SCENE-STEALERS Extraordinary Homes, Friends Phil and Kirstie
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10 August 16, 2020 The Sunday Times The Sunday Times August 16, 2020 11 Home Left to right: Indeed, the cast’s outfits — “people having a peek inside HUGH LA’s Griffith Park cherry-red suits, hot-pink a world they might not have GRAHAM Observatory; shoes, vermilion lipstick — are access to. It is escapism. But @HughGrahamST a $16.25 million often more striking than the it is more than porn. I think Santa Barbara interiors of the houses, which, people find it interesting to see mansion, mayfair despite the nine bathrooms sellers who want astronomical international and 15-car garages, are almost prices and buyers not willing realty.com; a uniformly bland: a sea of white to pay, and the person caught onika property in the cabinets, floors and sofas in between, the agent, has to seems Hollywood Hills, mixed with glass balustrades make it work. The shows nice. $6.4 million, and open-tread staircases. include a personal side, and But nice knightfrank.com; Fredrik Eklund, the show what is really driving us doesn’t a Montecito pad, Swedish broker to the stars, — not the commission cheques “Msell houses.” So says Christine 4KODIAK/GETTY; JIM BARTSCH; RADEK HOFMAN/ALAMY; NETFLIX $17.9 million, also himself a star of Million Dollar that flash up on the screen, Quinn, the blonde ice queen through mayfair Listing New York and now Los but our families.” and star of Selling Sunset, the international Angeles, has said that you Indeed, one of the most Netflix reality show about rival realty.com; should spend a tenth of your moving scenes in Selling female estate agents duking it sunset in LA income on your appearance. Sunset is when the new girl out in Hollywood. “You don’t have to be a and single mother Amanza It has become the word-of- supermodel, but how you is struggling to sell her first mouth hit of the summer, and look is an extension of the house while her glamazon Quinn’s barbed one-liners sum property, which my clients colleagues notch up $1 million up the show’s ethos. Behind have put millions of dollars commissions around her. “I all the air-kissing and eye into,” he tells me over the am sitting at a desk every day candy — supermodel estate phone from Los Angeles. “I am at the most successful agent in agents, shiny mansions, sun- 43 now and, looking back, I West Hollywood having sold drenched swimming pools — think being a 6ft 4in Swede nothing and I feel like a misfit,” Selling Sunset depicts Los with blue eyes has helped me she laments. “My baby’s gotta Angeles real estate as a in my career. I take care of eat and I need new hair.” cutthroat world where the myself. I have a chef who Family values will be commissions are as big as the works in my home. I work out driving the next US property fake fingernails. a lot. I meditate. I do yoga. reality show. Last week Why are Brits obsessed with The race is long. I have been Eklund launched a YouTube this show, which was trending in this business 17 years. So to show, Milla & Freddy’s in Netflix UK’s top ten last maintain this level, you have Adventures, starring himself week? Property reality TV is to live like an athlete.” and his children as they tour nothing new — in America, The vast earnings, mega-mansions, starting with Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing beautification regimes and their own in Bel Air. Los Angeles is on its 12th series; property reality shows have “It is the first real estate in Britain, Location, Location, created a phenomenon that kids’ show,” Eklund says. “I Location is in its 20th year. The Oppenheim would be unheard of in the started watching all these kids’ But although we clearly Group has failed UK: the celebrity estate agent. shows with my kids, and I find it comforting watching to sell this “I get hundreds of emails realised how much money Phil and Kirstie exchange $75 million every week from young these shows can make for the light-hearted banter about a Beverly Hills people who want to get into YouTube stars. Also, through semi in Woking, it is not quite behemoth, below, the industry and want a piece lockdown there are more kids as bingeworthy as watching which is the most of this,” Eklund says. “They at home with home schooling. Playboy bunny lookalikes expensive house almost see us as rock stars.” So I thought I would create a trying to steal each other’s that has featured He attributes the popularity TV show. Every episode I visit $75 million listing in Beverly on Selling Sunset of property reality shows to a $20 million, $30 