Real Takk Podcast

My special guest on this episode is none other than my friend who shares a name with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time — but this is definitely not Tom Brady, the NFL legend. No touchdowns on the field here, but plenty in the investment sales game.   Tom Brady & I first met almost two decades ago at what was once known as Town Real Estate, here in the same office we’re in today on 5...

It’s officially the start of the summer season — and in true solo pod fashion, we’re kicking it off with a timely breakdown of the brand new NYC Pied-à-Terre Tax that just got enacted.   In this episode, I walk through exactly how the new surcharge works (Phase 1 vs. Phase 2), why the crazy-low DOF market value on high-end condos actually shields many owners from the tax in both phases, and what t...

Pleased to have my friend & industry veteran, Justin Rubinstein, founder of J. Rubinstein Homes, back on the pod. We jump on this quick episode to discuss the newly proposed pied-à-terre tax by Mayor Mamdani. We discuss the pros, cons, and likely pain points of this tax, as well as the political climate in our real estate industry.    I end the episode by reading the recently released letter f...

Very excited to have Brandon Polakoff, Principal and Head of NYC Investment Sales at Avison Young, join us on this episode of the Real Takk Pod.  Based in the firm’s New York City office, Brandon leads a team of more than 30 professionals, guiding clients through the sale of multifamily, office, development, and retail assets across New York City and beyond.  Brandon joined Avison Young in 2018 an...

I’m excited to bring Gabe Phillips onto The Real Takk Podcast. Gabe is the founder and CEO of Catalyst Power, a New York-based integrated energy company that’s helping mid-market commercial and industrial businesses across the Northeast decarbonize their operations without the burden of upfront costs. Gabe’s journey in energy began with trading electricity and gas at Sempra Energy Trading. He went...

I am thrilled to have Ann Korchak, the Board President of the Small Property Owners of New York, or SPONY. What exactly is SPONY? They are a non-profit, all-volunteer advocacy and education organization founded in 1984. It represents small housing providers—primarily independent, family-owned landlords and multi-generational businesses in New York City (and, to some extent, statewide)—who own and...

In this solo episode of The Real Takk Podcast, I unpack the complexities of NYC rezoning and spotlight the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, approved in August 2025. After decades of outdated zoning, it finally opens 42 blocks to nearly 10,000 new homes. Then I dive into this month's hottest topic: the renewed attention on the Epstein files following the DOJ's massive January 2026 document release, wi...

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Real Takk Podcast, where we dive deep into the high-stakes world of NYC real estate, the stories behind the deals, and the lives of the power players making it all happen.  AND it’s that time of the year again!  The end-of-the-year wrap-up pod is here, where we discuss all things real estate in 2025, along with our prediction pod for real estate in 2026.  ...

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Real Takk Podcast, where we dive deep into the high-stakes world of NYC real estate, the stories behind the deals, and the lives of the power players making it all happen.  AND it’s that time of the year again!  The end-of-the-year wrap-up pod is here, where we discuss all things real estate in 2025, along with our prediction pod for real estate in 2026! T...

We're back with an annual tradition of wrapping up the good & the bad of real estate in 2025, and the prediction pod of 2026.  I am here with my good friend Elkin Serna,  Elkin is voted the “Best Realtor in the USA” by his daughter and is the principal of the Serna Team here in NYC.  He is a 9-time NYC Marathon Runner and part of the prestigious Real Trends 2025 by sales volume. I have had the...

I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce a powerhouse who's not just reshaping the Boise, Idaho market but inspiring a whole generation of agents with her blend of grit, heart, and unyielding expertise.   Please join me in welcoming Rachel Hausman Masse, a trailblazing real estate advisor with Compass in Boise, Idaho. What sets her apart isn't just the numbers; Rachel grew up in a generational real es...

Very excited to bring back Chris Okada of Okada & Co., this time in person, since he last joined us back during the depths of COVID back in the summer of 2020.   Chris is the founder & owner of Okada & Co, a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in the ownership, acquisition, & leasing of office, building, land, & storage facilities across NYC & New Jersey.  Ch...

