January 20, 2025 • 26 mins
Step into the high-stakes world of Los Angeles luxury real estate with our captivating guest, Adam Brawer, who has made an extraordinary leap from working on hit shows like "America's Got Talent" to becoming one of LA's most sought-after realtors. Through engaging storytelling and insightful anecdotes, Adam shares how his entertainment industry skills in storytelling, multitasking, and problem-solving translate seamlessly into the real estate world. The episode uncovers Adam's journey from New York to LA and offers an insider's view into the vibrant LA property market, providing listeners with a unique perspective on what it takes to thrive in this competitive field.
Amidst this high-paced real estate narrative, we also navigate the somber reality of the recent fires that have ravaged Southern California, leaving a profound impact on Adam's community. Hear firsthand about the challenges faced during rebuilding efforts, the threat of underinsurance, and the mental health implications on affected families. Adam's heartfelt recounting of the Topanga community's resilience and unity exemplifies the spirit of coming together in times of crisis. We urge listeners to contribute to ongoing relief efforts, shining a spotlight on vital support from organizations like FEMA, and highlight ways to assist through fundraising platforms. Join us for a compelling exploration of real estate, resilience, and community strength in the face of adversity.
If you want to help the LA wildfires: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-support-topangas-community-firefighting-efforts?utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email_m_pd-5332-donation-receipt-adyen&utm_content=internal
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www.instagram.com/adambrawer
www.adambrawerestates.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I just feel like I don't.
I'm not good at doing my hair.
I hate doing my hair.
What should you just magicallybe good?
I guess that would be a wig.
I could be Dolly Parton.
(00:23):
Welcome back to the NOW PodcastMaking Moves in Real Estate.
Today, we're diving into thehigh-stakes, star-studded world
of Los Angeles luxury realestate with a guest who brings
Hollywood flair to every deal.
Meet Adam Brower.
A powerhouse in LA residentialmarket and a true authority on
turning homes into show-stoppingstories, adam's journey is
(00:46):
nothing short of extraordinary.
Born and raised in New YorkCity, he made the leap to LA in
2004 to pursue a dream inentertainment.
From working at the prestigiousWilliam Morris Talent Agency to
producing hit shows likeAmerica's Got Talent and
co-founding Sentinel Pictures,adam knows what it takes to turn
(01:10):
big dreams into reality.
But when Hollywood's twists andturns led to an existential
gosh, I'm having a hard timespeaking today.
Crossroads.
Adam found his true calling inreal estate.
With a producer's eye fordetail and a knack for
storytelling, adam found histrue calling in real estate.
With a producer's eye fordetail and a knack for
storytelling, adam quicklybecame one of LA's most
sought-after luxury realtors,closing 18 deals in his first
(01:34):
year alone.
Today, he combines hisentertainment background with a
meticulous, client-firstapproach to selling high-profile
properties which I learnedabout one on our last call with
style, speed and record breakingresults.
So anyway, let's dive intoAdam's story.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you so much for having me and thanks for such
an extraordinary introduction.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Gosh, I butchered it, I'm so my apologies.
Like I'm hard, you've crushedit.
Thank you, apologies, like I'mhard, you've lost it, thank you
I do have one note.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So I used to work at the production company that
produces america's got talent.
I didn't personally produce it,just to clarify.
But yeah, america's got talent,american idol, all that stuff,
and I'm very happy to not be inthat business and to be in real
estate.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, Quite a difference to go from that to
real estate.
I would imagine that's quite aleap big leap, big pivot.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Very, very similar skillset Virtually I would say
virtually the same skillsetproducing film or television
versus, you know, representingbuyers and sellers.
The actual work is different,but the talent needed to succeed
is the same.
You know, as we know, in realestate we wear a lot of hats.
(02:56):
Sometimes you're a salesperson,sometimes you're a marketer,
sometimes you're a therapist Infilm or TV, you're often a
therapist to actors who mightnot be stable.
You are a pitch artist, I wouldsay.
You are a marketing expert.
You're a crisis solver.
(03:17):
As a producer, you'reconstantly solving big issues.
As a realtor, you're alsosolving issues, big and small,
and so any producers out therewho are looking to make a pivot,
I highly suggest real estate.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So interesting.
So you know, I met Adam a weekago, met Adam a week ago and,
like learned all about his greatstory and had an amazing
meeting with him and less than24 hours one of like the largest
(04:00):
tragedies in our state brokeoff.
So we felt like it was a littletimely not to take away from
your story but certainly want tobe mindful of what you and your
community you're going throughin Southern California.
What has it been like the lastsix days?
All the fires.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
If I'm being honest and I don't know, if we do a
little editing and post, it'sbeen back crazy.
There have been full spectrumof emotions.
I've had so many clients whohave lost their homes.
Courtney, I think I was tellingyou about my $25 million Malibu
(04:35):
listing that burned to ashes.
I'm completely vaporized.
I have another client who losttheir place in the Palisades.
On the same day they lost theirweekend home on the PCH in
Malibu.
I have many, many friends whohave lost homes, from small
homes to massive estates.
