((PKG)) RELOCATING DURING COVID TIMES
((TRT: 10:56))
((Topic Banner: A Pandemic Move))
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martínez))
((Map: San Diego, California; Incline Village, Nevada))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 male; 5 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Popup Banner:
One in 20 U.S. adults moved in 2020, either temporarily or
permanently due to the pandemic.
*Pew Research))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
My name is Luke Derrin. I'm a financial professional. My
office is here, at home, because I'm working
remotely. COVID happened and we were like, all right,
everything is shutdown. We are going to homeschool. I'm
working from, in a common space in the condominium
common area, and I've been working here since COVID
started.
((NATS: Luke and Shayna))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Hey, Shayna.
((Shayna Yellon, Financial Professional, Luke’s
colleague))
Hey, Luke. How's it going?
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Good. It's hard to imagine, like, it seems so natural for us to
be on Zoom all the time now.
((Shayna Yellon, Financial Professional, Luke’s
colleague))
Right. I mean, it's like our new life, but...
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
I’m finding myself so much more productive because I've got
blinders on. There's none of this kind of hanging around the
water cooler, talking, talking. And I finish an appointment,
and I turn, and my kids are right there, and then back to my
work. It's not getting stuck in traffic.
((NATS))
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
Hey!
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Hey, what are you guys doing? You have some books?
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
In this one, I think the bear is going to Lake Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States.
It’s on the border of two states.
Where are we going to live? Right up here.
((NATS))
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
We're moving to Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, in Nevada.
We're moving out to have a different lifestyle, more nature,
simpler lifestyle. I can't wait to pick up and, you know, we
felt like those sort of dreams and goals were down the
track. They were like five years, 10 years’ time, we can
maybe go do something like that. But now, it's like, all right,
we can do that now. So, all we have to do is just pick this
thing up and plug it in somewhere else.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
What I won't miss is the traffic.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
You live in the city but then obviously COVID happened, and
I couldn't have access to all the things that I wanted to. I
can't go to the restaurant. I can't even go to the movies. It’s
a struggle to find a babysitter these days. So, I'm living in
the city for all these reasons, and I don't have access to it.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
So, this is our office here. I haven't been here since the
lockdown basically. All up and down you’ll see like, office
spaces for rent. Two signs there, one sign here. Every
block. Another sign there. This parking lot would always be
full.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Shaka, brah.
Yeah.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
When I’m at the beach, it’s the only time I start to question the
move because I'm like, “Oh, my God, this is so good.” I mean,
look at this. This is paradise. People would give the whole life to
be able to do what we are doing right now. Are we…..but then,
and then reality kicks in and you count how many times we've
been to the beach in the last month.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
I know, not that many.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Not that many.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
I don't know. I just feel in Tahoe, it's easy. The mountain is five
minutes away. The beach is five minutes away. The park is five
minutes away. The shops are five minutes away. I think for
where we are with kids, we want to do things together and we see
that as being a much more possibility if he's working from home
and we have, everything is closer proximity and a lot more simple.
((NATS))
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
Say, bye-bye sun.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Bye-bye sun. Bye-bye.
((NATS / MUSIC))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
This way, guys.
Let’s run. Come on.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
Good running.
((NATS))
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
This is it. I'm really excited, like it's weird when you have a vision
and a dream for so long, and then you see it and you're like,
“Okay, this is it.” And I think that's the blessing in COVID, is it's
allowed us to do this a lot faster than we thought.
Yeah, there's the Chickadees. You're right.
Every morning, we come down here after breakfast and go for a
little walk with the kids and…
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
It's a nice change in trying to cross the railway tracks and a busy,
busy highway and fight the traffic. And just the scene of seeing
my kids, like running down towards the lake, I just, I felt so
good. It felt so right.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Let's go over here.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
Show me the way.
((Jaden Derrin, Luke and Kristin’s son))
That way.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
No, no. We're going to go over to the water, Jaden.
