NFL Star to Commercial Real Estate Leader

Even before retiring from the NFL in 1994, Bill Maas, CCIM, was preparing for what he would do off the field. He was doing radio and TV spots in Kansas City and some real estate investing, which would be the springboard to his successful commercial real estate career. While it can be a difficult transition for many professional athletes once their playing days end, learn how Maas made it look easy.

When did you start playing football?

My parents didn't want me to play. I was in the seventh grade, and a coach asked me to join the team. I was the biggest kid in the class. The coach just kept being persistent and got a hold of my parents, and it turned out great because they were my biggest fans through all of it.

What's most memorable about your football career?

My teammates because while at the University of Pittsburgh, I played with icons like Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Rickey Jackson, and Chris Doleman. Then, coming to the Kansas City Chiefs, I played with Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, and Art Still, who were great players around me at all positions. So, it was the teammates, and you remember those things. They're your biggest bond. It's all about relationships.

During your playing days, you were a radio and TV personality and dabbled in commercial real estate investing. Talk more about that.

From my second year in the league, I did radio spots on Mondays and Fridays. Later in my career, I started doing television in the offseason. At the same time, I was buying commercial real estate: storage units, little strip centers, rental houses, and industrial/warehouse facilities. All this combined has just been a big part of where I'm at right now and a big part of my life.

How did you get into commercial real estate investing?

I looked at investments back in the early 1980s. Interest rates were 19-20 percent, so it was hard to buy a house. But if you could buy a house with cash and rent it, those things were good. Then, just small things evolved. David Block (president and principal of Block & Company) was a prominent figure in Kansas City, and we had been friends for years. We'd see each other out in the area and talk about deals. It was an easy transition to real estate when I was done broadcasting.

What have you learned from your football days that helped in your commercial real estate career?

Both have adversity. If you go against another player, you must find a way to compete in every play. They may be more talented in different areas, but you try to find a way to be effective. Those same things apply to commercial real estate. You go up against all kinds of obstacles between your buyers and your sellers, and so many things can come up along the way. And everybody sees it differently. So, it's being the intermediary, trying to bring deals together and shed light on the other side in give-and-take situations. It's also about being part of a team and working as a team. Many principles from the world of professional sports, particularly football, can be directly applied to the daily operations and strategies in commercial real estate. 

What's your favorite part of your job?

Everybody wants to see big deals come across the desk, and it's not just for the big payday. There are so many moving parts when working with deals involving large projects, especially in development. You're dealing with municipalities and public finance money and different incentives. It's all those things, putting everything together and watching it come together, and then bang, it's there. It's a real deal. That's fun because what you're doing is similar to sports. You work all week, put together a game plan, execute the plan, and have a result at the end.

How are you utilizing technology, and how important is prop-tech to commercial real estate?

There's not enough time to keep up with it all, but I definitely try. We have an in-house group to discuss all the different options. Many platforms around property management, AI, and cell phone data provide tons of information. In retail, they can tell you where people shop, how often they shop, and how long they're in a store.

AI is a wide-open field right now. A lot of things will pop up, but it's an interesting time and part of the ebb and flow of commercial real estate.

How has your CCIM Designation been instrumental in shaping your career?

It was eye-opening. I had a good idea about real estate, but investing wasn't my livelihood. It was something I passively did. However, when I started working full-time in commercial real estate, I wanted to learn more and educate myself. The CCIM Institute was a great platform to provide me with the skills I needed to succeed. The number one takeaway from when I started earning my Designation is how I now look at everything in commercial real estate differently, primarily regarding financials. I don't care what it is, whether an office building, strip center, or whatever I'm driving by, I'm looking at it and thinking about the economics. ■

At a Glance

BILL MAAS, CCIM, grew up in suburban Philadelphia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a two-time All-American defensive end for the Pitt Panthers and an Academic All-American.

Maas was the Kansas Chiefs' first-round draft pick in 1984. He played for the Chiefs and Green Bay Packers for ten years in the NFL. Maas made First-Team All-Pro twice and was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

After retiring, he went on to broadcast nationally for 12 years with Fox Sports and served as a studio anchor and game analyst for NFL games.

In 2010, Maas decided to make commercial real estate his full-time career, joining Block & Company as Director of Real Estate Services and becoming Vice President in 2019. He specializes in property development, sales, leasing brokerage, and tenant/buyer representation. Maas was awarded his CCIM Designation in 2015. He holds a real estate license in both Kansas and Missouri.

Outside of real estate, Maas is an active member of the Kansas City Chiefs Ambassadors, which promotes goodwill throughout the Kansas City area, working with the Kansas City Chiefs to serve charitable organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sister of Kansas City and Camp Quality of Kansas City.

Maas is also an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, and golfing.