(04:57):
They're displaced.
You know, I have a friend whowent from like a 4,500 square
foot beautiful home in thePalisades and now he's renting
an 800 square foot two bedroomwith two kids because that's all
that was available.
It's a very challenging timeEvacuations, just uncertainty,
(05:21):
it's really crazy.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And you're evacuated as we speak, as we're recording
this currently evacuated.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So I, on tuesday, I left my office.
I realized, okay, this isactually a pretty tuesday early
afternoon, it's going to be abig issue, normally 20 minutes
door to door home to office.
It took me an hour and 45minutes to get back because of,
you know, they blocked off pchand I called a friend on the way
(05:50):
, a friend who's also in topanga.
We talked for a while.
I mentioned the fire.
I said you know, how are youfeeling about this?
He said you know I'm about.
I'm about concerned enough thatI think I'm about to take a nap
.
Yeah, that friend is the onewho stayed back with his wife to
(06:11):
beat the fire and didn't go tosleep for a couple days.
It's been extremely chaotic.
I mean, topanga has bandedtogether in a way I have never
experienced.
We have volunteer fire brigades, fire spotters, 911 callers,
arson and looter watch.
They call it like the Topangasages, people who are taking
(06:36):
care of the senior citizencommunity in Topanga, delivering
Starlinks to fire.
We're asking the firedepartment what do you need?
They need fuel for generators,they need Starlinks to fire.
You know we're asking the firedepartment what do you need?
You know they need fuel forgenerators, they need Starlinks.
They need Zin nicotine gumbecause they're up for like 40
hours straight.
You know coffee like.
You know assembling like smallarmies and thank God there are a
(06:59):
lot of startup people inTopanga who know how to get
stuff done quickly.
So people have really risen tothe occasion.
The community's come togethersuper strong.
I don't know what the exactfigure is, but it feels like 90%
of Topanga has been saved, morethan any other area that's been
affected by the Palisades fire.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's positive.
I was waiting for 90% ofsomething super negative, so
that's, that's a good rapport.
Yeah, and I feel like uh, ohsorry, Go ahead.
No, no, no, you go.
None of that you go.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I insist.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I just feel like when , um, these things happen, it's
like people that aren't boots onthe ground, like all we hear is
what we see in the news andsocial media.
So I mean, like you're actuallyboots on the ground in it, Is
there like anything you canreport?
It's like real time you know,like that maybe people don't
(08:06):
know that's actually going on orthat we need.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I mean, I'll tell you a little story.
So when the fire broke out, soBravo 69 is the fire department,
the fire station in Topanga,and they were diverted out of
the canyon to help the Palisades.
So when the fire startedripping through Topanga, we
didn't have any fire presencewhatsoever, none.
(08:34):
And so what we started doing iswe had people spotting fires
and we were calling in 911s likecrazy and eventually they got
inundated with so many callsthat they had no choice but to
send in air support.
(08:55):
And then we realized, generally, within 10, 12 minutes of
calling a home in that was underfire, we would have like a
10,000 gallon drop on the home.
And we realized, okay, cool,now we have a direct line.
No, we've got a direct line tothe fire chief, direct line to
the sheriff.
Really started getting stuffdone.
(09:15):
There are looters.
You know, there have beencitizens arrests made.
There are looters.
There have been citizens'arrests made.
There are looters.
We've got a chat where it'sunbelievably organized, where
we've got sometimes videos,photos, addresses where they
were seen, descriptions, peopleare researching distinctive
(09:37):
clothes, where the clothes aresold, um, just really getting to
it.
Uh, the national guard has comein and I saw like it looks like
an urban assault vehicle.
I don't even know what it was.
It looks like it's out of a youknow terminator movie, um, and
you've got, you know, no one'sbeing let in on on the?
(09:57):
Uh, at the cross, at theborders, the whatever those are
called checkpoints, um, butpeople are hiking into the
canyon with e-bikes andbackpacks.
And so we've got yeah, we'vegot like a citizens patrol.
You know doing all the thingsturning off propanes, taking the
(10:20):
propane tanks out of the fire,putting hoses into the pools and
pumps.
We had a list of like 100 homeswith pools.
So the fire department, whenthe hydrants were running dry,
they could pump water out of apool and fight the fire.
That way it's all hands on deck, people sleeping in their cars.
(10:40):
So they're, they can volunteer,you know, all year round air.
One donated air.
One is the most bougie, uh, youknow grocery store you can
imagine they've got like 20 likemushroom lattes.
They delivered hundreds ofmeals.
We had restaurants deliverhundreds of meals.
It's been unbelievable, theoutpouring of support, like
(11:05):
tremendous.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
That's so great and not to turn from something
positive to a negative.
But I do want to get your takeon this.
I saw I don't know if you sawit, michelle from the California
Association of Realtors aboutpeople price gouging and just
upping rents so astronomicallyin this time of crisis and it
(11:27):
just broke my heart.
I mean, I believe in a freeeconomy, don't get me wrong, but
that's insane.
Like how awful that's.