((Jaden Derrin, Luke and Kristin’s son))
No.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
I don’t think we have to explain why he moved here though. I
mean, look at that. It's not just here that people are moving
to. It's like all these other locations and they're moving there for
the natural environment. They're not moving there because it's
got the best strip malls and the best restaurants and all that sort
of stuff.
((NATS / MUSIC))
((Whitney Sesma, Bartender at The Local))
A lot of people from the [San Francisco] Bay Area have been
coming in, living more full time, which is great for business. But
it's also, it's a different, I don't know like feeling, you know, like it's
not the same that it's always been.
((NATS))
((Keyla Heidenresch, College Student and Waitress))
Like people are seeking the outdoors, which is cool, but the
amount of influx of people and exposure to like one small little
area, like Lake Tahoe is not ready for this. So, if everyone's
going to come up here and leave their trash everywhere, I don't
think anyone is really truly benefiting from that.
((Corey Skaggs, College Student and Outdoor Adventure
Guide))
The housing has been a very difficult thing to just find for us
college students and just people that are moving here. I know
people that had to move down into Carson and Reno, and they
are students and/or they work up here, and they have to commute
every day because there's no housing up here.
((Andrea Tatengo, Receptionist))
Yes, it has been getting crowded. I have seen a lot more cars
and a little bit more traffic. A lot of people have been pushed out
or some just decided to move out due to the increase of rent
because they can't afford it.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
We're lucky we got a rental. A lot of people, there's no more
rentals. I mean, your place is definitely smaller, which we're
saying is cozier. It is less as well. But we didn't have many
options. I mean, rentals were really tight. It was one of those
things where it was like, either this price or twice the price. And
we just thought, you know, with everything going on, this is
perfect.
((NATS))
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
So, what else? Do you have work today to do?
Yeah, I have to call Emily, just try to get people on a meeting
tomorrow.
((NATS / MUSIC))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
We're looking at some condos in Incline Village. I think it's around
$850,000 condos, $900,000, because we were interested in
obviously buying, eventually, next year.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Hunter.
((Hunter Platte, Realtor))
Hey.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Hey buddy. How are you doing?
Good to see you, man.
((Hunter Platte, Realtor))
You, too. Come on in.
Let's go up and then we'll come back down.
((Hunter Platte, Realtor))
Business has been really good and I'm very, very grateful and
blessed. I mean, people literally couldn't keep up with all the
people that want to buy property. I've got clients in New York. I
have clients in the Bay Area, in L.A., and even though, depending
on the person that you're talking to, they're like, “Oh man, you
know, prices are kind of expensive here in Incline”, which
definitely is, but this just kind of funny because if you get people
from the Bay Area, they come here and they're like, “Wow, prices
are cheaper, you know.” So, it's interesting and to be honest, I
think, that's definitely a factor in what's pushing up prices as well.
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
This is already getting close to a million dollars. Is this going to
be 1.5 in six months? Is this going to be two million? Am I going
to be priced out or priced down into a smaller place if I want to
stay here?
((Hunter Platte, Realtor))
Prices in this area will always appreciate.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
I feel it’s, I feel they are all overpriced. It’s still condo living.
We're in no rush. We don't know what's going to happen.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
I don’t see myself going back to a normal office, and I don’t think
I’ll be the only person. I think people have got a taste of the
Promised Land and they're like, “Why have I been grinding it out
for so long? Why have I been living that when this life is so much
better?”
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
I feel grateful. I feel “privileged” is something like it’s been given
to me, but this hasn't been given to me. I've worked my butt off
for it. I've taken chances. I've dealt with a lot of stuff like having
to deal with stress. So, it's not something that's been given to me
over someone else. Because I know anybody could be in my
shoes right now. If their priorities are buying a house and living in
the suburbs, that's great. But that hasn't been my priority. My
priority has been more to be able to make sure I can take my
family and put them somewhere safe and take my family and
show them what life is about, not the things that we own.
((NATS))
((Luke Derrin, Financial Professional))
Come on, guys. Let’s get in this one.
((Kristin Derrin, Luke’s wife))
It looks like my hair is his.
((NATS))