Next Dor: A Natural-Born Salesman | Detroit Jewish News – The Jewish News

Fast cars are one of Avi Knopf’s favorite things.

Realtor Avi Knopf says the key to success is hard work and a willingness to adapt.

Realtor Avi Knopf has been working with homes for nearly his entire life.

At the age of 15, he began apprenticing as an electrician.

“Growing up, my dad was a custom-finish carpenter,” he explains of his childh…….

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Fast cars are one of Avi Knopf’s favorite things.

Realtor Avi Knopf says the key to success is hard work and a willingness to adapt.

Realtor Avi Knopf has been working with homes for nearly his entire life.

At the age of 15, he began apprenticing as an electrician.

“Growing up, my dad was a custom-finish carpenter,” he explains of his childhood in Oak Park, where he learned the ins and outs of home renovation. “I’ve always been hands-on and building things since I was a child.”

Ingrained in the local Orthodox Jewish community, Knopf’s father was often building items for yeshivas. In fact, the first item Knopf ever recalls building is a shtender (lectern).

“That’s what got me started,” he says of his love for homes and the art of craftsmanship,
Now working as a licensed realtor with Birmingham-based Max Broock Realtors, Knopf originally planned to go into a career as an electrician like he was apprenticing for, but the 2008 recession inspired him to go in a different direction.

As the trade slowed down, Knopf migrated into sales, particularly home sales. “It was a good move,” he says of the natural transition from one housing industry to another.

The Real Estate Bug

After buying his first house at the age of 19, Knopf, now 32 and based in Southfield, saw potential for a successful career. He also fell in love with the opportunities it offered.
Knopf went to work renovating his first house. When it was ready and fully updated, he sold it and saw what kind of profit could be made in this line of work.

“I was hit by the bug,” he laughs, “to really dive into that.”

In addition to traditional real estate selling and buying, Knopf also invests in properties and purchases homes to renovate and sell.

However, it’s the relationship-building part of his job that keeps Knopf in the game,
“It’s so much fun, the number of different people you get to meet, different personalities and cultures,” he says of working in real estate. “You learn a lot about people. You make good friends, good relationships. It’s just very rewarding.”

Yet like any career path, real estate presents its own challenges. Managing buyers’ and sellers’ expectations is a hurdle Knopf often has to navigate.

“There’s the classic, like you can’t buy a $1 million house for $200,000,” he explains. “But I do a really good job at helping people understand the face-value of homes.”

He credits his experience working in craftsmanship to his ability to understand fair and accurate home pricing.

“I think I provide a lot of value to people because of my background in construction and being an electrician,” Knopf says. “If I walk through a house with buyers, they’re always appreciative that I can identify issues or lack thereof, saving them money on inspections right up front.”

Gratification from clients, Knopf says, is another rewarding part of his real estate career.

Hard Work Leads to Success

To be successful in real estate, Knopf believes the key is hard work and a willingness to adapt.

“I try to be available for people,” he explains. “I actually really enjoy what I do, so I don’t mind doing it all the time. You can’t be afraid of changes; you have to understand how to adapt, just like we adapted to COVID-19.”

Good relationships, he continues, also help bring in referrals. “People will keep an eye out for you,” he says. “You’ll end up with a great referral base.”

Avi Knopf and his dog Domino

Although he’s busy with work, Knopf makes time every morning for his second passion: fitness. Each day, his alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. Then, he goes straight to the gym.
“Growing up super-religious, I understood the value and responsibility of taking care of my body,” he explains. “I’ve always been active. I’ve played sports growing up.”

Knopf is regularly involved with Come Play Detroit, a local sports club that organizes leagues and activities.

He’s also been involved with NEXTGen Detroit for 10 years and often chairs events in and around Detroit.

“I’m very proud of our culture and us as people,” he says of the local Jewish community. “I like to be involved and it’s fun.”

Still, despite his busy schedule, Knopf has never stopped building things.
In his spare time, he builds cars and can often be seen racing them on M1 Concourse, among other racetracks.

“Things that are fast car-related, that’s my happy place,” he says.

It’s the same as houses, Knopf explains of his love for cars.

“I bought my first car for $300 when I was 15, before I had my license,” he says. “I taught myself how to fix it up and sold it for $1,700. I kept doing that stuff. It’s the same concept as houses.”

Source: https://thejewishnews.com/2022/09/29/next-dor-a-natural-born-salesman/