What's your thought on that?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Um, my understanding of the law is that.
First off, I think pricegouging in a crisis is unethical
.
Yeah, you know, I think thepenal code says you can't raise
the list price more than 10% ifit was listed prior to the
emergency.
What I am seeing, though, isnew listings hit the market that
(12:01):
are really high, and demand isso high they're trading like
crazy.
I made an offer for a clientFriday at 3.2 on the Venice
canals.
We thought we were about toopen escrow.
On Sunday, lo and behold,another buyer came in all cash
quarter million dollars more,and this is a property that's
(12:24):
been on the market for fourmonths.
I'm seeing, I'm seeing peopleare wary.
The price gouging thing is veryit's a topic of conversation.
Very it's a topic ofconversation.
(12:45):
So, you know, most people seemto comply with it, but once
bidding wars start on rentalsand they're happening it's
whatever the market demands.
So they might not list it at.
You know they might list it as10 more, but it might trade for
40 more because the demand yeahso it'll be interesting to see
what happens.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I listened to another podcast called All In and they
were talking about specifically,with the Palisades and some of
these coastal homes that are,and Malibu, I think, the coastal
homes that are gone Will theybe able to rebuild, because I
think there's a cap on whatinsurance will pay you back.
Build, because I think there'sa cap on what insurance will pay
(13:22):
you back.
So let's, I think they'rematching, you know, 3 million or
somewhere along that lines,where some of these homes were
20 million.
And then you have all of theenvironmental regulations to
contend with and it's a.
We're kind of wondering whatwill happen.
Do you have any idea?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
I know it's all fresh and new and we're all going to
have to just see, but there's alot of displaced people that are
going to have to do somethingand I'm just wondering what you
think will happen expedite firerebuild permits so that people
(14:05):
aren't waiting a year, two yearsto get ready to issue permits
Like, let's expedite that, let'smake sure people can start
rebuilding or at least haveapproved permits ready to issue
in the next three to six months.
That sounds probablyunrealistic, but I think it's
going to be a gold rush forcontractors and builders, that's
for sure.
I think that there are going tobe large equity groups like
(14:29):
BlackRock who will see a lot ofopportunities, smell blood in
the water and start swooping up.
I bet you Thomas James Homes,which is the biggest builder in
LA.
They're going to buy everythingthey can in the Palisades and
build spec homes whichunfortunately will drive prices
up for consumers.
A lot of the owners in thePalisades bought in the 80s and
(14:53):
90s when prices were normal.
They're priced out.
They can't rebuild.
You know rebuild costs.
Let's say it's 1,000 a squarefoot.
Let's say it's a 3,500 squarefoot home.
It's 3.5.
California Fair Plan goes up to3 million.
Now a lot of people over thelast six months their difference
(15:13):
in conditions insurance aboveCalifornia Fair Plan was
canceled and so they'reunderinsured.
So you've got someone, let'ssay, who bought a home for half
a million dollars.
Now that home's worth, let'ssay, five, and they're insured
up to three, well, they don'thave the money to build.
Maybe you know if they get.
(15:36):
Here's the other thing to know.
So we don't know which way thisis going to go, but I'm told
from people.
I'm told from a friend who gotthe largest settlement for a
fire case in LA County history,for the Woolsey fire that LEDWP
(15:57):
might have some liability due tosome negligence.
I don't know, this is what I'mhearing.
I'm not spreading a rumor.
I don't know if this is true ornot, but it comes from an
expert source.
If that is the case, beyondwhatever the insurance policies
these people have even whetheror not they have insurance there
might be some very significantum lawsuits and claims made um
(16:24):
for emotional distress, contents, rebuild, costs, all of these
things displacement, um, and ifthat's the case, there are going
to be probably billions ofdollars in settlements.
In the meantime, you have closeto 20,000 families who've lost
(16:47):
their home.
Where do they live?
There's a shortage of housing.
This is driving demand throughthe roof for rentals.
I think people will be.
Some people will flee la,whether it's temporary or
permanent.
That's going to happen um.
I've got clients who have moneyon the sidelines, they're going
to swoop in and start makingoffers.
(17:09):
Um, you know, there'sopportunity.
When people get scared, there'salways opportunity.
I think certain sellers whowere underinsured might have to
sell in a fire sale.
There's a reason it's called afire sale.
Um, I think none of us have acrystal ball.
Who knows exactly how this isgoing to play out, I think I
(17:31):
think the rebuild will probablytake around five years.
We're rebuilding swaths of acity.
This is not entire communities.
I mean, they just openedEquinox Pacific Palisades, which
was open for two weeks.
For two weeks it became thecommunity hub of the Palisades.
Now there are very few homes inthe Palisades, so I don't know
(17:55):
Of the Palisades.
Now there are very few homes inthe Palisades, so I don't know.
It's going to take a long time.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
And let's not like forget to like touch on, like
the mental health of all thesepeople.
I mean like I mean you'rejoining us and I'm like, are you
okay?
I mean you seem like you'redoing all right, but we've been
through this not at thismagnitude, and it's we have had.
