Commercial Hall of Famer Bob Knakal, the Senior Managing Director and Head of New York Private Capital Group at JLL, sits down with Noah Rosenblatt and John Walkup of UrbanDigs to talk NYC real estate. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bob shares his thoughts on the current commercial real estate market(s) in New York City, land values, cap rates, the importance of finding your specialty, the value of hard work, why offices foster learning, and much more. Bob's a living legend which makes this a must-listen!

Highlights:
0:46 - What's happening in the markets today?
6:45 - Becoming an expert
10:22 - Thoughts on the office sector
13:23 - Data and resources to track
15:09 - Framing challenges as opportunities
16:25 - It's ok to say no: advice on growing business
19:55 - Why smaller sites are more marketable
21:00 - Closing thoughts

Bob's page at JLL:
https://www.us.jll.com/en/people/bob-knakal

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Got questions? We got answers! Visit our forum:
https://www.urbandigs.com/forum/index.php?forums/main-forum.2/

Track the New York City real estate market with real-time data and charts:
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Link to our overview of Manhattan or Brooklyn real estate stats:
https://www.urbandigs.com/marketwide-charts/

For more Manhattan and Brooklyn real estate conversations:
http://www.talkingmanhattan.com/

From a Commerical Point of View with Bob Knakal

Renovation, Relationships, and Real Talk with Jacob Wood
Today, Noah and John sit down with Jacob Wood of Coldwell Banker Warburg, an NYC real estate advisor known for his sharp market insights and no-nonsense approach to building business. Jacob shares why Manhattan home values have stayed flat over the last decade, how co-ops vs. condos shape buyer psychology, and the underestimated value of renovation projects. He dives into strategies for mastering submarkets, crafting powerful outreach letters, and explains why mastering both deal mechanics and business generation is key to success. Great stuff!


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✅ Stay Connected With Us:

👉 Noah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-rosenblatt-b9b17815
👉 John's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-walkup2/
👉 Website: https://www.urbandigs.com
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbandigs_nyc
👉 X: https://x.com/UrbanDigs
📧 Contact: hello@urbandigs.com

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⏱️ Key Talking Points with Timestamps

00:55 – Manhattan Market Overview
02:45 – Buyer Mentality vs National Market
04:40 – Why Manhattan Isn’t Booming
05:10 – Co-ops vs. Condos Mindset
06:55 – Renovation as Value Play
08:00 – Overcoming Renovation Fear
10:55 – Becoming a Submarket Expert
12:40 – Winning Over Local Sellers
14:15 – The Long Game of Farming
15:30 – Lead Gen That Works
17:30 – Personalization vs. Postcards
18:55 – Differentiation Through Marketing
19:55 – Advice to His Younger Self
21:15 – Scaling Systems
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✅ Jacob's Sites
https://jacobwoodre.com/
https://cbwarburg.com/agent/jacob-wood

✅ Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobwoodre/

✅ Follow Jacob on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jacobwoodre
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🎙️ Want more Manhattan & Brooklyn real estate insights?
Catch past episodes of Talking Manhattan at:
➡️ talkingmanhattan.com


Talking Manhattan-Jacob Wood

Noah Rosenblatt and John Walkup from UrbanDigs talk real-time NYC real estate data and trends.

Talking Manhattan-Jacob Wood

Talking Manhattan

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