Altadena's first fire-ravaged property sells for $550,000

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- The first fire-ravaged property in Altadena has sold amid a flurry of offers.

Realtor Brock Harris says he listed the lot at 95 West Calaveras Street for about $450,000 and ended up selling it for $550,000.

"We got a ton of calls, like 20 to 30 a day," he said. "We ended up getting about a dozen offers and the price got bid up way over asking."

But not everyone is a fan of people selling their fire-affected properties. Groups like Altadena Not For Sale are worried residents who lost their homes to the Eaton Fire may make hasty decisions that are not in their favor.

In a written statement, the group said that realtors, developers and contractors "need to act scrupulously and work with clients to come up with other potential solutions. They should be mindful of not inducing panic selling or capitalizing on Altadena's trauma and vulnerability."

Harris agrees but says in his case the owner was a landlord who did not want to go through the rebuilding process.

"Absolutely no one should panic sell, no one should be pressured to sell, and if people want to rebuild they should be able to rebuild," Harris said. "But a lot of people, they just can't do it."

Harris says building in California is a strenuous and time-consuming challenge that can take three to five years. Many people don't have the time or energy to rebuild.

"The biggest danger is in 10 or 20 years a third of these lots or half of these lots are still empty. And looking at wildfires in California, that seems to be the norm," he said.

"I think what makes the community great is the people, not the houses," Harris added. "And the sooner we can get these houses built and people back in them, the sooner Altadena will come back."