You know, living in outsideYosemite, we have fires every
(18:26):
single summer.
Our children do their littlefire baths at the beginning of
summer to be ready forevacuations, because we've been
evacuated multiple times overthe years and we had one fire
two years was it two or threeyears ago now where we lost 130
homes, which was a lot for avery small rural community.
(18:48):
So we can relate to a smallerdegree, way smaller, yeah so,
but just there's trauma, there'sso much trauma in that and it's
now.
I mean, the magnitude of thisis just hard to believe actually
yeah, it's, it's unfathomable.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I mean it's incomprehensible, it's
devastating, it's just wow.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Well, I mean, is there anything that we can do to
help?
It's like the natural responseof like what can we do to even
partner and like I mean we cantalk about this like offline,
but why our listeners might wantto help.
Yeah, we have like homes uphere.
I know it's far, but we haveproperty and you know it's a
(19:37):
drive.
But we could, we could, I don'tknow.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, um yeah, if you were closer I'd say that's.
That's probably realistic.
Um, I mean, the good news isthat while it's only about 19%
contained, it's calmed down alot.
Topanga will probably be letback and repopulated this
weekend.
Knock on wood, there are aseries of.
(20:05):
I can, after this, send over aGoFundMe for the listeners.
Yeah, for the LA FireDepartment.
Our fire department is not thatwell funded, unfortunately.
Um, so in Topanga, we'reliterally sending donations to
the fire department.
Um, which is a shame.
(20:26):
Um, yeah, I mean, uh, you know,and then there, thankfully,
there are a lot of resources.
You know FEMA has some.
I mean, there's a lot ofresources that are coming to
light, which is great, but thisrebuild is going to be extra.
I mean, wells Fargo is sayingpotentially in excess of $130
(20:47):
billion.
So who's going to pay for that?
We all are in one way oranother.
I don't know how exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Well, with all the policies that are fair plan, I
mean, it will have to come fromsomewhere, from the taxpayers
most likely.
Exactly, it's the reality of it.
Well, adam, thank you so muchfor joining us today.
I mean, it's like we didn'treally talk about your business,
but I feel like your businessis kind of out of stand still at
the moment no, it's actually ina well, last week I had two
(21:23):
deals in topanga which you knowdidn't happen because of the
fires.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I mean, basically everything kind of fell apart
last week, yeah, and this weekit looks like people are you
know, certain people are readyto start buying or selling.
I've got a massive $50 millionlisting that I'm getting ready
to put on the market and theowner wants to push up the list
(21:52):
date now because of the demand.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
I was going to ask about that one too, because I
was like you told me about thatone.
I was like I don't know if Ishould bring that up.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I can talk about it.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah, let's talk about it.
I want to hear about a $50million listing coming up.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Me too.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Me too.
It is a sprawling, uh,andalusian style, um
architectural estate, umjetliner views, on 3.6 acres
there is so it's 21,000 squarefeet, uh, nine bedrooms, 18
bathrooms.
There's a full, massive theater.
Every possible amenity you canimagine, amenities that you can
imagine.
There's a shark tank, not one,but two, inside this home.
(22:48):
There's a grotto with twowaterfalls.
There's a 30-foot water slide.
There's a 70-foot lazy riverthat flows into the pool.
The views are absolute jetlinerviews.
Just does not get any betterthan this.
It's a spectacular, spectacularresidence, extremely, extremely
(23:10):
rare, and it's got undergroundparking for about 20, another
motor court for like another 12to 15.
It's absolutely massive.
It's grand in every way oh mygoodness, so dreamy.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I can't wait to see anybody told me that I was like
how'd you get a $50 millionlistening Nothing?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Let's know some good people.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
See, we're going to have you back on how to break
into that market, because that'sanother amazing conversation.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Well, he told me.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I got it.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, one of my closest friends is a close
confidant to the seller and,yeah, I was recommended.
You know it was a competitivesituation, but I was highly
recommended and I put togetheruh, there was an initial listing
.
Meeting went very well, about90 minutes, uh.
(24:08):
And then I put together aspecific um marketing plan, pr
strategy, and I basically toldthe owner I don't just want to
list your home, I want to treatthis as a product launch and so
I want to create a brand aroundthis property branded assets,
(24:29):
logo, the whole thing.
There's a very prominentarchitect involved and let's go
to town on this and let's hitthe trades in the right way.
Let's market this veryspecifically.
Ultra high net worth these arethe buyer archetypes that I see
for this type of property.
This is how I think we reachthose buyers and I'm willing to
(24:55):
put my full might behind it andI'm very excited and it'll be my
top priority and it worked.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Wow, I mean as a $50 million listing, that's so much
worth prioritizing.
Okay, so we got to get.
We need to tell our listenerswhere they can follow you so
they can like see this listinggo why yes, uh, socials
instagram at adam browera-d-a-m-b-r-a-w-e-r.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Um.
Wwwadambrowerestatescom.
Uh.
T A T E Scom.
Uh, you can find me on LinkedIn.
I actually don't, I think it'sjust Adam Brower.
