Robert Lawler

Principal / PacWest Housing

Robert focuses on raising capital and structuring financing for Pacific Western Residential’s affordable and mixed-income multi-family housing projects. He uses various conventional and government-sponsored capital programs such as tax-exempt bond financing and the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Both are specifically designed to create and preserve high quality affordable housing.

Robert has more than 20 years of experience as a real estate investor, developer, and commercial lender. He is also the owner of American Real Estate Ventures, Inc., (AMREV), a specialty real estate investment and development firm focused on developing affordable and mixed-income multi-family housing.

Prior to starting AMREV, Robert served as Director of Affordable Housing Acquisitions for Reliant Group Management, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. In addition to managing difficult entitlement processes on ground-up projects located in the Bay Area, Robert also oversaw the acquisition of 10 apartment communities totaling more than 1,870 units located in four western states. The affordable housing investments were purchased using tax-exempt bond financing, Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and HUD project-based housing assistance contracts.

Robert’s past experience also includes working as Senior Project Manager for Sacramento-based St. Anton Partners, where he was responsible for site selection, property acquisition, entitlement processing, and project financing for 15 affordable and mixed-income multifamily communities.

Robert also worked as a permanent mortgage lender for ARCS Commercial Mortgage and GMAC Commercial Mortgage under their Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac delegating lending programs. Additionally, he worked  as a relationship manager for the Bank of America Community Development Bank in San Francisco, Portland, and Sacramento, originating construction and permanent financing for affordable housing developers.