Realvest Names Sarah Zahn Chief Executive
The Vancouver multifamily developer and manager has named a new chief executive to lead its housing portfolio.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in People
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Realvest Corp. has appointed Sarah Zahn as chief executive officer, the company announced on November 9, 2026. Zahn previously served as managing director of development at Seattle-based Security Properties.
Why it matters
The appointment places a leader with a background in large-scale development at the helm of a Vancouver company that owns nearly 1,000 multifamily units in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Realvest's focus on attainable workforce housing makes the leadership change relevant to residents and developers across the region.
Zahn led a development portfolio of more than $500 million at Security Properties before joining Realvest. Realvest, founded in 1969, owns nearly 1,000 units across Oregon and Southwest Washington, and the extraction does not specify any changes planned to that portfolio.
The players
Realvest Corp.
Realvest is a Vancouver-based multifamily developer, manager and investor founded in 1969 that focuses on attainable workforce housing.
Sarah Zahn
Zahn is a housing development executive who previously served as managing director of development at Security Properties and chairs the board of the Housing Development Center in Portland.
Security Properties
Security Properties is a Seattle-based real estate development firm where Zahn previously led development and sat on its investment committee.
The details
Realvest's board made the appointment of Sarah Zahn as chief executive. Zahn previously sat on the executive leadership team and investment committee at Security Properties, and she currently serves as board chair of the Housing Development Center in Portland and on the board of Identity Clark County.
Timeline
1969: Realvest is founded.
- 2026-11-09
Realvest announces Zahn's appointment as chief executive officer.
Market Landscape
Zahn's chairmanship of the Housing Development Center in Portland connects her to the regional affordable and workforce housing sector that Realvest serves. Her move from Seattle-based Security Properties to a Vancouver company with holdings in Oregon and Southwest Washington reflects the cross-border development market spanning the Portland-Vancouver metro.
For Vancouver residents and renters, a new chief executive at Realvest may shape how the company manages its nearly 1,000 units in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Tenants and prospective residents in those properties may see any changes to management or workforce housing offerings under Zahn's leadership.
The takeaway
Leadership changes at multifamily owners can signal shifts in how workforce housing is developed and managed across a region. Readers tracking housing in the Portland-Vancouver area can watch how Realvest's new chief executive approaches its portfolio.
Further reading
Explore more business people coverage for other executive moves in the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Journal of Commerce.
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