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

***  NEW ***
Need data to anchor a listing pitch or support a price reduction? Try UrbanDigs Advisor today! Our customized deep dives close deals faster and make you look like a hero. Plus, subscribers get a discount! To get started, email support@urbandigs.com and let us know what you need.

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:
https://www.urbandigs.com/

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

Selling NYC Smarter: Kayla Lee’s Strategies for Today’s Market | UrbanDigs

Today, Noah and John sit down with Kayla Lee of Serhant—one of the top-producing small teams in NYC real estate with nearly a billion dollars in new development pipeline. Kayla gives a powerful breakdown of Manhattan’s shifting buyer preferences, the boom in Brooklyn and Queens new development, and how smart pricing, creative staging, and amenity-rich projects are winning the day. She shares her insights on building a lean, high-performing team, and reveals her two golden rules for success in real estate. Pure gold!

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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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00:45 – Kayla’s market breakdown
02:15 – The Brooklyn/Queens shift
03:00 – Long Island City & Greenpoint surge
05:45 – New development momentum
08:00 – Changing buyer expectations
10:45 – The pricing conversation
12:15 – Handling stubborn sellers
14:45 – Building a team
16:45 – The "Avengers" approach
18:00 – Training new team members
20:00 – Kayla’s advice: "Know your s**t" and "Don’t be an a**hole"
21:30 – Why networking wins deals
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✅ Kayla's Sites:
https://kaylaleeteam.com/
https://serhant.com/agents/kayla-lee
https://serhant.com/teams/kayla-lee-team

✅ Connect with Kayla on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylalee

✅ Follow Kayla on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kaylaleeteam

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📊 Want to price right, win more listings, and close faster?
More and more top NYC agents are trusting UrbanDigs Advisor for confident pricing decisions—powered by appraiser comps, unique insights, and real-time data (not lagging averages).

🚀 We've already priced nearly $600M in NYC listings, with some cuts exceeding $1M!
🧠 Take the guesswork out of pricing.
➡️ Check it out + get a sample report: urbandigs.co

📈 Try the UrbanDigs Platform – FREE
Access live market data, charts, and insights to stay ahead in the NYC real estate game.
🗽 Dive into Manhattan & Brooklyn stats anytime:
➡️ urbandigs.com

🔴 Tune in to Macro Monday – LIVE Every Monday at 11AM!
Get weekly updates on credit, equity, and NYC real estate trends—straight from the experts.
🎥 Subscribe & join us live: @UrbanDigsNYC

🎙️ Want more Manhattan & Brooklyn real estate insights?
Catch past episodes of Talking Manhattan at:
➡️ talkingmanhattan.com

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✅  Other Videos You Might Be Interested In Watching:

👉 Tough Clients, Big Deals, and NYC Energy with Holly Parker
               https://studio.youtube.com/video/eOA7LNDCwp0

👉 Quiet Confidence & Big Closings with Nick Gavin
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs7CrSgMNRQ&t=57s

👉 Brooklyn Townhouses Pricing Strategies and Broker Realities
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdTX6OloknE&t=5s

👉 Top NYC Real Estate Agents Reveal How UrbanDigs Advisor Helps 
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8e6X5axc9Q

👉 New Devs, Faux-Ops & Luxury Sales with Alexander Boriskin
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4YP9y-wqj4
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Selling NYC Smarter: Kayla Lee’s Strategies for Today’s Market | UrbanDigs

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

Selling NYC Smarter: Kayla Lee’s Strategies for Today’s Market | UrbanDigs

Talking Manhattan

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