
counsel
Neil
Kalin
were
key
speakers.
Several
Black
agents
with
personal
and
professional
ties
to
heavily
impacted
neighborhoods
in

Altadena
also
attended.

The
webinar
opened
with
a
discussion
of
Altadena’s
predominantly
Black
community
and
its
history.
According
to
a

report
from
UCLA,
61%
of
the
Black
households
in
Altadena
were
located
inside
the
perimeter
of
the
Eaton
Fire,
compared
to
50%
of
non-Black
households.
Many
Black
families
moved
to
these
neighborhoods
in
the
1960s
after

redlining
and
interstate
construction
forced
them
out
of
other
areas.

Kalin
led
a
segment
on
best
practices
for
legal
matters
that
agents
may
face
when
assisting
Altadena
residents.
He
advised
Black
agents
to
maintain
an
objective
approach
when
working
with
clients.
“Be
a
resource,
be
a
friend,
but
don’t
be
an
attorney,”
he
said.

Kalin
also
recommended
that
agents
help
their
clients
consider
the

time
and
cost
of
rebuilding,
homeowners
insurance
proceeds,
temporary
housing
expenses,
and
the
benefits
of
selling
for
cash
value
versus
rebuilding.
This
is
especially
important
given
potential
building
code
changes,
he
said.

He
also
mentioned
that
the
community
will
likely
change
over
the
course
of
the
estimated
two-
to
three-year
rebuilding
period.
Kalin
urged
agents
to
remember
this
fact
despite
the
neighborhood’s
historical
significance.

“[We
know]
about
the
historical
relevance
of
this
community,
but
there
are
going
to
be
changes,”
he
said.
“And
maybe
those
changes
might
be
for
the
better,
maybe
those
changes
may
not
be
for
the
better.
But
as
a
result
of
what
happened,
there
will
be
changes.
The
property
owner
needs
to
consider
that
nothing
will
return
to
being
exactly
the
way
it
was
before.”

Kalin
closed
his
session
with
tailored
advice
for
agents
who
are
assisting
landlords,
buyers,
and
tenants
with
wildfire
recovery.
He
noted
that

rent
gouging
rules
—
initially
set
to
expire
on
March
8
—
will

remain
in
place
until
July
1.
Landlords
cannot
raise
rents
by
more
than
10%
until
then.

For
agents
who
are
assisting
potential
homebuyers,
Kalin
recommended
securing
the
maximum
term
for

buyer
representation
agreements.
California
is
also

prohibiting
unsolicited
offers
below
market
value.
Of
the
seven
affected
ZIP
codes
he
mentioned,
only
one
is
in
Altadena.

Despite
the
devastation,
homes
and
lots
are
still
being
listed
in
Altadena.
According
to

Zillow,
there
are
more
than
50
active
listings,
with
the
average
market
value
in
the
area
at
roughly
$1.29
million.

As
the
recovery
continues,
many
residents
remain
concerned
about
the
long-term
impacts
of
the
disaster.
Altadena’s
population
consists
mainly
of
older
Black
homeowners,
and
challenges
related
to
rebuilding,

affordability
and
property
sales
could
hinder
their
ability
to
pass
down
generational
wealth.