February 7, 2025

The Impacts of the LA Fires and Trump on San Diego Real Estate

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“We're already in this huge housing crisis, right? There's nothing to rent. There's nothing to buy. Now you just wipe out thousands of homes. People are going to leave LA.” -Beyond the Doors Co-Host Nathan Abbo.

Two events far from San Diego’s borders are expected to have an impact on our city and our region. The LA Fires obviously weren’t too far from home and while San Diego dodged a bullet as Santa Ana-wind fueled firestorms ravaged Los Angeles, we should definitely expect to see some changes in the San Diego real estate market as a result of the fires. 

Same goes for the election of Donald Trump. His presidency will influence local real estate in numerous ways. 

Who better to break this all down than two of San Diego’s leading land use, real estate and development experts, your Beyond the Doors co-hosts: Daniel Shkolnik, CEO of Atlas West Group, and Nathan Abbo of Coldwell Banker. 

Daniel is an entrepreneur, respected developer, affordable housing leader, and founder and CEO of Atlas West Group — a privately held full-service development and investment firm operating throughout San Diego County. Daniel’s firm is one of the region’s premier providers of urban-infill housing and specializes in transforming underutilized properties into vibrant multifamily communities. A licensed real estate broker and full-cycle developer, Daniel has more than a dozen years of experience in multifamily and commercial real estate, having completed more than $250 million in transactions throughout his career.

Named San Diego’s Best Real Estate Agent by the San Diego Union Tribune, Nathan brings his 20-plus years of experience to Beyond the Doors.

In this episode, Nathan starts by pointing out that the LA fires burned all the way to the ocean and along the way they destroyed 12,000 homes and businesses, meaning about 50,000 people lost their homes.

“We're already in this huge housing crisis, right? There's  nothing to rent. There's nothing to buy. Now you just wipe out thousands of homes. People are going to leave LA,” he said.

“What do you think this is going to do to Orange County and San Diego real estate and the region? Because, like you said, some will, some will just leave LA,” Daniel asked.

“Well, I think San Diego, for one thing, is affordable compared to where they're coming from. So I think they're going to come here and they're going to say, ‘Wow!’” Nate said.

On the new president, Daniel said: “Trump and real estate go hand in hand.”

Daniel believes Trump and his team will positively impact real estate markets across the country by lowering interest rates.

“Trump obviously can't just turn down the dial, but if you look at what's causing upward pressure on interest rates, it's inflation. It just is. And a big factor of inflation is government spending,” Daniel said. “So if you look at what his administration is doing – they're turning down government spending in a massive way.”

Tune into this episode of Beyond the Doors to learn more.

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