How Bob Knakal Sold 2,351 Buildings (and What He Learned Doing It) – Feat. Rod Santomassimo - Ep. 101

📈 2,351 buildings sold. One legendary career. One brand-new book.

In this kickoff to Season 3 of Commercially Speaking, Bo and Timmy Barron are joined by Bob Knakal, the man who's sold more buildings than anyone ever documented—and Rod Santomassimo, his longtime coach and co-author of the new book, Selling Buildings.

This episode is a masterclass in brokerage, relationships, risk, data, leadership, and legacy. You’ll hear:

• 🔥 Why Bob ran to the deli on 9/11—and how that moment changed his business forever
• 📊 How he averaged more than one building sale per week over four decades
• 🧠 Why Rod believes conviction + curiosity are the real broker superpowers
• 💥 What to do during a downturn, and how big bets during hard times pay off
• 🏙️ Why Bob believes right now may be the best buying moment NYC has ever seen

They also share behind-the-scenes stories, including:

• Bob’s obsession with baseball stats and how it shaped his sales career
• The origins of his now-iconic “broker baseball card”
• The strategic decisions that made Massey Knakal legendary
• Why Barbara Corcoran, Ryan Serhant, and other CRE titans are backing this new book

🎧 Whether you're an investor, a broker, or just a numbers nerd, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.

👉 Available now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts

🛒 Buy the book: Selling Buildings by Bob Knakal and Rod Santomassimo — Available now on Amazon https://a.co/d/6FTfXIP

Bob's Previous Episode: https://youtu.be/YRaKpbzMjiQ?si=aytG-cbsr_F8W-z9Rod's Previous Episode: https://youtu.be/UA0u5CMTb9Y?si=rl9mwlCb00qd7E1D

Thanks To Our Sponsors

• 💰🏙️ CRE Investor Coach: No Guess Work, No Wasted Time — https://bit.ly/43t6Vrl
• 🤖 Superpowers HQ – Need a CRE executive assistant? Get one here: superpowershq.com/commerciallyspeaking
• 📊 CRE Marketing Mastermind – wesgay.com/cs

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• 📚 ”Selling Buildings” by Bob Knakal & Rod Santomassimo — https://a.co/d/6FTfXIP
• 📰 Our Weekly Newsletter: The Inside Scoop On CRE — subscribe.wgbarron.com
• 🏬 Barron Commercial Group: CRE Made Simple — https://barroncommercial.com/
• 🥏 All Disc, No Balls! Tizbee, The Secret Game Of Champions — tizbee.com

⏰ Timecode ⏰

00:00 - Cold Open03:49 - Welcome Bob “BFK” Knakal & Rod “CAC” Santomassimo06:50 - Why Did You Write The Book?10:50 - From Coach To Best Friend13:40 - Barbara Corcoran16:28 - The Book17:14 - Where Were You On 9/11?24:01 - This Isn’t Just A Book Of Stories26:36 - The Inflection Point Of 9/1131:11 - Downturn Tactics36:20 - The 4 Cs37:56 - Nothing Is Absolute40:58 - Baseball’s Influence On Bob’s Success46:11 - The Key To Differentiating Yourself48:28 - How Are Deals Different Now Than They Were 40 Years Ago?51:33 - BKREA Update56:11 - Bob’s Got A New Goal59:13 - Bob F***ing Knakal