Um, those are the best placesI'd say.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Okay, Great.
So follow Adam and we'll getthe links for um.
You know, go fund me orwhatever else you want.
Send it to us and we'll makesure our editor includes it, and
we'll be sure to include thaton when we push this out.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Sounds great.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Yeah, adam, thank you for coming, and our hearts and
our prayers go down to you, yourwhole community, and I hope
keep saying good thoughts yourway, that you'll get back in
this weekend, and if there'sanything else you think of that
we can do, just let us know.
And I hope keep saying good,good thoughts your way, that
you'll get back in this weekend,and if there's anything else
you think of that we can do,just let us know.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
I definitely will.
Thanks so much for the time and, yeah, be safe out there.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
You too you.
I just feel like I don't.
I'm not good at doing my hair.
I hate doing my hair.
What should you just magicallybe good?
I guess that would be a wig.
I could be Dolly Parton.
(00:23):
Welcome back to the NOW PodcastMaking Moves in Real Estate.
Today, we're diving into thehigh-stakes, star-studded world
of Los Angeles luxury realestate with a guest who brings
Hollywood flair to every deal.
Meet Adam Brower.
A powerhouse in LA residentialmarket and a true authority on
turning homes into show-stoppingstories, adam's journey is
(00:46):
nothing short of extraordinary.
Born and raised in New YorkCity, he made the leap to LA in
2004 to pursue a dream inentertainment.
From working at the prestigiousWilliam Morris Talent Agency to
producing hit shows likeAmerica's Got Talent and
co-founding Sentinel Pictures,adam knows what it takes to turn
(01:10):
big dreams into reality.
But when Hollywood's twists andturns led to an existential
gosh, I'm having a hard timespeaking today.
Crossroads.
Adam found his true calling inreal estate.
With a producer's eye fordetail and a knack for
storytelling, adam found histrue calling in real estate.
With a producer's eye fordetail and a knack for
storytelling, adam quicklybecame one of LA's most
sought-after luxury realtors,closing 18 deals in his first
(01:34):
year alone.
Today, he combines hisentertainment background with a
meticulous, client-firstapproach to selling high-profile
properties which I learnedabout one on our last call with
style, speed and record breakingresults.
So anyway, let's dive intoAdam's story.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you so much for having me and thanks for such
an extraordinary introduction.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Gosh, I butchered it, I'm so my apologies.
Like I'm hard, you've crushedit.
Thank you, apologies, like I'mhard, you've lost it, thank you
I do have one note.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So I used to work at the production company that
produces america's got talent.
I didn't personally produce it,just to clarify.
But yeah, america's got talent,american idol, all that stuff,
and I'm very happy to not be inthat business and to be in real
estate.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, Quite a difference to go from that to
real estate.
I would imagine that's quite aleap big leap, big pivot.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Very, very similar skillset Virtually I would say
virtually the same skillsetproducing film or television
versus, you know, representingbuyers and sellers.
The actual work is different,but the talent needed to succeed
is the same.
You know, as we know, in realestate we wear a lot of hats.
(02:56):
Sometimes you're a salesperson,sometimes you're a marketer,
sometimes you're a therapist Infilm or TV, you're often a
therapist to actors who mightnot be stable.
You are a pitch artist, I wouldsay.
You are a marketing expert.
You're a crisis solver.
(03:17):
As a producer, you'reconstantly solving big issues.
As a realtor, you're alsosolving issues, big and small,
and so any producers out therewho are looking to make a pivot,
I highly suggest real estate.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So interesting.
So you know, I met Adam a weekago, met Adam a week ago and,
like learned all about his greatstory and had an amazing
meeting with him and less than24 hours one of like the largest
(04:00):
tragedies in our state brokeoff.
So we felt like it was a littletimely not to take away from
your story but certainly want tobe mindful of what you and your
community you're going throughin Southern California.
What has it been like the lastsix days?
All the fires.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
If I'm being honest and I don't know, if we do a
little editing and post, it'sbeen back crazy.
There have been full spectrumof emotions.
I've had so many clients whohave lost their homes.
Courtney, I think I was tellingyou about my $25 million Malibu
(04:35):
listing that burned to ashes.
I'm completely vaporized.
I have another client who losttheir place in the Palisades.
On the same day they lost theirweekend home on the PCH in
Malibu.
I have many, many friends whohave lost homes, from small
homes to massive estates.
(04:57):
They're displaced.
You know, I have a friend whowent from like a 4,500 square
foot beautiful home in thePalisades and now he's renting
an 800 square foot two bedroomwith two kids because that's all
that was available.
It's a very challenging timeEvacuations, just uncertainty,
(05:21):
it's really crazy.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And you're evacuated as we speak, as we're recording
this currently evacuated.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So I, on tuesday, I left my office.
I realized, okay, this isactually a pretty tuesday early
afternoon, it's going to be abig issue, normally 20 minutes
door to door home to office.
It took me an hour and 45minutes to get back because of,
you know, they blocked off pchand I called a friend on the way
(05:50):
, a friend who's also in topanga.
We talked for a while.
