MIAMI—Marc Suarez is moving up the ladder at Hunt Mortgage Group. Previously serving as senior vice president at the firm, Suarez is now a director. Suarez joined Hunt in mid-2014 to open a commercial mortgage financing office in Miami and lead the local effort. Hunt was a panelist at RealShare Central Florida last week.

“Marc has made significant contributions to our business since joining the firm,” Bill Hyman, senior managing director at Hunt, tells GlobeSt.com. “He has taken on a leadership role in building the South Florida market for Hunt Mortgage Group. He was instrumental in opening and staffing our new Miami office and recently structured the financing for a client to acquire The Park at Savino, a multifamily property located in Orlando.”

The Park at Savino has 10 primary multifamily buildings and three non-residential buildings that house the leasing office/clubhouse, fitness center, and maintenance building. Built in built in 1985, the multifamily asset is 98% occupied. Hunt secured a $10.2 million Freddie Mac loan to finance the acquisition of the multifamily property on an 11.89-acre site at 1980 Lake Fountain Drive in Orlando.

“Marc was a key hire for Hunt Mortgage Group,” says Hyman. “His expertise and vast knowledge in the South Florida real estate market has helped us raise our visibility in the region. We are confident he will continue to extend the geographic reach of our mortgage banking capabilities in the southeast.”

In a recent exclusive interview series with Suarez, he told us capital seems to be flowing from everywhere. Nevertheless, since he opened the Miami Hunt office late last year he reports more traditional bank clients pursuing the firm and inquiring about its products and process.

What is the money targeting? “The money continues to target IRR returns in the high teens which means investing in value add deals,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “The consensus is there is more money than deals at these return levels so you are starting to see more investment in the newer class A space at lower returns but with better locations in markets and less deferred maintenance and market rent risk.”