Mike Smith, 30 Principal, Lee & Associates Multifamily housing properties are hot sellers in today’s recovering real estate market, where brokers are only as good as their last transaction. Mike Smith, a principal at Lee & Associates’ Sherman Oaks-based LA North/Ventura office, has worked on some of the region’s most prominent multifamily deals in the last few years, including the recent sale of the 191-unit former Archstone Thousand Oaks property. Smith, 30, knows that staying on track requires hard work — something he enjoys. “Getting on the phones, or going out and meeting new clients, is interesting,” Smith said. “It also holds the promise of new business to come, which is exciting. It keeps me motivated and eager to show up for work.” Smith holds his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, and joined Lee & Associates in 2004 as part of the Multi-Housing Investments Group. In 2005, he was honored as the firm’s “Rookie of the Year.” In 2009, he was elevated to principal. He has steadily built the reputation of the company and its apartment brokerage interests. “My advice is to have respect for the business,” Smith said. “Have the same work ethic and follow the same business model when things are going well as when times were tougher. Don’t get distracted by the checks you have deposited, and concern yourself only with where the next one will come from.”