I mentioned the fire.
I said you know, how are youfeeling about this?
He said you know I'm about.
I'm about concerned enough thatI think I'm about to take a nap
.
Yeah, that friend is the onewho stayed back with his wife to
(06:11):
beat the fire and didn't go tosleep for a couple days.
It's been extremely chaotic.
I mean, topanga has bandedtogether in a way I have never
experienced.
We have volunteer fire brigades, fire spotters, 911 callers,
arson and looter watch.
They call it like the Topangasages, people who are taking
(06:36):
care of the senior citizencommunity in Topanga, delivering
Starlinks to fire.
We're asking the firedepartment what do you need?
They need fuel for generators,they need Starlinks to fire.
You know we're asking the firedepartment what do you need?
You know they need fuel forgenerators, they need Starlinks.
They need Zin nicotine gumbecause they're up for like 40
hours straight.
You know coffee like.
You know assembling like smallarmies and thank God there are a
(06:59):
lot of startup people inTopanga who know how to get
stuff done quickly.
So people have really risen tothe occasion.
The community's come togethersuper strong.
I don't know what the exactfigure is, but it feels like 90%
of Topanga has been saved, morethan any other area that's been
affected by the Palisades fire.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's positive.
I was waiting for 90% ofsomething super negative, so
that's, that's a good rapport.
Yeah, and I feel like uh, ohsorry, Go ahead.
No, no, no, you go.
None of that you go.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I insist.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I just feel like when , um, these things happen, it's
like people that aren't boots onthe ground, like all we hear is
what we see in the news andsocial media.
So I mean, like you're actuallyboots on the ground in it, Is
there like anything you canreport?
It's like real time you know,like that maybe people don't
(08:06):
know that's actually going on orthat we need.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I mean, I'll tell you a little story.
So when the fire broke out, soBravo 69 is the fire department,
the fire station in Topanga,and they were diverted out of
the canyon to help the Palisades.
So when the fire startedripping through Topanga, we
didn't have any fire presencewhatsoever, none.
(08:34):
And so what we started doing iswe had people spotting fires
and we were calling in 911s likecrazy and eventually they got
inundated with so many callsthat they had no choice but to
send in air support.
(08:55):
And then we realized, generally, within 10, 12 minutes of
calling a home in that was underfire, we would have like a
10,000 gallon drop on the home.
And we realized, okay, cool,now we have a direct line.
No, we've got a direct line tothe fire chief, direct line to
the sheriff.
Really started getting stuffdone.
(09:15):
There are looters.
You know, there have beencitizens arrests made.
There are looters.
There have been citizens'arrests made.
There are looters.
We've got a chat where it'sunbelievably organized, where
we've got sometimes videos,photos, addresses where they
were seen, descriptions, peopleare researching distinctive
(09:37):
clothes, where the clothes aresold, um, just really getting to
it.
Uh, the national guard has comein and I saw like it looks like
an urban assault vehicle.
I don't even know what it was.
It looks like it's out of a youknow terminator movie, um, and
you've got, you know, no one'sbeing let in on on the?
(09:57):
Uh, at the cross, at theborders, the whatever those are
called checkpoints, um, butpeople are hiking into the
canyon with e-bikes andbackpacks.
And so we've got yeah, we'vegot like a citizens patrol.
You know doing all the thingsturning off propanes, taking the
(10:20):
propane tanks out of the fire,putting hoses into the pools and
pumps.
We had a list of like 100 homeswith pools.
So the fire department, whenthe hydrants were running dry,
they could pump water out of apool and fight the fire.
That way it's all hands on deck, people sleeping in their cars.
(10:40):
So they're, they can volunteer,you know, all year round air.
One donated air.
One is the most bougie, uh, youknow grocery store you can
imagine they've got like 20 likemushroom lattes.
They delivered hundreds ofmeals.
We had restaurants deliverhundreds of meals.
It's been unbelievable, theoutpouring of support, like
(11:05):
tremendous.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
That's so great and not to turn from something
positive to a negative.
But I do want to get your takeon this.
I saw I don't know if you sawit, michelle from the California
Association of Realtors aboutpeople price gouging and just
upping rents so astronomicallyin this time of crisis and it
(11:27):
just broke my heart.
I mean, I believe in a freeeconomy, don't get me wrong, but
that's insane.
Like how awful that's.
What's your thought on that?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Um, my understanding of the law is that.
First off, I think pricegouging in a crisis is unethical
.
Yeah, you know, I think thepenal code says you can't raise
the list price more than 10% ifit was listed prior to the
emergency.
What I am seeing, though, isnew listings hit the market that
(12:01):
are really high, and demand isso high they're trading like
crazy.
I made an offer for a clientFriday at 3.2 on the Venice
canals.
We thought we were about toopen escrow.
On Sunday, lo and behold,another buyer came in all cash
quarter million dollars more,and this is a property that's
(12:24):
been on the market for fourmonths.
I'm seeing, I'm seeing peopleare wary.
The price gouging thing is veryit's a topic of conversation.
Very it's a topic ofconversation.
