Mike Knight was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and educated at the University of Wisconsin, where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Marketing. Mike grew-up as many people in the Mid-West according to the “Great American Work Ethic”- hard work is necessary if you want to succeed. Mike began his real estate career in Tustin California in 1977 fresh out of college at the age of 23.
After doing some marketing research, Mike started out specializing in condominiums and was known as “The Condo King”. This turned out to be a winning decision as Mike’s sales awards at a large regional real estate company Tarbell Realtors included #1 in production out of over 1400 agents.
Four years later in 1981, at the age of 27 Mike and his business partner purchased and Mike became the broker/owner of oldest independent residential real estate company in Tustin, Redhill Realty originally founded back in 1959. Under their guidance, Redhill Realty grew from 17 agents to 53 agents with production that placed it within the top 3 offices in the East Orange Association of Realtors which was the largest Association of Realtors in Orange County at that time.
Mike and his partner had been watching the brisk growth and success of RE/MAX for several years and then in August of 1991 Redhill Realty became RE/MAX Redhill Realty and moved to their current headquarters at 12341Newport Avenue in North Tustin at the top of “Real Estate Row”.
In 1999 Mike and his business partner along with a C.P.A. partner purchased the 13,000 square foot office building on Newport Avenue just south of 17th Street where the RE/MAX office resides today. The office name was later changed to RE/MAX Real Estate One to better align itself with RE/MAX branding on television advertising.
At this point, most of Mike’s business comes from client referrals throughout Orange County and ranges from entry level condo’s to the upper end of the market. Mike participated in the sale of the Valente house at 18912 Ridgeview Circle in Villa Park which was the highest sale price in the East Orange County Association of Realtors in 1983.Then in 2005 Mike sold the 5 acre Estate at 2122 Lower Lake in North Tustin for $4,900,000 where he represented both the buyer and seller and again was the highest sale in the year 2005. Mike also represented the builder in the final sales of the exclusive new home sales tract of “Linda Vista Estates” in North Tustin as well as the 44 view lots and homes at the “Trail Side “new home sales tract in North Tustin. More recently in 2015, Mike represented both the buyer and seller in the sale of the Historical “Thomas House” a “Key Property” on the “Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties” at the corner of Spurgeon and Civic Center Drive that was built in 1898 and included a Carriage House to keep your horse, carriage and hey safe and dry.
