When disaster strikes, opportunity knocks—at least for institutional players. Q3 2025 painted a stark picture in fire-devastated California neighborhoods: data showed investors snapping up roughly 40% of vacant lots across Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Malibu. That's not coincidence. What we're witnessing is textbook disaster capitalism—when major investors use crisis moments to acquire distressed assets at lower valuations, fundamentally reshaping local communities. Homeowners displaced by climate events often face a brutal choice: rebuild where land prices spike post-recovery, or become long-term renters in their own neighborhoods. The math works against them. Investors play a longer game—they can wait out the reconstruction cycle, anticipate gentrification, and convert disaster-born displacement into long-term rental portfolios. This pattern reveals something crucial about modern real estate: it's not just about shelter anymore, it's about capital concentration. As climate events become more frequent and severe, expect this dynamic to accelerate. Communities that burn today may be owned by funds and corporations tomorrow.