(12:45):
So, you know, most people seemto comply with it, but once
bidding wars start on rentalsand they're happening it's
whatever the market demands.
So they might not list it at.
You know they might list it as10 more, but it might trade for
40 more because the demand yeahso it'll be interesting to see
what happens.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I listened to another podcast called All In and they
were talking about specifically,with the Palisades and some of
these coastal homes that are,and Malibu, I think, the coastal
homes that are gone Will theybe able to rebuild, because I
think there's a cap on whatinsurance will pay you back.
Build, because I think there'sa cap on what insurance will pay
(13:22):
you back.
So let's, I think they'rematching, you know, 3 million or
somewhere along that lines,where some of these homes were
20 million.
And then you have all of theenvironmental regulations to
contend with and it's a.
We're kind of wondering whatwill happen.
Do you have any idea?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
I know it's all fresh and new and we're all going to
have to just see, but there's alot of displaced people that are
going to have to do somethingand I'm just wondering what you
think will happen expedite firerebuild permits so that people
(14:05):
aren't waiting a year, two yearsto get ready to issue permits
Like, let's expedite that, let'smake sure people can start
rebuilding or at least haveapproved permits ready to issue
in the next three to six months.
That sounds probablyunrealistic, but I think it's
going to be a gold rush forcontractors and builders, that's
for sure.
I think that there are going tobe large equity groups like
(14:29):
BlackRock who will see a lot ofopportunities, smell blood in
the water and start swooping up.
I bet you Thomas James Homes,which is the biggest builder in
LA.
They're going to buy everythingthey can in the Palisades and
build spec homes whichunfortunately will drive prices
up for consumers.
A lot of the owners in thePalisades bought in the 80s and
(14:53):
90s when prices were normal.
They're priced out.
They can't rebuild.
You know rebuild costs.
Let's say it's 1,000 a squarefoot.
Let's say it's a 3,500 squarefoot home.
It's 3.5.
California Fair Plan goes up to3 million.
Now a lot of people over thelast six months their difference
(15:13):
in conditions insurance aboveCalifornia Fair Plan was
canceled and so they'reunderinsured.
So you've got someone, let'ssay, who bought a home for half
a million dollars.
Now that home's worth, let'ssay, five, and they're insured
up to three, well, they don'thave the money to build.
Maybe you know if they get.
(15:36):
Here's the other thing to know.
So we don't know which way thisis going to go, but I'm told
from people.
I'm told from a friend who gotthe largest settlement for a
fire case in LA County history,for the Woolsey fire that LEDWP
(15:57):
might have some liability due tosome negligence.
I don't know, this is what I'mhearing.
I'm not spreading a rumor.
I don't know if this is true ornot, but it comes from an
expert source.
If that is the case, beyondwhatever the insurance policies
these people have even whetheror not they have insurance there
might be some very significantum lawsuits and claims made um
(16:24):
for emotional distress, contents, rebuild, costs, all of these
things displacement, um, and ifthat's the case, there are going
to be probably billions ofdollars in settlements.
In the meantime, you have closeto 20,000 families who've lost
(16:47):
their home.
Where do they live?
There's a shortage of housing.
This is driving demand throughthe roof for rentals.
I think people will be.
Some people will flee la,whether it's temporary or
permanent.
That's going to happen um.
I've got clients who have moneyon the sidelines, they're going
to swoop in and start makingoffers.
(17:09):
Um, you know, there'sopportunity.
When people get scared, there'salways opportunity.
I think certain sellers whowere underinsured might have to
sell in a fire sale.
There's a reason it's called afire sale.
Um, I think none of us have acrystal ball.
Who knows exactly how this isgoing to play out, I think I
(17:31):
think the rebuild will probablytake around five years.
We're rebuilding swaths of acity.
This is not entire communities.
I mean, they just openedEquinox Pacific Palisades, which
was open for two weeks.
For two weeks it became thecommunity hub of the Palisades.
Now there are very few homes inthe Palisades, so I don't know
(17:55):
Of the Palisades.
Now there are very few homes inthe Palisades, so I don't know.
It's going to take a long time.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
And let's not like forget to like touch on, like
the mental health of all thesepeople.
I mean like I mean you'rejoining us and I'm like, are you
okay?
I mean you seem like you'redoing all right, but we've been
through this not at thismagnitude, and it's we have had.
You know, living in outsideYosemite, we have fires every
(18:26):
single summer.
Our children do their littlefire baths at the beginning of
summer to be ready forevacuations, because we've been
evacuated multiple times overthe years and we had one fire
two years was it two or threeyears ago now where we lost 130
homes, which was a lot for avery small rural community.
(18:48):
So we can relate to a smallerdegree, way smaller, yeah so,
but just there's trauma, there'sso much trauma in that and it's
now.
I mean, the magnitude of thisis just hard to believe actually
yeah, it's, it's unfathomable.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I mean it's incomprehensible, it's
devastating, it's just wow.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Well, I mean, is there anything that we can do to
help?
It's like the natural responseof like what can we do to even
partner and like I mean we cantalk about this like offline,
but why our listeners might wantto help.
