Dear Pacific Palisades REALgratitude™ Community,

I’ve been absolutely heartbroken watching the devastation unfold in your beautiful neighborhood. The destruction caused by these fires is unimaginable, and my heart aches for the loss of the homes that give your community its unique charm. Each home in the Palisades has its own personality, its own story, and thinking of them being gone feels deeply personal. I can’t even begin to imagine how all of you must feel in this moment.

Over the years of working in Palisades, I have grown a great love and appreciation for these homes - the architecture and the variation of each home - but even more so than for the homes, my love and appreciation has grown for the people in them, You. 

Even though I’ve been working primarily in Arizona over the past two years, the Palisades will always hold a special place in my heart. I owe so much to you and your neighborhoods for shaping the path I’m on today.

Let me share a bit of backstory to explain why.

During the pandemic, I was just starting out as a freshly licensed real estate agent. At the time, I’d created a Facebook group in Glendale to help my neighbors connect during those isolating days. As the group grew, people began reaching out to me for real estate advice, sparking an idea: What if real estate transactions could do more than just sell homes? What if they could build community?

At the time, I was at a brokerage that saw my acts of service—like running errands for high-risk neighbors—as a liability. Then a broker in Pacific Palisades reached out to me, and after speaking with her, I visited the area for the first time. I was blown away—not necessarily by the brokerage, but by the Palisades itself. The beauty, the energy, and the kindness of the people inspired me. Even though it was a 45-minute drive from Glendale, I knew I wanted to build a foundation with all of you.

I needed a way to introduce myself, so I organized a clothing drive. I couldn’t door-knock yet, so I spent what little money I had on hundreds of postcards and stamps, mapped out streets, and hand-wrote the date I’d be driving by to pick up donations with no contact needed. That first drive, without even knocking on a single door, we collected thousands of dollars worth of clothing for the Santa Monica Mental Health Center.

From there, we grew. The next thing we collected together was halloween costumes and candy for children experiencing homelessness. Dental supplies were even donated by local dentists. That Christmas, we collected hundreds of dollars worth of presents for children whose families were unable to provide them at the time. All of this was possible because of the incredible generosity and kindness of the Palisades community.

You and your support was the foundation of REALgratitude™, proving to me that real estate can be more than just inevitable transactions—it can be a force for good, creating a never-ending chain that uplifts the community. Even though Palisades, was never my official home - it was monumental in shaping me into the person I am today and it is still my dream that one day I get to join you as an official neighbor. 

Now, as you face such immense challenges, I want to thank you again for all you’ve done for me and your community. In return, I'd like to offer my support. If you’ve created a GoFundMe or are passionate about any local initiatives that need support, please send them my way. I’d be honored to share them on my social media accounts and in an upcoming email to the rest of the REALgratitude™ tribe that you helped create. 

In addition, in an effort to make things a bit simpler for you, I have created a blog post with information from lawyer Ted Nguyen on what to keep in mind as you are moving forward with insurance claims. I hope that it offers some value and clarity to your situation.

I’m sending you all love and light during this difficult time. If there’s anything I can do to be of service, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

With deepest gratitude,

Barkley Romero