PacQuest Homes, a residential development company and rebuilding platform, launched this month to bring a new option for Palisadian homeowners navigating the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. The company guides homeowners through each step of the rebuilding process, from designing and building to financing and insurance. However, PacQuest takes a somewhat unique approach, offering a venture capital alternative to rebuilding that allows homeowners to directly invest their property into PacQuest’s investment fund.
Longtime Los Angeles real estate investor Fred Cordova III founded the venture following the fires that struck Los Angeles in January 2025. Originally from the Pasadena and Altadena area, Cordova said he wanted to create a solution for those facing a lack of financial resources and coping with the mental toll of loss in the wake of the fires.
The company’s name, said Cordova, captures the mission of the brand — “Pac” references the “Palisades and Altadena communities,” while “Quest” refers to “quality, urgency, efficiency, sustainability and trust,” which Cordova views as the pillars of the business.
PacQuest Homes is looking to offer more than just a one-stop shop for residential rebuilds—rather, Cordova and his team are focusing on speed, affordability and flexibility. According to Cordova, PacQuest has set an ambitious goal of building 500 homes in the next five to six years, targeting a buildout of less than nine months for each home. That goal translates to about two homes started each week. By building at scale and at a high rate of speed, Cordova said PacQuest expects to be able to build high-end homes at about $450 per square foot.
The PacQuest platform offers different pathways for homeowners based on their goals. Those looking to return home can work with PacQuest to rebuild on their lot, while those hoping to move on can use PacQuest services to sell their lot or to rebuild and then sell. Alternatively, homeowners can add their lot to the PacQuest fund as an investment, which Cordova said should appreciate over time.
Those who choose to invest their lots in the fund can later receive the right of first offer on a PacQuest-built home, meaning they can have priority in purchasing a home from PacQuest later.
However, the PacQuest approach does come with some limitations. Each home is designed to be between 3,200 and 4,300 square feet, each featuring 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. While some design modifications are available early in the process, the layout must remain largely the same.
Cordova said that PacQuest is meant to be a homegrown investment effort that allows people to offer long-term investment in their community.
“This is Palisadians helping Palisadians,” said Cordova.
To bring a Palisadian perspective to the effort, Cordova has tapped Palisadian Jim Moran, who lost his own home in the January 2025 fire, as chief marketing officer; lifelong Palisadian Sam Lagana as community ambassador; and Palisades native Patrick Norton as vice president of finance.
“A lot of people, quite frankly, are kind of frozen and they don’t know what to do,” Lagana said. “I’ve been blessed that I’ve been in this community my whole life, so I’ve had the opportunity to talk to people and find out what they see as important. A lot of what Fred described in our pillars resonated with me quite a bit, particularly trust. These people want to trust people and they want to know people.”
If PacQuest is successful, Cordova envisions the business plan as a model that can be replicated in other post-disaster scenarios across the country.
“We want to be seen as a place where people can find new solutions and discover new outcomes and get guided professionally to make those outcomes become a reality,” Cordova said.