Mr. Lively graduated from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. After school he immediately moved to New York City and began working in the Manhattan market specializing in residential rentals for the company Bond New York. Although he was in a new field in a new city, Mr. Lively excelled and completed approximately 20 transactions in his first year.
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Lively worked diligently to familiarize himself with his new market. After succeeding in one area of the real estate market, he decided to cross the East River and not only try another market but also another sector of real estate commercial sales. In late 2002, Massey Knakal opened its original Brooklyn Office in Bay Ridge and Mr. Lively was the first broker hired by the firm. He was living in Williamsburg at the time and was intrigued by the dramatic changes in that market, so he decided to specialize in that area of Brooklyn.
Mr. Lively has transacted or has under contract over 55 properties totaling approximately 240,000 square feet of existing building and 475,000 square feet of buildable space to be developed in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, for a total aggregate value of over $80,000,000. He exclusively represented the seller of the Gabila Knish Factory, a development site on S. 8th Street which sold in August 2005 for $6,850,000. He also represented the charitable organization Ansie-USA, Inc. in the sale of 484 Humboldt Street, which during most of the 20th century served as the Old Saint Catherine s Maternity Hospital. Two other notable mixed-use transactions were 832 Manhattan Avenue, which sold in late 2005 for $1,200,000, or $303 a square foot - the first mixed-use property to sell for over $300 a square foot in Greenpoint; and 142 N. 5th Street, which sold in August 2005 for $3,550,000, or $637 a square foot. A year and a half later that number still has not been exceeded in the Williamsburg market.
This year Mr. Lively put into contract 143-149 Kent Street, also known as the Saint Elias Church and Rectory. In this transaction he represented the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic in the sale of the landmarked church in Greenpoint.
This past year Mr. Lively was the recognized by Real Estate New York as one of the Rising Stars Under 30, given to the best and brightest of New York Metro commercial real estate's next generation. He was also the recipient of Massey Knakal's Michael Fuchs/Aby Rosen Award in Brooklyn for Outstanding Business Development and Goodwill Promotion. Hoping to give back to the community which has done so much for him over the last five years, he recently was accepted as a board member of the North Brooklyn Development Corporation. NBDC was organized in 1979 by civic and business leaders of Greenpoint for the purpose of promoting neighborhood stability, improving economic climate in the community and building affordable housing. He is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York and has written for several trade publications including the Cityfeet’s Spaces New York and Real Estate Weekly, and has been quoted in the New York Times, New York Post, The Real Deal and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Mr. Lively currently lives in Brooklyn Heights. He can be reached in the Brooklyn office at 718.238.8999, x6524.