LA's once undesirable 'flats' become property hot spots in wake of devastating wildfires

In the midst of the horrific wild fires, once undesirable homes in Los Angeles known as the 'flats' have since become a hot spot for fearful residents looking to prioritize their safety. 

A stunning home nestled in Pasadena - a California city that managed to miraculously escape the recent infernos - hit the market just a day before the catastrophic blaze started in the Pacific Palisades. 

A real estate agent of 24 years, Rosa Garcia, 50, and her nephew, Shannon Horton, 32, were in the process of flipping his $2.175 million property when the fire began, leaving them unsure if it would still be standing when they returned. 

To their surprise, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home was left virtually untouched, along with others located in the neighborhood. 

Residents looking for a new place to call home prior to the blazes have since become even more inclined to lock down a property that is safe from the natural disaster. 

Lisa Chen, 32, decided to check out the home - fit with a fire-proof roof - on Woodcliffe Road during an open house Saturday with her young daughter. 

After house hunting for a year, Chen, a stay-at-home mother, told The New York Times that her requirements have changed because of the raging fires.

Prior to the blazes, her goal was just to find a community with good schools, but now, she wants to buy a home that is not in the hills and safe from wildfires.  

'The flats are better,' she told the outlet as she viewed the home that is still surrounded by some lingering smoke. 

The night the fires started, Horton watched the horrific scenes unfold through home surveillance footage. 

'SimpliSafe was my television for a bit. Do I still have a house when I wake up?,' he recalled feeling as he watched helplessly. 

Luckily, both the house and the neighborhood were left widely unscathed, other than the piles of ash covering the property. 

As Garcia made her way back to the home, she power washed the layers of ash from the driveway and deck as her nephew pondered if anyone would still want to live there after the fact. 

His aunt has remained optimistic despite everything, saying: 'It's going to sell. I don't see a world where it doesn't.'  

Although she continues to think positively, Garcia said that less people have showed up to view the home than she had hoped. 'But we'll see how it plays out,' she said.

Other prospective buyers have echoed Chen's concerns, gravitating toward the area for a safer place to call home. 

During a recent open house for a $1.19 million two-bedroom townhouse on S. Orange Grove Blvd in Pasadena, Dana Lance and his wife Judith Porter reflected on the past two weeks. 

The couple locked up all their valuables in their cars while the wild fires consumed the area about seven miles from their home in Mount Washington. 

Lance, 66, said that his wife has always kept the risk of a fire 'in the back of her mind,' but now, more than ever, 'she wants out.' 

'We think we can handle Mother Nature, but we can't,' Lance, a contractor, said.

The pair made an all cash offer on another home in the area, but they did not get it, he told the outlet. 

Laurie Turner and her husband David Turner, the listing agents for the townhome, said that half the people who showed up for the open house last weekend were all displaced from the devastation. 

Lauire recalled meeting 'shell-shocked' people touring the property, adding that their 'clothes didn't match, they had a pet with them.' 

She soon agreed to an offer made by one couple who said they would buy the townhouse and the furniture used to stage it. 

But by Saturday, she said no one affected by the fires visited the property. 

Another buyer, Neha Mehta, 36, who had hopes of moving to Altadena while renting in Pasadena prior to the fires, said she is now thinking about staying in the area permanently. 

The neighboring community of Altadena suffered severe damage from the Eaton Fire in the last two weeks, leaving at least 16 dead and more than 7,000 structures demolished.   

Specifically, Mehta said she has her eyes on the neighborhoods south of the freeway - dividing Pasadena near I-20 - that could act as a barrier for flames in the future. 

'This feels very safe to me now,' Mehta said about the area she hopes to call home soon.

A total of six fires have erupted across the greater LA area since last Tuesday, and as of Monday morning, the Palisades Fire is 59 percent contained, while the Eaton Fire is 87 percent under control, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection California. 

In addition to battling those two massive blazes, firefighters are also battling the Hurst fires. The three other fires have been fully contained. 

Some 6.5 million people remain under a critical fire threat, after the fires consumed an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, authorities said. 

Approximately 27 people have tragically lost their lives in the wild fires as authorities continue to search for human remains. 

While people look to relocate and rebuild their lives, money-hungry landlords and realtors have been accused of jacking up rent prices in the LA area. 

Even as the catastrophic Palisades blaze continues to ravage the city and devastate residential neighborhoods, opportunistic landlords have swiftly raised rental rates by as much as 134 percent, according to listings reviewed by DailyMail.com.

The shocking increases have occurred despite an emergency declaration by California Gavin Newsom which bans price gouging above 10 percent of pre-disaster prices, carrying penalties of up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The inflated figures have sparked outrage among tenant rights advocates as well as some local realtors who have condemned the behavior as 'predatory' and 'disgusting.' However, other agents have claimed they were unaware the declaration was in effect.

LA realtor Trey White, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, said he is 'appalled' by the price hikes during such a challenging time.