This week we have all watched in horror as thousands of homes have been lost in the recent California Wild Fires.
While the wild fires are almost an annual event now do in part to mismanagement of public and private lands as well as urban sprawl, this year was especially devastating with over 1 Million residents evacuating thus far.
Why does a Columbia Missouri real estate Agent pay so much attention to a natural disaster in California you ask? Simple economics for us in Mid-Missouri is the short answer. In my almost 20 years of involvement in the Missouri real estate market I have noted a substantial surge of California property buyers after every major natural disaster and I predict this one will be no different.
Why do California residents choose Missouri? That answer is simple as well. California property owners are some of the savviest home buyers in the nation. They generally do their home work when faced with relocation. Missouri offers more bang for their buck than most competing states and their dollar has considerably more buying power than it did in California. Once a California home owner cashes out they are surprised at just how far their proceeds will go. Funds from the sale or insurance settlement for a modest 2 bedroom ranch style home on 5 acres in southern California can be converted to a ranch consisting of 200-300 acres with a 4+ bedroom modern home with all of the necessary outbuildings. This is an example but I have seen it happen time and time again.
Another major reason that California property owners relocate to Missouri is for the same reason they are in Southern California to begin with. They tend to be lovers of nature. While Missouri does not have the desert landscape and terrain they are accustom to, our hardwoods, forests, pristine rivers and wildlife are enough to please any nature lover.
Southern Californian’s typically are horse lovers. There is an estimated 300,000+ horses in San Diego County alone. Missouri’s hardy pastures and rolling hillsides are well suited to horses, cattle or any other type of livestock.
And as for cattle, Missouri is second only to Texas for cattle production and even leads Texas as the number 1 state in the nation for cattle per acre.
According to one of our biggest referral partners Al Rosson of Cabrillo Mortgage & Realty Services, property owners have begun inquiries in to selling before the fires are even out. Al says that this is not unusual and that even home owners that did not suffer a loss often consider selling due to the fact they are simple tired of all the near misses.
When I asked Al about the future of real estate in San Diego he replied “With the natural beauty of San Diego and weather that is remarkably similar to the Canary Islands San Diego County will continue to have some of the most sought after property in the nation. While many residents will relocated soon after this fire, there are many more that are waiting to move in. We will recover and be stronger than ever. We always do”.
So while our hearts go out to all of the home owners in Southern California that have suffered a loss I can assure them there is a brighter road ahead….the road to Missouri.
~Rhonda McMillan
Broker