Bob Knakal NYC

Name: Bob Knakal NYC
Address: New City, NY, US
Telephone: +19175099501

Home
United States
New City, NY
Bob Knakal NYC

Call Directions Website

NYC Investment Sales Broker

10/30/2026

In commercial real estate, relationships are everything.

I've always believed that some of the most valuable opportunities come from showing up, shaking hands, and having meaningful conversations.

Networking events aren't just about meeting new people. They're about learning, exchanging ideas, strengthening relationships, and building trust.

Technology makes communication easier, but nothing replaces face-to-face interaction.

The more you put yourself in the right rooms, the more opportunities you create.

10/30/2026

Work-life balance? I don't think it's possible for the first 10 to 15 years if you want to get to the very top of this business.

Now, I know that may not be a popular opinion, but hear me out.

Work-life balance means something different to everyone. We all have different priorities, goals, and definitions of success. And there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

But here's what I learned over more than four decades in commercial real estate.

There are thousands of people out there who want to do exactly what you do. So how are you going to differentiate yourself? How are you going to rise to the top of that pack?

For me, the answer was simple. I had to outwork the competition.

Early in my career, that meant sacrificing weekends with friends, trips to the beach, rounds of golf, and a lot of the things people my age were doing. Was it always fun? Absolutely not. But I had a goal, and I knew that achieving it would require sacrifices.

If you want to achieve great results, you have to be willing to make great sacrifices.

And here's the other thing. Success doesn't happen overnight. It takes years of discipline, consistency, hard work, and doing the things that others aren't willing to do.

Looking back, would I do it again? Without a doubt.

That doesn't mean everyone should make the same choices I did. But if your goal is to be extraordinary at what you do, you have to understand what that commitment really looks like.

To all the young brokers, entrepreneurs, and hustlers putting in the hours, making the calls, and grinding it out day after day, keep going.

The work you put in today is laying the foundation for the success you'll enjoy tomorrow.

A big thank you to Kyle Matthews for having me on the Matthews Mentality Podcast. We covered a lot of ground, from building a business and overcoming challenges to the mindset and discipline required to succeed.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/4uqbDB7nOu0

10/29/2026

The NYC land market is heating up. Are property owners paying attention?

After more than 40 years selling investment properties and development sites in New York City, one thing has become abundantly clear to me: when it comes to land, what you see is not always what you get.

I recently sat down with Ashley Kobovitch of Crexi for their October edition of Conversation with the Chairman, where we discussed one of my favorite subjects: development sites, land values, and the future of New York City real estate.

One of the most interesting things happening in our market today is the resurgence of land sales. After several challenging years of rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and changing tax incentives, developers have recalibrated, and the market is responding.

In fact, we expect NYC land sales volume to increase by more than 30% in 2026 compared to 2025!

But here's something I believe every property owner should understand.

A building's value isn't always determined by its current income. Sometimes, its greatest value lies in what could be built in its place.

That's why understanding zoning, unused development rights, highest and best use, and market timing is so critically important.

Through our Knakal Land Index, we've studied thousands of Manhattan land transactions going all the way back to 1984. The data tells us a tremendous amount about how land is valued, but experience and judgment are what turn that information into actionable advice.

In my conversation with Crexi, we also discuss office-to-residential conversions, the impact of 485-x and City of Yes, and what owners should be thinking about in today's changing market.

The bottom line? You can't maximize value for something if you don't know what you own.

A big thank you to Ashley and the Crexi team for the opportunity to share my perspectives.

I encourage every NYC property owner, investor, and developer to read the full interview.

Read the full article here:

https://www.bkrea.com/crexis-conversation-with-the-chairman/crexis-conversation-with-the-chairman-october-2026

10/29/2026

Some of the most meaningful relationships you develop over a career begin with something very simple: trying to be helpful.

This handwritten note came from my friend Liz Genovese, MAI, who was a principal at Houlihan & O'Malley Real Estate (a top NYC appraisal firm) and someone we worked with extensively during the Massey Knakal years.

We always had a particularly close relationship with the appraisal community. Whenever we closed a transaction, we would send the appraisers we knew detailed information about the sale through something we called "Sales Data for Appraisers Only" mailings.

And when I say detailed, I mean detailed.

