Real estate is a family tradition for Howard Kravetz

By Kevin Oklobzija//November 28, 2023//Rochester Business Journal

Since he first began working in the commercial real estate sector, Howard Kravetz had always been part of a team.

He entered the field with Galvin Realty Group in 1988 and then accepted an invitation from his late uncle Fred to join Kravetz Realty in 1990. Between 2012 and this past spring, he had been with Pittsford-based RE/MAX 1st Commercial.

But Kravetz said if he learned one thing from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was that he could work alone.

“I got very comfortable working out of my house,” he said. “I spent a lot of time on the phone with my client base and things really took off. I was doing a good amount of business.”

Which got him to thinking: Does it really make sense to work for somebody else?

The answer was no, and that’s what led to the creation of Kravetz Real Estate. Launched in May, about three months shy of his 70th birthday, the firm provides brokerage assistance with both sales and leasing across all asset classes.

While the firm is new, Kravetz brings 35 years of industry experience in the Rochester market to his clients. It doesn’t hurt to have a well-established name, either. Along with his uncle, his father, Michael, also was in real estate.

“Fred started his career in Rochester in 1946,” Kravetz said. “He’s been gone 30 years but the name, it’s really a brand now.”

Within that brand name is the personal touch, Kravetz said.

“I feel like it’s a relationship more than a transaction,” he said of business dealings. “I value the relationship and that’s why I work strictly on a referral basis.”

Kravetz realizes there aren’t many one-person real estate firms founded by someone turning 70, but when you enjoy what you’re doing, why not keep doing it? For his career, he has completed sales and/leasing deals totaling around $850 million.

“Most of the time it’s fun,” he said. “At this stage of the game, it’s completely on my terms. But I’m still learning and still growing.”

Launching new ventures isn’t totally new to him. After serving as president of the Commercial Investment Division (CID) of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors from 1997-1999, he helped create the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors (NYSCAR) in Rochester and was the organization’s first secretary.

He has been active on several boards, including NYSCAR’s state board of governors, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester and the Rochester Area Hillel Foundation. But he’s perhaps most passionate about the American Diabetes Association’s annual Tour de Cure, a cycling event to raise money for research.

His son, Nate, is a Type 1 diabetic and Howard has been the Rochester area’s top fundraiser for the Tour de Cure seven times over the past 14 years, bringing in more than $150,000 in contributions.

koklobzija@bridgetowermedia.com/(585) 653-4020