In wildfire-choked California, clean air is now a luxury that can sell a house.
Over the last few years, a niche audience of homebuyers and homeowners have eyed top-tier air filtration systems as an added amenity. Now, massive fires raging across the state and the continued threat of Covid-19 have boosted interest in such systems, making them a near necessity in the luxury market, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Compass agent Carl Gambino said high-quality air filtration systems helped close deals on two pricey properties recently, totaling $37.6 million. “Suddenly it’s a topic of conversation,” he told the Times.
Now that homeowners are spending more time inside, he said, “the thinking is, if they’re locked in and there’s a chance of fires or smoke”, they want filtration systems.
“I think at this point now, you will not find one person in the developed world that doesn’t have some awareness of indoor air quality and the risks and challenges there, particularly with this global pandemic,” said Paul Scialla, CEO of L.A.-based air purification company Delos.
The systems can be very costly and can require more work than replacing an HVAC system, for instance. San Francisco Bay Area-based development firm Troon Pacific installs state-of-the filtration systems into the homes it redevelops.
The ventilation system for a 12,000-square-foot home built by Troon Pacific cost $200,000, according to the Times. The company seals the house and its foundation to prevent potentially harmful gases from rising up from the earth. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch