The Latino Real Estate Investors Council was created to offer equitable representation for housing providers across the Chicagoland area. Our target members and allies include all professionals within the real estate industry whose voice is inclusive of the Latino community.
Rely On Us!
Our Mission
Our Vision

The LREIC Board of Directors
LREIC is led by top real estate agents and leaders who share a passion for achieving generational wealth through responsible and sustainable real estate investing.
Mr. Martinez is a proven high-energy business development and real estate executive leader with demonstrated accomplishments in over 20+ years in business. He is versed in the strategic and tactical sales of financial and real estate development platforms through successfully implementing new technologies, monitoring, and adapting to market changes, and identifying emerging markets and its cycles. He uses an integrated-solution approach to identify profitable opportunities in stabilized, value-add or distressed properties and is a master negotiator and relationship builder. His expertise and experience in the analysis, underwriting, negotiating, and financing of multifamily assets deliver maximum value to the clients he serves.
Mr. Martinez holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Roosevelt University where he worked for major hospitality corporations in management positions. He translated his skills of analyzing, pricing, negotiating, purchasing, and servicing clients to the real estate financing and real estate industry. Prior to joining Keller Williams OneChicago KW Commercial, he was with Marcus & Millichap and brought the experience of a lender and real estate investor. He worked for a major national lender who originated over $325 million in business and evaluated and structured mortgages for investors to minimize the risk and enhancing the overall return on investment. As a private investor he has found success in short sales, rehabs, rentals, managing and selling single family residential, and multi-family properties. Throughout his career he has been a national speaker on how to analyze multifamily properties, leveraging and creative financing and how market trends effect the real estate industry.
Mr. Martinez currently holds an Illinois Real Estate Managing Brokers license and specializes in representing developers and investors of medium to large scale multifamily properties. By applying the focus and experience that made him a successful investor, he is able to advise clients he serves with creative and unique insights and unmatched customer service. He offers clients distinctive advisory services including debt (re)structuring designed to increase levered returns; capital improvements; deal analysis; identifying areas to add value; cash on cash calculations, internal rate of return proform a projections and valuations, thus meeting the needs and goals of his client and creating and preserving wealth. Business is based on relationships, and he believes in creating a one-on-one relationship whether it’s a corporation, trust, financial services firm to an individual commercial property owner.
Mr. Martinez is very involved in the community by being a part of numerous real estate and housing related boards and committees. Frank is fluent in Spanish.
Born and raised in Chicago’s Southeast side, Ms. Del Real is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, the oldest of three siblings, and the parent of two adult children. She is a product of Chicago Public Schools and the first in her immediate family to graduate from college earning a BA in Business Leadership from DePaul University, and an MBA from Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate.
Ms. Del Real is the Founder and President of Third City Consulting, LLC and a licensed Illinois real estate broker, with over 20 years of experience working directly with Latino families helping them make decisions related to homeownership and asset building. She also has extensive experience in previous roles at Chicago State University and Chicago Public Schools, working with college bound first generation students helping them navigate the matriculation and financial aid process.
As a founding board member serving as Vice Chair for the Latino Real Estate Investors Council, Ms. Del Real is committed to the organization’s mission and provides pro bono administrative support through her firm Third City Consulting, LLC. Her team is committed to ensure that LREIC establishes a solid infrastructure, secures board membership and sponsorship, and grows its membership and impact across the Chicagoland area.
Her passion for community, real estate, and the upward mobility of Latinos is demonstrated through her previous volunteer roles on several nonprofit boards including, Mujeres de HACE Advisory Board, Prospanica Chicago, Corporate Real Estate Network (CORENet), the Real Estate Investment Association (REIA), and the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Public Policy Committee. She is an active member of the Chicago Association of Realtors and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) Government Affairs Committee.
Robert Marin is a Wealth Management Advisor with the Northwestern Mutual. The mission of the Network is to develop enduring relationships with clients by providing expert guidance for a lifetime of financial security. Robert Marin works with clients to identify their definitions of financial security and then focuses on solutions that can help make those financial goals a reality. He helps find the right solutions for personal, family or business needs. For additional information, call Robert at 847.969.2520 or visit his web site at http://www.robert-marin.com. To learn about Robert’s specialties, visit http://www.robert-marin.com
Rafael Leon is the Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation, better known as CMHDC, a position he has held since 1996. Under Rafael’s leadership and vision, CMHDC has grown to be a corporation with close to $75 million in assets, two subsidiaries, and more than 750 rental units. CMHDC is an active non-profit housing development agency in Chicago focusing on the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH). In 2017 CMHDC won the Neighborhood Development Award from LISC for its Preservation of Affordable Housing efforts in Albany Park. Previously, Rafael held several positions in the Chicago Department of Planning and Development where he worked in the Finance, the Community Development, and the Central Area Divisions. His expertise includes housing, finance, advocacy, community development, public policy, and strategic planning.
