Real Estate Development Strategy: Why Marko Agbaba Doesn’t Just Build—He Builds to Win

How do you go from student landlord to running nine builds at once? SCELTA sat down with Marko Agbaba of Agbaba Holdings to unpack how he picked Windsor to develop in, dominated the student housing game, and his bigger mission to transform the entire City of Windsor into a great city that attracts talent and grows.

DIAL IN Podcast Episode 10 with Marko Agbaba

Real Estate Development Strategy Starts With Geography

"Follow the cranes," Agbaba says. But not into competition. He scouted every city in Ontario and landed on Windsor.

Not because it was hot, but because it wasn't.

"Windsor was untouched," he says. "The cash returns were unbelievable. And I knew I could dominate."

He didn’t just analyze property prices. He reverse-engineered rental yields, pored through Facebook listings, and ran numbers with what he calls "napkin finance."

“You find net income, divide by your equity—there’s your cash on cash return. That’s your dividend yield."

It was a simple real estate development strategy. But it let him scale fast and stay profitable.

He Lived With His Tenants to Build Smarter

An Agbaba student housing interior at 1076 California in Windsor.

Agbaba didn’t just invest in Windsor, he embedded himself. At 24, he moved into one of his first student rentals, living alongside tenants to understand what mattered.

“I was the landlord, but I was also their roommate. I learned what they actually care about."

That direct feedback led to smarter design choices: private bathrooms, modern finishes, and above all, location. His Boots on the Ground ops reflect the values we hold at SCELTA when implementing tech in construction companies.

"Student housing is all about location. They don’t have cars. You can have a mediocre product, but if it's on the right street, it's gold."

Reinvest, Reinvest, Reinvest

An exterior render of an Agbaba development at 1076 California.

Agbaba's strategy breaks from the typical flip-and-flex model. He’s not chasing one-time payouts. He's building a cash flow engine.

"I've never taken money out. It all goes back into the business."

That patience let him weather cycles. While other investors we're active in the 2021-22 run-up, he waited. And when the time came, he was ready.

Owning the Niche Unlocks Scale

Marko Agbaba and David Mill at the SCELTA office after recording the DIAL IN Podcast.

His focus on Windsor and student housing wasn't just about risk reduction. It ties into a whole larger vision Marko has to reinvigorate the City of Windsor, starting from the bottom up.

His first move? Attract talent to want to stay in Windsor.

"We're building a city that makes people want to stay. If Windsor feels vibrant and well-designed, students won't just graduate and leave—they'll choose to build their lives here."

That Boots on the Ground visibility gives Agbaba an edge. But it also lets him build Marko is building with intention: shaping developments that aren't just profitable, but magnetic—places designed to keep young talent rooted in Windsor long after graduation.

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