Join me on a quick episode to discuss the results of the NYC Fare Act, government intervention in NYC real estate, and my thoughts on Compass's acquisition of Corcoran & Anywhere Real Estate.   

Pleased to bring on Tanya Delahoz, one of our founding agents of our Breckenridge, Colorado market in Summit County.  Hailing from New Jersey, Tanya grew up as a competitive ski racer throughout childhood.  What should have been a quick stop to Breck during those years ended up being a 25+year tenure as a permanent resident, where she now resides with her husband and two children.   For those of y...

I welcome Lauren Mitrick Wood from Compass Chicago for the second time on the Real Takk Pod. Lauren & I first met at the LA Compass national conference about 7 years ago.  Since then, she's represented a few of my personal friends and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of transactions in Chicago.   Lauren is a powerhouse Chicago real estate broker and the founder of “Olive Well” at Compass....

Pleased to bring on Cheryl Foote, our founding agent from our Steamboat, Colorado market, on the Real Takk Pod.  Born & raised in Minnesota, Cheryl attended Regis College in Denver, which brought her to Colorado.   Cheryl moved to Steamboat Springs in 1996, and fast forward almost 30 years, Cheryl & her family call Steamboat their home.   Cheryl has a wealth of knowledge in the steamboat m...

Pleased to have back on, the absolute GOAT of our channel,  Jessica Northrop of Compass Denver .  This is her third time back on the channel since we've launched, so it's great to catch up with her in 2025!   As the founding team of our Denver, Colorado office, Jessica has closed & represented over half a dozen personal friends of mine in the Denver Metro Market.  She's been in the business si...

Pleased to have Kenny Burgos, the Chief Executive Officer of the New York Apartment Association (NYAA), on this episode.  NYAA owns & manages nearly 1M affordable housing units in the NYC metropolitan area, making Kenny the leader of the largest trade organization representing private multifamily building owners in the country.   Kenny was born and raised in the Bronx. He graduated from Bronx...

Pleased to have industry insider, colleague & friend Stacey Froelich on The Real Takk Pod. Stacey grew up in New York and moved back to Manhattan after graduating from the University of Florida in 1995. She started her career in Event Planning and soon realized that the ultimate event is finding and moving into a new home.   On this episode, we discuss coop board politics, navigating the diffi...

Pleased to have one of my favorite staff members at Compass, a long-time veteran with nearly a decade of experience dedicated to building the future of real estate and our tech stack at Compass. Naader, or as we like to call him "Noddy," is one of the most knowledgeable members of our Compass Technology Team, who has experienced growth across half a dozen roles on the data and product sides of our...

I am pleased to have Sarah Patton on this episode of the Real Takk Podcast. Sarah co-heads our new development team with our previous guest, Dan Parker. Most recently, Sarah has been working closely with developers in NYC who have already acquired office buildings and are subsequently converting them to residential housing.   Sarah's current & previous clients she's represented include Metrolo...

Join us for an insightful episode with Nico Moinian, a true connoisseur of New York City real estate. Nico, a Partner at Fortuna Realty Group, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the industry. Fortuna Realty Group is a private real estate investment firm in Manhattan that specializes in owning and operating a collection of independent boutique hotels, restaurants, and bars in some of th...

I am pleased to have Tony on the wrap-up & prediction pod for 2024 and 2025.  Tony & I met at Compass several years ago, and I’ve come to know him as a smart, thoughtful, and opinionated real estate professional in NYC who brings a wealth of knowledge to our community & most importantly, his clients.  Tony was raised internationally and speaks five languages, attended Carnegie Mellon U...

It's an annual end-of-the-year tradition by wrapping up the 2024 year in business & real estate with our guest Sean Mcpeak of the Empire Collective Team at Serhant.  Sean had a productive year with his business partner being featured in the hit Netflix TV show Owning Manhattan, building up his team, and, of course, coming on my pod with his zingers, one-liners, trivia skills, and real estate k...

I welcome my friend Will Hardy to the Real Takk Podcast, where we discuss real estate, the state of the brokerage business, the hardships we face as real estate agents and brokers, the NAR Settlement, brokers going into politics, his story about biking across America through Georga to California, and what's working under the hood from business leadership. We also discuss the direction our industry...