Never bet against New York City: Bob Knakal talks markets, policy, and opportunity

Legendary New York broker Bob Knakal shares lessons from more than four decades shaping the city’s investment landscape. He discusses the founding of Massey Knakal, the power of specialization, and how zoning and policy continue to define opportunity. Knakal also explains why he’s integrating AI and data analysis into his brokerage, and why, despite political headwinds, he still believes you should never bet against New York.



Key Moments:

01:01 Meet Bob Knakal

03:24 The early days of Massey Knakal

04:50 Lessons learned and keys to success

08:14 The importance of market expertise

11:26 Founding BK Real Estate Advisors

13:14 Specialization and market changes

17:37 AI and technology in real estate

24:15 The unique challenges of the New York market

26:20 Current market cycles and trends

29:57 Impact of political changes on housing

32:42 Proposed solutions for housing issues

38:35 Future of New York real estate

Resources Mentioned:

Bob Knakal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobknakal/

BKREA - https://www.bkrea.com/

485-x Program - https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/tax-incentives-485-x.page

Major Capital Improvement program - https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/landlords-mci.page

Individual Apartment Improvement program - https://hcr.ny.gov/apartment-iai-and-building-mci-improvements

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