We didn't simply send an address and sale price. We provided the setup for the transaction, including itemized rent rolls, income and expenses, and other information that would help an appraiser understand the economics behind the sale.

We believed that sharing good information helped everyone do their jobs better, and over the years, those exchanges allowed us to develop some wonderful relationships with appraisers throughout the market.

Liz was one of those people.

In 2005, I was honored by Shema Kolainu - Hear Our Voices, a school serving children with autism in Brooklyn. I had become very involved with the organization, helping with fundraising and serving on its board as a strategic advisor.

Liz wasn't able to attend the dinner where I was being honored, but she did something that meant a great deal to me. She took out a full-page tribute in the commemorative journal and sent me this incredibly thoughtful handwritten note.

She certainly didn't have to do either.

But she did.

And clearly it meant something to me, because all these years later, I still have the note.

As I've been going through these old boxes, I'm struck by how many of the things I saved aren't contracts, closing statements or documents commemorating transactions.

They're notes from people.

Little pieces of paper representing relationships that were formed over decades of working together, helping each other and sharing experiences.

The award that evening was certainly meaningful to me. But finding Liz's note all these years later reminded me of something even more important: A career can be measured in transactions, dollars, awards and accomplishments, but a life in business is remembered through people.

What a wonderful memory, precipitated by a thoughtful note from a wonderful person.

10/28/2026

After more than 40 years in commercial real estate, I've learned that success goes far beyond closing deals.

Three lessons have stayed with me throughout my career:

→ Seek advice: There's always something to learn from people who have been where you want to go.
→ Think long-term: The relationships you build today can create opportunities decades from now.
→ Treat people like family: Clients and colleagues deserve respect, loyalty, and genuine care.

Real estate is a relationship business. The transactions matter, but the people behind them matter more.

Watch the full video on YouTube.

10/28/2026

When I started my career in commercial real estate brokerage in New York City in 1984, I didn't have a computer on my desk, a cell phone, or even a fax machine. We used to carry rolls of quarters around in our pockets so we could make calls from payphones while we were out in the field.

Think about that for a minute. Today, most young brokers have more technology in their pockets than we had in our entire office back then.

Having witnessed the evolution of our industry over the past 42 years, I can tell you that the changes have been nothing short of remarkable. However, I believe the changes we are going to see over the next several years, largely driven by artificial intelligence, will be even more significant.

At BKREA, we are embracing AI in two primary ways.

The first is improving the efficiency of our processes, particularly in prospecting and deal ex*****on. There are numerous activities involved in selling commercial properties, and utilizing technology to make those processes more efficient allows our brokers to devote more time to activities that create value for our clients.

The second, and perhaps even more exciting application, is data interpretation.

We have proprietary New York City commercial real estate data sets that go all the way back to 1984. What makes these data particularly valuable is that we have utilized the same methodology consistently for 42 years. AI provides us with the ability to interpret these data in ways that can produce tremendous insights into market conditions and trends.

I have always believed that we are not really in the real estate business. We are in the information and relationship business. Having better information allows us to provide better advice, and providing better advice is what ultimately creates value for our clients.

Technology has changed dramatically since I made those first calls from payphones, but the importance of information, relationships, and delivering exceptional results has not.

I recently discussed this evolution with Jack Hoss on The Real Deal Crew podcast. Watch the full conversation on his YouTube channel.

10/27/2026

Another reason why I think hard mail is so under-rated!

This deal story will not divulge any secret sauce or brilliant negotiating technique. The sale of 333 West 38th Street is an example of simply good old fashioned “blocking and tackling”.

The building was owned by Nowy Dziennik Polish Daily News Publications. I had called the company back in 2003, two years before the Hudson Yard’s Rezoning was approved. The rezoning had been proposed and, based upon all of the support the rezoning had gotten, it was clear that it would pass. I moved my territory focus from the upper east side to Hudson Yards. That move paid off in a big way as I have sold over 30 development sites in the area since then and created so much value for sellers in that area.

My first call to Nowy Dziennik Publications produced a curt response from someone who would not identify themselves, saying in a thick accent that the building was not for sale, was the headquarters for the company and would NEVER be sold. I called again a few months later and got the same response. A few months later and the same message was relayed. Notwithstanding this feedback, I made my quarterly calls, put them on my mailing list and sent hard mail over there every month, just like I did to every owner in the area.

