Ivor Braka on Buying NYC at $5/Ft, 70 Years in Real Estate, and Becoming a Tennis Legend

Ivor Braka is a veteran New York real estate investor whose six-decade career spans buildings across Manhattan, Newark, Florida, and Mexico City, and includes a stake in the World Trade Center alongside Larry Silverstein. In this episode, Ivor opens up about fleeing wartime England as a baby, learning real estate from the ground up at the Kaufman Organization, and the buy-cheap philosophy that made him millions. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\__ Check out Joe Cayre on Momentum \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\__ SPONSORS: - Yazdi Entertainment: New York's Premiere Event Production Company. [YazdiEntertainment@gmail.com](mailto:YazdiEntertainment@gmail.com) or (646) 765-5643 - Real Property Captive: Own Your Insurance. Recapture Your Premiums. Visit RealPropertyCaptive.com - Michelle Baum Photography: Your Go-To Photographer for Events, Family, Corporate, and more. [MichelleBaumPhoto@icloud.com](mailto:MichelleBaumPhoto@icloud.com) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\__ ABOUT MOMENTUM: 🎙️ Momentum brings you the stories, advice, and wisdom of business visionaries, designed to inspire and guide you on your path to success. Be sure to subscribe on all platforms: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Instagram \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\__ GEAR (use my affiliate links to make me rich!) • Cameras: https://amzn.to/3UuwW5o • Podcast Mics: https://amzn.to/3J5QWsv • Clip-on Mics: https://amzn.to/3H52iwo • Mic Stands: https://amzn.to/4kZj4uL • Lights: https://amzn.to/45lA5up • Tripods: https://amzn.to/4lHHQAI \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\__ (00:00) Coming Up… (01:51) The Making of Ivor Braka: Fleeing Wartime England as a Baby (03:59) Growing Up in Manhattan & Deal, NJ (05:22) First Job: Sifting Sand (and Quitting Over Bathing Suits) (08:19) College, the Draft & Getting Out With a Rabbi's Letter (10:37) Ad: Yazdi Entertainment (11:37) Getting His Start at the Kaufman Organization (14:26) The Macy's Sign Deal His Father Almost Passed On (16:40) Sent to Spain to Learn Real Estate on His Own (18:56) Ad: Real Property Captive (19:42) Building Condos in Spain in the 1960s (21:15) Coming Back to New York & the 1182 Broadway Deal (25:47) Lessons From His First Failures and Successes (28:12) His First Big Break: Selling 500 8th Ave for $10 Million (31:57) The Monopoly Board Philosophy of Real Estate (34:12) Buying Cheap in Newark (37:44) Investing With Partners vs. Doing His Own Deals (38:26) Building Up Turnberry, Florida (47:26) His Best Deal: The Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Mexico City (49:17) Diversifying Across Industries & Partnering With Larry Silverstein (51:58) Co-Owning the World Trade Center (55:33) The 2008 Financial Crisis & Expanding Into Venezuela's Emerging Bonds Market (57:47) Hedge Funds, Blackstone & High Fees (1:01:56) Ad: Michelle Baum Photography (1:02:52) How AI and Technology Have Changed Real Estate (1:05:55) A Lifetime of Tennis Achievements (1:09:19) Staying Young, Losing His Wife, and Staying Active (1:10:31) What He Wants His Legacy to Be (1:12:04) Advice for the Next Generation (1:13:19) Ivor's Momentum Moment: Meeting His Wife in Brazil (1:14:33) Outro & 3 Key Takeaways