043: Selling New York City from the Ground Up: How Grit, Strategic Systems, and Vision Built One of the Most Influential Real Estate Careers in History
Description
Few people can say they’ve helped physically shape New York City but Bob Knakal is one of them.
With over 2,351 building sales totaling $22 billion, Bob is the most prolific investment sales broker in NYC history. In this powerhouse episode of Dream Plan Execute, host Ramon Parchment sits down with the legendary dealmaker to unpack his journey from Coldwell Banker rookie to co-founding Massey Knakal, leading at Cushman & Wakefield and JLL, and now launching BKREA his AI-forward real estate firm.
We dive deep into:
The “territory system” that disrupted NYC brokerage
How servant leadership built one of the industry’s most influential talent pipelines
Lessons from 40+ years in the trenches of NYC real estate
Why he believes AI will reshape commercial brokerage and how to stay relevant
The mindset, discipline, and drive behind 2,000+ deals
His new book Selling Buildings and his mission to mentor the next generation
Plus: rapid-fire stories, legacy reflections, and advice for new brokers breaking into the business today.
🧱 Whether you’re in real estate, leadership, or just chasing excellence, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.
🎧 Listen now and don’t forget to follow + rate the show!
📲 Connect with Bob:
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