Yeah, we have like homes uphere.
I know it's far, but we haveproperty and you know it's a
(19:37):
drive.
But we could, we could, I don'tknow.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, um yeah, if you were closer I'd say that's.
That's probably realistic.
Um, I mean, the good news isthat while it's only about 19%
contained, it's calmed down alot.
Topanga will probably be letback and repopulated this
weekend.
Knock on wood, there are aseries of.
(20:05):
I can, after this, send over aGoFundMe for the listeners.
Yeah, for the LA FireDepartment.
Our fire department is not thatwell funded, unfortunately.
Um, so in Topanga, we'reliterally sending donations to
the fire department.
Um, which is a shame.
(20:26):
Um, yeah, I mean, uh, you know,and then there, thankfully,
there are a lot of resources.
You know FEMA has some.
I mean, there's a lot ofresources that are coming to
light, which is great, but thisrebuild is going to be extra.
I mean, wells Fargo is sayingpotentially in excess of $130
(20:47):
billion.
So who's going to pay for that?
We all are in one way oranother.
I don't know how exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Well, with all the policies that are fair plan, I
mean, it will have to come fromsomewhere, from the taxpayers
most likely.
Exactly, it's the reality of it.
Well, adam, thank you so muchfor joining us today.
I mean, it's like we didn'treally talk about your business,
but I feel like your businessis kind of out of stand still at
the moment no, it's actually ina well, last week I had two
(21:23):
deals in topanga which you knowdidn't happen because of the
fires.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I mean, basically everything kind of fell apart
last week, yeah, and this weekit looks like people are you
know, certain people are readyto start buying or selling.
I've got a massive $50 millionlisting that I'm getting ready
to put on the market and theowner wants to push up the list
(21:52):
date now because of the demand.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
I was going to ask about that one too, because I
was like you told me about thatone.
I was like I don't know if Ishould bring that up.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
I can talk about it.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah, let's talk about it.
I want to hear about a $50million listing coming up.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Me too.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Me too.
It is a sprawling, uh,andalusian style, um
architectural estate, umjetliner views, on 3.6 acres
there is so it's 21,000 squarefeet, uh, nine bedrooms, 18
bathrooms.
There's a full, massive theater.
Every possible amenity you canimagine, amenities that you can
imagine.
There's a shark tank, not one,but two, inside this home.
(22:48):
There's a grotto with twowaterfalls.
There's a 30-foot water slide.
There's a 70-foot lazy riverthat flows into the pool.
The views are absolute jetlinerviews.
Just does not get any betterthan this.
It's a spectacular, spectacularresidence, extremely, extremely
(23:10):
rare, and it's got undergroundparking for about 20, another
motor court for like another 12to 15.
It's absolutely massive.
It's grand in every way oh mygoodness, so dreamy.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I can't wait to see anybody told me that I was like
how'd you get a $50 millionlistening Nothing?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Let's know some good people.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
See, we're going to have you back on how to break
into that market, because that'sanother amazing conversation.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Well, he told me.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I got it.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, one of my closest friends is a close
confidant to the seller and,yeah, I was recommended.
You know it was a competitivesituation, but I was highly
recommended and I put togetheruh, there was an initial listing
.
Meeting went very well, about90 minutes, uh.
(24:08):
And then I put together aspecific um marketing plan, pr
strategy, and I basically toldthe owner I don't just want to
list your home, I want to treatthis as a product launch and so
I want to create a brand aroundthis property branded assets,
(24:29):
logo, the whole thing.
There's a very prominentarchitect involved and let's go
to town on this and let's hitthe trades in the right way.
Let's market this veryspecifically.
Ultra high net worth these arethe buyer archetypes that I see
for this type of property.
This is how I think we reachthose buyers and I'm willing to
(24:55):
put my full might behind it andI'm very excited and it'll be my
top priority and it worked.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Wow, I mean as a $50 million listing, that's so much
worth prioritizing.
Okay, so we got to get.
We need to tell our listenerswhere they can follow you so
they can like see this listinggo why yes, uh, socials
instagram at adam browera-d-a-m-b-r-a-w-e-r.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Um.
Wwwadambrowerestatescom.
Uh.
T A T E Scom.
Uh, you can find me on LinkedIn.
I actually don't, I think it'sjust Adam Brower.
Um, those are the best placesI'd say.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Okay, Great.
So follow Adam and we'll getthe links for um.
You know, go fund me orwhatever else you want.
Send it to us and we'll makesure our editor includes it, and
we'll be sure to include thaton when we push this out.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Sounds great.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Yeah, adam, thank you for coming, and our hearts and
our prayers go down to you, yourwhole community, and I hope
keep saying good thoughts yourway, that you'll get back in
this weekend, and if there'sanything else you think of that
we can do, just let us know.
And I hope keep saying good,good thoughts your way, that
you'll get back in this weekend,and if there's anything else
you think of that we can do,just let us know.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
I definitely will.
Thanks so much for the time and, yeah, be safe out there.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
You too you.
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