million, $40 million property with my UK and is frowned upon. In birthdays, and taken holidays kids and we look at it from the US they eat what they kill. with them in the south of their perspective, while In California, if you sold a France.” learning. It will set me apart $10 million house, the Indeed, in Selling Sunset, from my competitors. Also, commission might get the the agents greet their clients Selling Sunset kids are a huge deciding factor individual agent $600,000, or with a hug and a kiss and say, is pure guilty- in what properties adults buy GLITZ & MORTAR the lion’s share of that. That is “Let’s do dinner soon.” Agents and sell. So to tap into a whole Hills. Selling Sunset is pure like this being made with UK why you see those Selling also throw lavish social events pleasure escapism: new audience is going to be From Botox parties to catfighting over commissions, the Netflix guilty-pleasure escapism: estate agents, which is in Sunset agents living such an to show off properties. In one really exciting.” property porn as a spectator part down to how they are extravagant lifestyle.” scene Christine holds a property porn as Property shows for kids: it’s sport, where Rightmove, perceived here. By comparison, in the UK, burgers-and-Botox evening a spectator sport, the final frontier for reality TV. series Selling Sunset shows why realtors are rock stars in the US Instagram and Real “When I was an estate agent the firm that employed the at a property, where guests Housewives morph into one. in London, my profession was agent would get only 1-3 per washed down their wagyu where Rightmove, Selling Sunset is streaming on The competitive There is even a hint of looked down on, I was sort of cent of the commission, and with injections in their Instagram and Netflix. Million Dollar Listing Selling Sunset Charlie’s Angels about it: seven seen as a used car salesman,” the individual agent would forehead. “I brought 50 Los Angeles is streaming on estate agents gorgeous professional women says James Harris, 36, a British receive only 10-25 per cent of Lamborghinis to one event,” Real Housewives hayu.com. Milla & Freddy’s — Christine, Davina, Heather, expat who relocated to LA 16 that, instead relying on a says Harris. “I had a mad party morph into one Adventures: youtu.be/ Chrishell, Mary, Amanza and years ago, sold $1 billion worth modest salary, according to in Bel Air with acrobats k5AIjfoxYqI Maya — report to two older, of property, and is one of the Martin Bikhit, managing hanging from the ceiling and shorter, mysterious men in stars of Million Dollar Listing director of Berkshire pouring champagne. We had their LA office — the bald Los Angeles. “In the US, it is a Hathaway HomeServices Kay a girl inside a big ball in the and musclebound twins highly regarded career. I had & Co, a UK franchise of the pool, we have had mermaids.” to The World’s Most Apprentice and our favourite At the other end of the Jason and Brett, owners of to study for a real estate American firm. “The rewards No expense is spared for SCENE-STEALERS Extraordinary Homes, friends Phil and Kirstie. property ladder, but no the Oppenheim Group. But licence. There is cachet. And are far greater in the US, and staging, either. In Selling Interior Design Masters and Million Dollar Listing less compelling, is Tiny instead of trying to catch the fees agents get are so much so are the risks.” Sunset the Oppenheim Group Forget the weather: property the (classier) Great Interior (Bravo) with Fredrik Eklund House Nation (Netflix), criminals, the girls use their higher here.” Despite the vast sums spent $40,000 on doing up a really is the national Design Challenge (all BBC). kick-started a look into and of course there’s how wiles to entice clients worth It is that difference in pay, floating around, or perhaps property, estimating it would obsession. We don’t just talk If Grand Designs and luxury American homes, then to get rid of your bobbled $250 million, persuade and the glamour it brings, that because of it, Bikhit says real add six figures to the $3.5 about it and scroll through it George Clarke’s Amazing came 12 series of the show cashmere with Tidying Up oligarchs to lower their asking is really laid bare on Selling estate agents are much million sale price. Harris says on websites, we spend hours Spaces (both Channel 4) — and a few side hustles and with Marie Kondo (Netflix). price and fend off male buyers Sunset. “In the US, every agent friendlier with their clients in he routinely spends $50,000 — days even — watching the gateway property drugs spin-offs.