Cohen of M.C. O'Brien: There is always another deal to work on

Name: Karen Cohen Title: Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Company Name: M.C. O'Brien Inc. What year did you start your career in commercial real estate:2008 What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? I arranged the sale of a one-story 8,000 s/f corner commercial building in Ravenswood, Queens. The building had 92' of frontage and 10 retail stores. It was delivered vacant aside from one tenant who had 1 year left on his lease. I was able to generate multiple all-cash offers with no contingencies over a 6 week period. We closed successfully shortly after securing a contract at $2.4 million. The best part of the transaction was the seller had no idea of the value of his property which had become a management burden for him. What is the first thing you do when you arrive in the office in the morning? At M.C. O'brien inc the overriding mantra is "what is in our clients best interest" and i work to stay focused on that concept when working on a transaction. What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you? Just do it!! Get it done right away. Don't leave it for tomorrow. Something else will come up tomorrow that needs your attention as well. The best way is to do whatever it is right away. Otherwise other things come up and there is the possibility of forgetting or having something slip through the cracks. What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? My broker, William O'Brien, SIOR, told me when a deal is successful or even when a deal falls apart - don't dwell on it. Move on to the next deal. There is always another deal to work on. Move forward. List 3 women that you would like to have drinks / dinner with and where would you go? Mary ann gilmartin has shown that there is no limit in commercial real estate in brooklyn for women and i would love to spend time discussing forest city ratner's portfolio and the strategy and hurdles she encountered developing so many projects in brooklyn including the barclays center. I think the river café would provide a beautiful setting for our chat. What is your favorite quote? The only person you should be better than is the person you were yesterday.