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Our story

About Us.

Since 2001, Hamilton Zanze has made multifamily real estate investments with the highest standards. Our commitment and expertise deliver more than positive outcomes — we realize impact that stands the test of time.

Together with our community of investors, we can meet high expectations — leaving every investment better than we found it.

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2001
Mark Hamilton and Tony Zanze

Mark Hamilton and Tony Zanze founded Hamilton Zanze with a focus on delivering long-lasting impact through multifamily real estate investments. In 2001, HZ closed its first transaction — a $1.6 million, 24-unit apartment building in Oakland.

$4.1 million transaction volume / 53 units

2012
Mission Rock Residential Property Management Company

After acquiring 11,000 units, Mark Hamilton, Tony Zanze, and Kurt Houtkooper, along with Patricia Hutchinson, formed Mission Rock Residential (MRR). MRR, HZ’s award-winning Denver-based affiliated property management company, actively nurtures their investments.

$1.5 billion transaction volume / 14,836 units

2021
Hamilton Zanze Leadership Team

After 22 years in business, HZ brought in six new partners — individuals who dedicated numerous years of hard work to the firm. This organizational shift also came with the ascension of Kurt Houtkooper to CEO. This was the first time HZ acquired over $1 billion of assets in a year.

$5.8 billion transaction volume / 22,543 units

Today
Hamilton Zanze CEO - Management Team Real Estate Investing

In our 22nd year in business, we are shifting our focus from one-off investments to the fund model, with the launch of our HZ Evergreen Fund. To date, HZ has acquired $6.8 billion and currently owns 21,725 units in 27 markets and 16 states.

$6.8 billion transaction volume / 21,725 units

Focused on results and impact.

Our environmental, social, and governance initiatives enable clients to make an impact in the worlds of housing and sustainability.

Environmental
Every property in our portfolio receives upgrades to increase sustainability. Through smart technologies that deliver better water conservation, efficient utility management, eco-friendly amenities and incentive programs, our investments help protect the world we all share.
Social
From the people who call our communities home to the experts who work with us, we’re partnering to build a better world for all. Our commitment to community service, ESG training, and excellent benefits support everyone connected to Hamilton Zanze.
Governance
Nothing is more valuable than honesty and transparency. Strong corporate oversight policies in accounting and risk management are key to continued success. Through an intra-company ESG council, leaders from our sister companies meet monthly to keep ESG goals on track.
Structured for success.

With our dedicated resources for all elements of evaluating, financing, repositioning, and managing assets, our clients have access to a team with unrivaled insights.

Investor Relations
Handles equity placement, account management, and communications.​
Transactions
Executes acquisitions, dispositions, refinances, and supplemental loans.
Asset Management
Manages property operations, budgets, and business plan execution.​
Project & Risk Management
Manages all aspects of major capital improvement projects.​
Finance
Manages investor distributions, acquisition funding, accounting, and tax document preparation.​
Legal & HR
Oversees legal matters that affect Hamilton Zanze’s day-to-day business and our strategic goals.​
Capital Markets
Handles institutional fundraising, joint ventures, and debt procurement.​
Marketing
Manages brand building, content marketing, and the investor experience.
Meet our team.
All
Leadership
Asset Management
Transactions
Investor Relations
Project & Risk Management
Legal & HR
Finance
Marketing
All
Leadership
Asset Management
Transactions
Investor Relations
Project & Risk Management
Legal & HR
Finance
Marketing
Mark Hamilton - Founding Principal - Hamilton Zanze
Mark Hamilton
Founding Principal

Prior to Hamilton Zanze, Mark sponsored the acquisition, ownership, and revitalization of nearly 40 Bay Area properties. His main focus has long been finding value-add properties in urban neighborhoods and re-working them into higher-quality properties with higher incomes, improved tenant profiles, and higher resale values.
Mark has considerable experience in partnership formation and operations, project planning and implementation, asset management, landlord-tenant and rent-control issues, risk management, and zoning and building matters. Before forming his own commercial brokerage and investment business in 1994, Mark worked in the San Francisco office of Marcus & Millichap, then co-founded a small brokerage firm and investment group.

Mark earned a B.A. with High Honors in English Literature from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, where he attended as a University Scholar and Fellow.

Since 2016, Mark has served on the board of First Graduate, previously serving on the board of a San Francisco affordable housing development corporation.

He lives in San Francisco with his wife and dog. They enjoy family, travel, culture and the arts, and food.

Tony Zanze - Founding Principal - Hamilton Zanze
Tony Zanze
Founding Principal

Prior to Hamilton Zanze, Tony Zanze’s experience in real estate included capital markets, asset management, leasing, development, and investment and brokerage of multifamily and commercial properties.

Before HZ, Tony was with RREEF Real Estate Investment Managers overseeing asset disposition. Before joining RREEF, he was manager of the San Francisco office of GE Capital Real Estate, where he handled the production of mortgage-backed securities, structured finance, and equity investments. From 1986 to 1997, Tony was with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he originated long-term fixed-rate loans and joint ventures.

Tony began his career as a sales investment broker with Cushman & Wakefield and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin.

Kurt Houtkooper - Chief Executive Officer - Hamilton Zanze
Kurt Houtkooper
Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Houtkooper is the CEO of Hamilton Zanze (HZ), a private real estate operating company focused on multifamily assets in the greater United States. Kurt also serves as co-managing partner of Graham Street Realty (GSR) a leading regional commercial operating company focused on office and industrial buildings in the Western US. Additionally, he serves as a founding principal of Paramount Property Company (PPC), a commercial property management company, and Mission Rock Residential (MRR) a multifamily property management company.

