Ones To Watch: Innovators in CRE: Greg Corbin, Northgate Real Estate Group

Greg Corbin is President and Founder of Northgate Real Estate Group, ranked #1 in New York and among the top firms nationally for bankruptcy, foreclosure and restructuring brokerage. He sells commercial real estate and negotiates workouts for borrowers, lenders and property owners, bringing complex matters to resolution. Northgate has sold more than 450 buildings, development sites, and loans, and completed $4.3 billion in transactions.

Innovation Highlight

Commercial real estate brokerage teams often specialize in a property type or geographic market. I built my practice around a different specialty: distressed real estate. That requires understanding not just the bricks, but the capital structure, the legal process and how to bring the parties to a resolution. What many firms handle occasionally, we handle exclusively. Today, Northgate is ranked #1 in New York for bankruptcy, foreclosure and restructuring brokerage and among the top firms nationally, with more than 450 buildings sold and $4.3 billion in transactions.

Industry Outlook

We are focused on bringing AI into the way we work. In our business, reviewing contracts and other documents, preparing declarations, affidavits and bid procedures, organizing data, cleaning up investor lists and researching contacts all take substantial time. AI has the potential to make that work more efficient, helping us bring assignments to market sooner, identify the right buyers and move transactions forward with fewer administrative delays. In distressed real estate, timing matters, and acting faster on better information can make a meaningful difference in the outcome.

Innovation in Action

I am excited about growing Northgate while preserving the personal involvement and expertise that built the business. Building our leadership team and internal systems will allow me to lead the firm effectively while staying directly involved with clients. Better coordination, clearer responsibilities and more efficient processes will help us manage more assignments and make better use of everyone’s time, including mine. That creates more room for the work I enjoy most: spending time with clients, solving difficult problems, structuring solutions and closing deals.

Looking Ahead

What excites me is the market reset already underway. Borrowers and lenders are becoming more realistic about current values. Debt balances may still far exceed property values, but the gap between what buyers will pay and lenders will accept is narrowing. That creates a more efficient market, where stalled deals can move forward, transaction volume can grow and new capital can flow into properties that need it.

AT A GLANCE:

YEARS IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE:

19

CURRENT ROLE:

President & Founder

INNOVATION FOCUS:

Bankruptcy Sales, Foreclosures, Loan Sales, Workouts

BEST CAREER ADVICE:

Build your expertise where others see complexity.