Brian Alfaro is the Director of Investor Relations at Headway Capital, a Houston-based private equity firm managing over $500 million in assets. With a background in the restaurant industry, Brian transitioned into real estate in 2017, starting in single-family investing before moving into multifamily. Today, he specializes in building investor relationships and raising capital for large-scale multifamily projects.
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Key Takeaways:
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Transitioned from single-family to multifamily investing after realizing the scale and sophistication better aligned with his goals.
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Investor relations is a long-term game focused on education, trust-building, and communication.
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Effective capital raising is more about listening to investor needs than pushing returns.
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Investors should ask more questions about risk, not just returns.
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Strong communication and transparency are crucial when working with passive investors.
Topics:
From Restaurants to Real Estate
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17-year background in restaurant operations before entering real estate in 2017.
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Started with the BRRRR strategy, but found single-family investing misaligned with his personality and long-term vision.
Making the Jump to Multifamily
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Joined a multifamily mentorship in 2020 to scale smarter.
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Chose capital raising as his focus area, learning to nurture and educate investors.
Why Multifamily Made More Sense
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Single-family was labor-intensive with low cash flow margins.
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Multifamily offered more scalability, better team collaboration, and higher ROI potential.
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Appreciated the abundance mindset and collaboration in multifamily circles compared to the scarcity mindset in single-family spaces.
Investor Relations Demystified
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Focused on helping investors feel confident and informed through steady communication and trust-building.
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Building “know, like, trust” takes time—rarely an overnight process.
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Education-first mindset; avoids industry jargon to reduce confusion.
Top Questions LPs Should Be Asking
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Investors often ask about returns but rarely probe into risks or past challenges.
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Brian encourages asking about capital calls, past losses, and how operators handled them.
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Transparency and accountability are key indicators of a trustworthy sponsor.
Mistakes New Capital Raisers Make
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Being too transactional or too numbers-focused instead of building genuine relationships.
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Failing to understand investor goals—listening is more powerful than selling.
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Good investor relations = solving problems, not pitching products.
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Round of Insights
Failure that led to success: Losing $5,000 on a non-refundable earnest money deposit in his first wholesale deal taught Brian to take calculated risks and commit when the fundamentals check out.
Digital or mobile resource: LinkedIn is a powerful platform for networking and staying up to date in the multifamily space. It’s where Brian builds and nurtures investor relationships daily.
Book recommendation: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – a foundational book Brian rereads to stay focused, grounded, and growth-minded.
Daily habit: Working out is Brian’s way to reset and stay mentally sharp—especially helpful as a new dad balancing entrepreneurship and family life.
#1 insight for being effective in investor relations: Be an active listener. Don’t listen just to respond—listen to understand and guide the investor accordingly.
Favorite restaurant in Houston, TX: Mala Sichuan Bistro.
Next Steps
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Learn more about Brian and his firm at HeadwayInvestment.com
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Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
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