Ep. 7: Building Affordable Housing that Supports the Real Needs of its Residents - Antonio Marquez - Principal and Managing Partner of Comunidad Partners

On today’s episode, I sit down with Antonio Marquez, Principal and Managing Partner of Comunidad Partners.

Antonio founded Comunidad Partners in honor of his family’s immigrant heritage and to provide improved opportunities and a better life for the people who live in the communities that the company serves. As chairman of the firm’s Investment Committee, Antonio is responsible for strategic planning, culture building, and capital raising.

Fostering the company’s deep commitment to social impact, diversity, and equity; Antonio leads Comunidad Partners’ value-add approach that creates inclusionary housing with a sense of place and cultural vibrancy that elevates it's low- to moderate-income workforce residents. He spearheaded the company’s unique ESG model, which enhances economic returns while driving sustainable social and environmental value for all stakeholders.

In today’s conversation, we discuss the challenges Antonio once faced when trying to raise institutional capital and his subsequent success in beating the odds to raise an institutional fund for workforce and affordable housing, the amazing programs Comunidad has created to support the well-being of their tenants, and how federal, state, and local governments are combating the affordable housing crisis. 

Links:

Comunidad Partners

Antonio on LinkedIn

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Connect with Brandon Sedloff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/

Topics:

(00:01:40) - Why did you choose to focus on Real Estate when founding Comunidad?

(00:06:28) - What does the name Comunidad mean and why did you choose it?

(00:08:38) - How did you choose Multifamily?

(00:13:08) - What are the headline stats for Comunidad today?

(00:13:50) - What is workforce housing and how is that different from affordable housing?

(00:15:45) - Where do you invest and what does your community look like?

(00:21:50) - How do these efforts affect your economic ROI?

(00:23:48) - How have the pro-landlord rights in the sunset markets played a role in your business?

(00:27:31) - What are your thoughts on efforts to end the affordable housing crisis?

(00:30:35) - What does the environment look like on the ground with this crisis as you try to build and manage the product?

(35:26) - What’s the goal of starting a credit platform and why have you transformed into an institutional organization?

(00:39:36) - What does the industry need to do better from a social standpoint?