Faraz Cheema & Building Mastery in Manhattan’s Office Market
Podcast
The Crexi Team
May 28, 2025
This episode explores the intricacies of Manhattan’s office market and becoming a subject matter expert with Faraz Cheema, Managing Partner of BKREA.
The Crexi Podcast explores various aspects of the commercial real estate industry in conversation with some of the top CRE professionals in the space. In each episode, we feature different guests to tap into their wealth of CRE expertise and explore the latest trends and updates from the world of commercial real estate.
In this episode of the Crexi Podcast, host Shanti Ryle, Director of Content Marketing at Crexi, sits down with Faraz to discuss the nuances of the Manhattan office market. Faraz shares his extensive background in commercial real estate, including his journey from finance and asset management to brokerage in New York.
The conversation covers valuable insights into market trends, office to residential conversions, and effective brokerage strategies. They also delve into how to build a strong social media presence and the importance of focused, quality engagement over quantity in networking.
- Introduction and Guest Overview
- Faraz Cheema's Background and Career Path
- Family Business and Early Career
- Transition to Commercial Real Estate
- Moving to Manhattan and New Challenges
- Office Market Insights and Trends
- Office to Residential Conversions
- Corporate Real Estate Trends in Manhattan
- Luxury Retailers and Real Estate
- Brokerage Analysis and AI Integration
- Prospecting and Client Engagement
- Social Media Strategies for Brokers
- Building a Social Media Presence
- Networking and Referrals in Real Estate
- Challenges of Starting in a New Market
- Balancing Social Media and Brokerage
- Rapid Fire Questions and Investment Strategies
- Final Thoughts and Contact Information
Watch “Faraz Cheema & Building Mastery in Manhattan’s Office Market” on YouTube
About Faraz Cheema:
Faraz Cheema, SIOR, CCIM, focuses on the Manhattan Office Market at BKREA. Faraz brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in commercial real estate, making him an invaluable addition to the BKREA team.
Previously, Faraz Cheema was the Managing Group Principal Coldwell Banker Commercial Realty - Atlas Advisory Group and prior was Investment Sales Specialist since September 2016. Originally a Washington D.C. native, Faraz currently resides in Potomac, MD.
With over 7 years experience as a financial analyst and 6 years as an asset manager, Faraz has a unique understanding of the investment side of commercial real estate. He has worked specifically within the retail and hospitality sectors in the Washington DC / Baltimore MD metropolitan area focusing on: acquisitions, disposition, asset management, & property management before entering the commercial real estate brokerage industry.
Faraz possesses a Master of Science degree in Real Estate and Infrastructure, and in conjunction with his SIOR and CCIM designations, he is positioned to squarely meet his clients' diverse commercial real estate needs.
About Crexi’s Commercial Real Estate Podcast:
Crexi’s commercial real estate podcast features conversations across all aspects of commercial real estate with industry leading investors, developers, brokers, and professionals. Among the top 5% of commercial real estate podcasts, The Crexi Podcast sits down with industry experts to investigate trends, educate listeners, and uncover the latest happenings and news in the world of commercial real estate. To listen to all episodes for free, check out The Crexi Podcast's full library here.
Crexi is transforming commercial real estate with advanced, integrative technology and data analytics designed to accelerate every CRE stakeholder’s success. From trading properties to machine-learning-powered industry Intelligence, Crexi’s intuitive CRE solutions accelerate transaction velocity and have empowered over 3 million active monthly users to close more than $660 billion in deals and market over $7 trillion in property value.