Our mailings were compelling. We were gaining fast traction in the Yards and with each new sale, a mailing discussing the transaction was sent to all owners. We were doing detailed market reports. At one point, we mailed out a map with dots and thumbnail photos of all of the development sites we had sold in the neighborhood. It was a very powerful marketing piece.

In early 2011, the phone rang, “Bob, This is Barbara Wierzbianska from Nowy Dziennik. We own a building at..” “333 West 38th Street”, I completed her sentence. I could hear her smiling on the other end of the phone. She told me she had been getting our mailings for years and wanted to chat as the company needed larger quarters and wanted to sell the building.

We set up a meeting and went over to their offices and met with Barbara and her CFO.

Over all those years, they never really engaged with us in any way but, to my great surprise, she had a file full of all of my mailings on her desk. She said they wanted to sell and thought someone would want to build on their site because they had so many unused air-rights. She was right.

There was no listing competition. No other brokers interviewed. Barbara loved our mailings and told us to just send over an agreement. We sold the property to one of our favorite buyers, Sam Chang, who built yet another of his hotels on the site. The property sold for $4.6 million on December 2, 2011.

Swipe to see what the seller had to say...

10/26/2026

How do you expand a successful real estate platform?

I recently spoke on the "Commercial Real Estate Blueprint Podcast" and talked about how we grew Massey Knakal beyond our core investment sales business.

At one point, we had 72 investment sales brokers, with one broker responsible for each territory. That structure gave us tremendous coverage and allowed our brokers to develop deep expertise in their individual markets.

As the company grew, we saw opportunities to provide additional services to the owners and investors we were already working with. By 2012, we had expanded into retail leasing and mortgage brokerage.

The mortgage business became a particularly strong extension of what we were doing. We were already selling approximately $4 billion to $5 billion of properties annually, which created a natural opportunity to help arrange financing around those transactions.

The growth came quickly.

Our debt business originated approximately $300 million in its first year, grew to about $800 million in the second, and reached roughly $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion in the third.

By the time we sold the company in 2014, we had built a much broader real estate services platform around the investment sales business we started with.

Growth becomes powerful when you understand your core business, know your clients, and recognize opportunities to provide them with additional services they genuinely need.

10/26/2026

Anybody can tell a property owner they are an expert.

Saying it does not make it so.

Most owners do not wake up one morning, decide to sell a $20 million building and randomly select a broker. They hire someone who knows the market, understands their property and has demonstrated competence. Someone they TRUST.

So how does that trust develop?

Ed Winslow and I call it PROOF STACKING.

Trust develops through evidence. One interaction at a time. One piece of information at a time.

The owner receives your quarterly market report. That is a piece of proof.

They see your name on a comparable sale. Another piece.

You call about a transaction around the corner. Another piece.

They read your article or see you speak at an event. More pieces.

They ask a question about their property, and you give them an insight they had not considered. Another piece.

You are giving them reasons to conclude, on their own, that you are the expert.

That is why prospecting is a long-term investment. You are building an ASSET, and that asset is your reputation with a specifically defined group of owners.

In Manhattan, south of 96th Street, the average turnover rate is about 2.5%. The typical owner sells once every 40 years.

Should I be upset if an owner does not want to transact after five years of calls? Every year that goes by, I am a year closer to a yes.

And “not now” becomes INFORMATION. A five-year hold. A refinance. A family situation. Every answer deepens the relationship.

The objective of prospecting is to become the person they call when they finally decide to sell.

Proof stacking is about how often you give people a reason to trust your name.

The best time to start was five years ago. The second-best time is today.

10/23/2026

Knowing when to say no is one of the most valuable skills in commercial real estate.

When a property owner needs help with leasing, financing, or selling a property outside my specialty, I refer them to someone in my network who knows that market best.

Over the years, I've built an extensive referral network across different specialties and neighborhoods.

Today, I focus almost exclusively on selling vacant properties in New York City. I say no to far more opportunities than I accept, and I'm completely comfortable with that.

Here's why.

Brokers have two primary assets: market knowledge and time.

Market knowledge is something you should constantly improve. And while most people believe time is finite, I believe you can make time by focusing on what you do best.

Do you think specialization is the key to becoming a more successful broker?

Address

New City, NY

Telephone

+19175099501

Website

https://www.bobknakal.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bob Knakal NYC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.