Since joining HZ in 2003, Kurt has structured investments with an asset value of over $9 billion. HZ and GSR’s investment vehicles have invested in approximately 50,000 units and over 1,500,000 square feet of commercial space.

HZ and GSR currently have approximately $6.1 billion of assets under management on behalf of its high-net-worth clients and institutional partners. The family of companies – HZ, GSR, MRR, and PPC – has over 800 employees.

Kurt graduated from University of California, Berkeley and now lives in Marin with his wife and three daughters.

Ashlee Cabeal - Chief Financial Officer
Ashlee Cabeal
Chief Financial Officer

Ashlee Cabeal is a partner and Hamilton Zanze’s Chief Financial Officer. Prior to her current role, Ashlee was a senior director on the HZ Transactions team and worked on acquisition, disposition, and refinance activity, providing expertise in deal sourcing, underwriting, loan originations, and closing.

Before joining Hamilton Zanze as an intern in 2010, Ashlee worked as a senior audit associate at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. There, she focused on servicing banking clients and private equity clients before returning to school for her M.B.A.

Ashlee has a B.S. in Accounting and a B.B.A. in Marketing from Loyola Marymount University, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Davis. She is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, the great outdoors, and cooking.

David Nelson - President & Chief Investment Officer
David Nelson
President & Chief Investment Officer

David Nelson, President of Hamilton Zanze, serves as a partner and is the Chief Investment Officer at the firm. He leads the transactions team managing the acquisition and disposition pipeline, arranging financing, equity, and closely partnering with owners, brokers, and institutional partners to orchestrate and execute on investment opportunities and strategies. David joined Hamilton Zanze in 2004 and has played an integral role in the firm’s sourcing and closing of over 250 multifamily property acquisitions, totaling almost 50,000 units and $5 billion in transaction volume across the United States.

He is a Bay Area native and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of San Francisco. David resides in Tennessee and enjoys fly-fishing, golfing, and spending time with his wife and three children.

Todd Williams - General Counsel
Todd Williams
General Counsel

Todd Williams is a partner and Hamilton Zanze’s General Counsel. Todd joined HZ in 2014. He works with various HZ teams, HZ affiliates and subsidiaries, and outside counsel to guide and oversee the legal matters that affect the firm’s day-to-day business and its strategic goals—from acquisitions, dispositions, and exchanges to leasing and property management, corporate governance, and risk management.

Todd’s background spans both transactions and litigation, as well as experience as inside and outside counsel. He was previously an assistant general counsel at Paul Hastings, where for over a decade he focused on real estate and complex litigation and internal and external enterprise risk management. Todd has also worked at a Sacramento law firm specializing exclusively in real estate development and transactional work.

Todd completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley and obtained his law degree from the University of the Pacific. Originally from Sacramento, Todd currently lives in Lafayette with his wife and three kids and enjoys coaching his son’s and daughter’s soccer, rugby, and baseball teams as well as cheering for the SF Giants and California Golden Bears.

Tim Bruss - Managing Director, Asset Management
Tim Bruss
Managing Director, Asset Management

Tim Bruss is a partner and Managing Director of the Asset Management team. Tim works closely with the asset managers to strengthen operations of the portfolio, drive net operating income, and execute on property-specific business plans.

Since joining the company in 2010, Tim has been involved in transactions, construction management, and data management. Prior to joining HZ, Tim worked as a project manager for a New Jersey real estate developer, overseeing the construction of a variety of commercial, retail, and residential assets.

Tim earned a degree in Engineering from Lafayette College and received his M.B.A. from the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His professional credentials include a Certificate in Sustainable Design from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and LEED accreditation.

Originally from New Jersey, Tim now resides in Oakland, CA with his wife, son, and daughter and enjoys spending time outdoors.

John Gilmore - Managing Director, Project & Risk Management
John Gilmore
Managing Director, Project & Risk Management

John Gilmore is a partner and Managing Director of the Hamilton Zanze Project & Risk Management team. Since joining the company in 2006, John has worked as a project/construction manager, risk manager, and asset manager. He currently oversees budgeting, project management, insurance and risk management, and various green initiatives.

John has a diverse real estate background encompassing development, construction, and property management. Prior to joining HZ, John worked for an emerging Northern California real estate development company as a project manager on an 80-acre mixed-use project. Previously, John worked as a project engineer for Webcor Builders on the 42-story St. Regis Museum Tower in San Francisco.

John is a San Francisco Bay Area native and has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and an M.B.A. from Fordham University in New York. He now resides in Templeton, CA with his wife and three kids.

Partners in excellence.

We’re surrounded by a community of affiliates that complement our core operations.

Our affiliated property management company actively protects and improves our investments, reducing controllable expenses, and maximizing net operating income.
Visit Mission Rock
Graham Street Realty is a San Francisco-based commercial real estate company created by Hamilton Zanze principals to invest in commercial properties with a focus on improving asset values.
Visit Graham Street
Paramount Property Company is a San Francisco Bay Area-based independent commercial property management company created by Hamilton Zanze principals. Its mission is to maximize return on investment while delivering the highest quality of care and service to investors, tenants, and team members.
Visit Paramount

A word from our investors, partners, and employees.

video still of woman smiling in front of real estate with text overlay: a word from our investors
Cece Blase

Real Estate Professional & Investor

video still building inspector with text overlay: a word from our partners
Reed Lagedrost

Property Inspector

video still of older gentleman walking towards building with text overlay: a word from our employees
Ed Houtkooper

Hamilton Zanze Office Manager

Supporting our community.

We are proud to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations in our markets.

Contact us today