Meet Michael Sandak | Principal – The Sandak Team

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Sandak and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first graduated college I took a job working at a larger company. Very quickly I realized that office politics and favoritism played a disproportionate role in one’s ability to advance and earn more income. That felt incredibly silly to me. It should be hard work and the production of results that dictate how far someone goes in their career. I quickly left that first job, recognizing I did not want some middle manager determining my career path or what I could earn – I wanted to decide that myself through my own efforts. I realized that i’d likely need to go back to school if I decided to work in finance or law, and I had always enjoyed architecture, so I looked into real estate. Once I took my first job as a real estate agent, I was hooked. The commissions did not add up to much those first few years, but I worked hard and over time, I was able to build my business and in turn my team – The Sandak Team, which is a group of supremely talented real estate agents representing our clients in both New York City and South Florida.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

The Sandak Team is a group of full service, best in class real estate agents representing buyers, sellers, investors, landlords and tenants in the New York City and South Florida markets. As the principal of the Sandak Team, I personally work with the majority of our clients with the help of my team members.

I spent 15 years building our business in NYC before moving my family down to Miami. My wife is a native, and her mother is close by in Fort Lauderdale. I always had interest in Miami real estate, flying down here as far back as 2010 with high net worth clients to look for second homes. When the opportunity came up to expand the Sandak Team to Miami, I jumped on it. It has been both challenging and fulfilling.

I spent an incredible amount of time prior to, and then again after the move just learning the nuances of the South Florida market, seeing all of the new developments in process down here, and touring units in all of the resale condo buildings and single family homes. To me, preparation, which in this case includes market knowledge, is everything. I wanted to be sure that by the time I had a robust client network down here, the way I do in NYC, those clients would feel like I was uniquely qualified to best represent their interests.

I pride myself on being more knowledgeable and harder working than the other agents that my clients might have considered working with. I want my clients to feel like they are my only client, and that they are getting 100% of my attention. The goal is to create a long lasting advisory relationship, whether they are looking for a home for themselves, looking to invest or they simply want to understand the market a little better. I aim to be my clients trusted advisor, not just an agent or a broker. If you hire me to be that trusted advisor, you know you’ll have the most hard working, integrity driven, knowledgeable broker working on your behalf.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

This question is right up my alley! Being a real estate agent, it’s a huge part of the job to be a tour guide, especially to people from out of town. It’s hard to make a decision on where to live when you haven’t experienced the area much, and it’s my job to sell them on Miami, specific neighborhoods and what makes the city so great! In this case if it’s just a friend visiting, we’d obviously not spend as much time in the more suburban areas, though I do love to show guests just how beautiful Coral Gables is. Driving down streets like Coral Way, Santa Maria and Granada is just stunning. I’d definitely take them for the brunch at the Biltmore Hotel while there. One of my favorite restaurants (where we actually took my father the first time he visited) is Fiola in Gables. The GM Scott has become a friend and always shows us a good time.

Grabbing breakfast at Greenstreet Cafe, walking around CocoWalk and checking out the marina in Coconut Grove is a great way to spend a morning. If my guests are interested, Vizcaya is beautiful to walk around, and sunset drinks at the new Bayshore Club is a solid way to begin the evening.

I live in Brickell, so I have a lot of favorites here, but my go tos are people watching from an outdoor table at Moxie’s, walking around Brickell City Centre, dinner at Dirty French, River Oyster Bar or LPM and drinks at a rooftop like Rosa Sky or Sugar. If we’re going big, Marion is a fun scene on weekend nights!

I always make sure to drive through Downtown Miami, Edgewater and Midtown Miami to show my guests those areas as well. And I like to pop out in Wynwood. I’ll show them the Wynwood Walls, the Graffiti Museum, and some of the other sites. While in Wynwood i’m a huge fan of Uchi and Kyu which happen to be across the street from each and are both delicious, and Freehold and Astra (which is one my favorite spots in Miami) are my go to spots for nightlife in the neighborhood.

Design District is also a good time to walk around. It’s like the Rodeo Drive of Miami. My guests always enjoy walking around and seeing all of the high end retail. The hidden gem is the sushi omakase at Yasu Tanaka upstairs, but Cote and Swan are also fantastic choices for a bite to eat, and in the case of Swan, a scene!

I think it’s fun to drive up to MiMo, check out the MiMo motels along Biscayne Boulevard and two of my favorite restaurants, Phuc Yea and Blue Collar are located up there.

No trip to Miami would be complete without spending time on the beach, so I definitely take my guests over the bridges as well and head to South Beach for the scene. If they are up for it maybe we head further north and I show them what Surfside, Bal Harbour (perhaps we stop at the shops) and Sunny Isles are like as well. There are too many great restaurants to name in Miami Beach, so if I had to pick one to take my out of town guests to, it would be Joe’s Stone Crab. It’s just too much of a Miami institution not to. Also my wife’s last meal would be king crab legs, creamed spinach and key lime pie from Joes. I am heading to the Surf Club Restaurant for the first time next week, so that may end up a permanent fixture on my list as well. In terms of drinks, you can’t go wrong with the bar at Faena, and i’m a big fan of both the Broken Shaker and Bodega, but if you’re going big, it’s all about LIV or back over the bridge at E11even.

Finally, if we have a big enough crew to rent one, or if I can find a friend with a boat and no plans – boat days are the best days! That is what Miami living is all about!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think there are many people in my life who deserve some credit for helping guide me in my career growth. The first is my father. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy who always instilled upon me that hard work was what would get you ahead in life (even when I was younger and didn’t get it). He also still gives me some of the best advice I receive. My brother, who is a member of my team, after spending years as a corporate attorney at big law firms in New York also has played a quintessential role in my career. He was actually the first person to suggest to me that I consider real estate when I was trying to figure out what I should do with my life. He has served as a partner and confidante for me while I have grown my team. My wife Daryl has also been a huge inspiration to me. She is an entrepreneur as well and completely understands the sacrifices I have to make at times to provide the best service possible to my clients, whether that means late night phone calls or flying back and forth to New York City from our home base of Miami. My career trajectory only got better once we started dating – she is a true partner in life. Lastly there is a gentlemen who is a little bit of a legend in NYC real estate named Gordon Golub. He was the first person to hire me in real estate when I had no background in it whatsoever. He is also the reason I joined my current brokerage, Compass, as he spent a lot of time recruiting me to the brokerage when it first opened. This was nearly a decade after he had originally brought me on at our old brokerage. He has continued to be a mentor and friend throughout my career.

Website: https://www.compass.com/agents/michael-sandak/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandakteamrealestate/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sandak-3a755b43/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesandakteamnycrealestate/

Image Credits
Donna Dotan and Drew Reynolds