Michael Lee

As a partner at HKS Real Estate Advisors, Michael Lee wears many hats. Primarily, Lee is an advocate for his clients and focuses on sourcing, negotiating and structuring deals across various asset classes, including multifamily, industrial, office, retail and hospitality properties. He prioritizes understanding clients’ unique needs, risk tolerance and long-term goals, which allows him to provide tailored advice and strategic recommendations.

Lee kickstarted his career at HKS, and has been an integral part of the team since 2011. Some of his career highlights include the following:

• $17-million ground-up construction loan for a 75,000-square-foot mixed-use property in Queens. The loan was financed with a traditional bank despite being the first ground-up development for the client.

• $75-million loan refinance of a retail condo in SoHo Manhattan for 10 years fixed with 10 years interest only, non-recourse.

• $11-million, two-bank participation refinance and renovation loan for a single-tenant charter school, for which the lenders were comfortable closing prior to receiving the TCO/CO.

In the commercial real estate landscape, the past few years have been marked by a notable decline in transaction volume, cautious lending practices, an increase in interest rates and widespread uncertainty within the industry. Despite these challenges, Lee has had impeccable execution for clients.

These are just a few reasons we selected Michael Lee as one of Connect CRE’s New York & Tri-State 2024 Next Generation Award winners. Connect CRE’s seventh annual Next Generation Awards recognize young leaders who will strongly influence the commercial real estate industry.