Who I Am

I’m Laurel Zacher, Principal, but you can call me LZ.

I’ve spent 30 years at the intersection of marketing strategy and multifamily financial performance. I’ve led marketing functions for NMHC Top 50 Owners and worked across every side of the business - from operator to vendor - giving me a vantage point on what actually moves the needle that few strategists can offer.

 I served as Chair of the NMHC/RETTC Marketing and Resident Engagement Committee, sat on the Zillow Rentals Advisory Board and the Housing Connector Board of Directors, and speak regularly at NAA, NMHC OpTech, and AIM conferences. I’m recognized as an early architect of data-driven marketing in multifamily.

What I’ve Done

My track record speaks to what’s possible when marketing is treated as a strategic asset. I’ve led occupancy turnarounds, orchestrated portfolio-level rebrands, built data systems that give ownership teams clear visibility into marketing ROI, and consistently shown that rigorous marketing strategy is one of the highest-leverage tools available to owners. I’ve proven that marketing, when done right, is a profit center, not an activity center.

What I Learned

Over three decades, I learned something critical: the best marketing strategies are asset management strategies. Working across owner, operator, and vendor perspectives taught me to think about marketing the way you think about your assets - as a financial lever with measurable ROI. I learned to read marketing data like an asset manager reads a financial statement.

I discovered the gap between how owners think about marketing and how most operators do it. I learned what actually moves the needle, and what doesn’t. That insight is what I bring to every advisory engagement.

How I Work Now

Today, I work with owners and investors who get it. People who understand that marketing is a financial lever. People who want a trusted advisor who speaks the language of returns and ROI, not just leases and leads.

I’m purposely selective about the work I take on. The partnerships I build are intentional, with clients I’m genuinely excited to serve. I advise on strategy, I provide intelligence, I analyze with rigor.

I do one thing very well: help serious investors think about their marketing like asset managers think about real estate.