Another fun filled episode of beautiful homes and crazy drama for our three favorite upscale realtors.
Let’s start with Josh Flagg, who is having all kinds of trouble selling the Heartridge Estate. He hired two photographers to take photos of the home, showed the property privately dozens of times and threw a fantastic open house. In short, he did all an agent can do to sell a house. As a fellow realtor, I feel for Josh, especially when the owner grilled him about what he has done to sell the house. I think all realtors have been there; you’ve done everything right and still no sale. Owners need to realize it takes time to find that one buyer perfectly suited for your home.
The real estate takes a back seat when Josh sits down with his legal advisor to discuss his newly written book. He must be some fantastic writer, because writing a book is no small task, and he completes it after only one trip to the Four Seasons. The legal advisor questions Josh about talking to all his loved ones regarding the content of his book. Then comes the bombshell! The advisor asks Josh if he has spoken to Colton about the book. Who is Colton, and why haven’t we heard of him in previous seasons, especially since he seems such a huge part of Josh’s life? Sounds like a juicer!
On to Madison, who has the normal response for realtors that are presented with the task of showing a house with dogs. He sees the pets as annoyances that could disrupt his sale. I totally disagree with this attitude, which is why I started Pet Planet Realty, and specialize in being a pet friendly realtor. I love animals, and think showing a home with dogs is not a problem. In fact, I consider a home with pets an asset, since I believe a house isn’t a home without a pet. One question that comes to mind is why Madison is scared of little dogs, but fine with the big ones? Very strange! Thank god Madison leased it right away, so he didn’t have to handle the scary little dogs again.
Later in the episode, Madison’s friends throw him a “Millionaire Matchmaker” type cocktail party. The idea is odd to say the least, like some version of speed dating for beautiful gay men. Then Altman shows up and the fireworks begin. Madison comes on really strong, and seems like a bit of a jerk for the way he lays into Altman. For the first time in five seasons, we’re seeing a different side of Madison. Furthermore, he really doesn’t seem to understand that Heather going out on her own is what’s best for her. Nobody gets a real estate license to work as an assistant. He needs to get over himself and support her as an agent.
Between his yelling at Altman, his selfishness with Heather, and not liking dogs, he has plummeted on my list.
Note to Andy Cohen, the producer of “Million Dollar Listing.” Please don’t promise fireworks for 7 weeks, and then have this supposed huge fight, last only 5 minutes. It was as big a disappointment, as was the postponement of this season’s “Real Housewives of NYC.”
Finally on to Josh Altman, the only agent on the show that seems to be focused solely on real estate. I wonder if that’s why he’s selling so much more than the other two. The show starts off with Altman negotiating for his foreign buyer, and plays hard ball to get the home for his client. In the end, Altman and the listing agent each take home about $412,000 in commission. Not bad for one deal! With a selling price of $16,500,000, Altman claims it’s the 6th largest sale in L.A. County this year.
He also shows great diversity as an agent, when he goes to Venice beach and takes on 9 condo listings, priced between $875,000-$1,275,000; definitely not low-end property, but it sure isn’t 16 million. He schedules all his showings on one day, to avoid having frequent commutes to the property. However, with 9 different units across a 35 unit complex, he spends the majority of the time running back and forth, until he accidentally locks himself on the roof with a client. Despite the snag, Altman is able to sell two units in the first week, which is no easy task in today’s tough market. In the first episode, I asked if this “Ari Gold” type, slick selling style really works, and I guess it really does.
So the big cliffhanger for next week is who is Colton? Moreover, do you think if Josh Flagg didn’t write his book, and Madison stopped looking for love, and they both focused more on real estate , they be selling as much as Josh Altman? A lesson about focus can be learned here.