In addition to his job, Rafael has served on several government, non-profit and for- profit boards, sharing his expertise in finance, government regulations, real estate, community development, and corporate governance. He served for 10 years as the Chairman of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks until January 2021 under 3 different administrations. He is currently Chairman of the City of Chicago Development Fund Advisory Board, Treasurer of Uptown United, Director and Treasurer of Kmetko & Associates, and member of the Chicago Neighborhood Opportunity Fund Advisory Committee. His past board experience includes the Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows board (4 years), Chairman of the Chicago Community Loan Fund for 8 years, Commissioner of the Chicago Community Development Commission for 5 years, and a board member of the Community Investment Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Rafael holds a bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also holds a Certificate from the Executive Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) in Real Estate from Harvard University, and a Certificate from the Executive Education Program in Board Governance from the University of Notre Dame, Chicago Campus.
Felix Gonzalez is the managing partner of the Archer Law Group, a legal services firm, with over 23 years of experience representing clients and business owners.
A Chicago native, he is a graduate of Fenwick High School in Oak Park, and an alum of the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana, where he received a BA in Philosophy. He is also a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law.
Felix’s real estate practice is concentrated on protecting investors and homeowners in the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate, and representing clients in landlord / tenant relationships.
He has served as a board member of many organizations including the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Health Care Alternative Systems (HAS), Boy Scouts of America, and several others.
A. Valerie Acosta has been passionately involved in real estate law for over twenty years. As an attorney, Valerie concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, civil litigation, and estate planning, with extensive experience in assisting clients interested in purchasing or selling residential and commercial properties.
Valerie has played an integral role in guiding numerous families through the stressful home buying or home selling process. She has also guided corporate clients from corporate set-up through corporate maintenance. Valerie has also negotiated and closed short sale transactions for her clients while assisting her clients during a difficult financial time.

ERICA ESQUIVEL
Erica Esquivel, is a Chicago native who grew up in Michoacan, Mexico. Erica was born into an entrepreneurial family, so customer service and people skills are in her DNA. She obtained her degree in “Finanzas Empresariales” in UMSNH – Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo.
She references her family as having a positive influence in her career. “Being part of a
large family made me who I am today, out-going, easy to talk to, with a great appreciation for humor. My large family also taught me how to listen and how to speak up; how to connect with people and how to troubleshoot any number of difficult and/or sensitive situations.” Prior to real estate Erica worked for over six years in the finance industry. Erica obtained her real estate license in Fall of 2018 and joined TRP soon after. She works hard to keep ahead of the curve, combining her passion to service low/moderate income communities. She takes pride in giving back to the communities she serves and received the “Financial Empowerment” award by the parent mentors program in Chicago. Her rapid career growth has allowed her to speak in real estate panels, with her most recent panel at the NAHREP event. She was recognized as “Rookie of the Year” by NAHREP. Erica has received several awards throughout her career including, CAR Top Producer award, NAHREP top 250 and Rookie of the Year, Top 10 Realtor award by the American Institute of Realtors for 4 years in a row, and was featured in Top Agent Magazine, to name a few.
Erica has become an esteemed realtor, highly regarded by her clients and professionals in the field. She is well-connected and actively involved in the community. Her contacts and life-long residency leverage her enthusiasm and expertise, enhancing her client dedication.
“My business is built on communication, dedication, and transparency. This recipe has helped me rise to the top of residential real estate agents nationwide. I realized that I can’t change the world for everybody, but the right property can change somebody’s world and that’s a great start.” Her designations include the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE), C2EX (Commit to Excellence Endorsement) and the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB). Erica is a member of National Association of Realtors and the Chicago Association of realtors.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children.
As a Risk Management Consultant with the Alera Group I foster relationships with my clients to fully understand their companies specific needs & risks and set to perform the following: 1.) Develop your risk management program. 2.) Improve or implement a strong safety culture. 3.) Analyze open claims and manage your company’s WC EMR/MOD rating. 4.) Explore our 100+ insurance markets at your renewal to obtain competitive insurance pricing. 5.) Develop strong risk transfer habits for your company.
The key Industries I serve are Construction, Transportation, Healthcare and Non for Profits. Many of my clients connect with me due to:
– Annually increasing insurance costs;
– Inattentiveness from their current broker;
– Lack of proper risk transfer contract reviews;
– Identifying gaps and policy exclusions in coverage;
– Hell establishing their company as MWVDBE certified;
– Lack of networking and matchmaking opportunities;
– Mismanagement of Workers Compensation claims;
– Developing a formalized return to work program;
– Lack of access to surety bid & performance bonds;
– Analysis of employee health & benefits plan costs;
– Lowering Workers Compensation EMR/MOD rating.
My expertise consists of advising business owners on how to become BEP certified to obtain their MBE, WBE, DBE & VBE certifications and how to leverage this certification in the construction industry and within our existing client base at Assurance.
OUR PARTNERS
We are grateful for the ongoing support from our industry partners.