Real Estate Royalty

Since its 2006 premiere, “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” has been the blueprint for a host of real estate shows looking to mimic the sleek lifestyles and mega-commissions that have become trademarks of the hit Bravo series. Co-star and top Beverly Hills-based realtor Josh Altman takes it in stride. “I’m flattered by it,” he says. “But the brokers on our show, we’re the real deal. No one can touch what we touch and in LA, we’re the top brokers in town.”

The figures don’t lie. Altman, 42, who, along with his brother Matthew, 45, lead the Altman Brothers Team at Douglas Elliman, had a 2020 total sales volume of $583 million-plus according to Variety. 2021 is looking even bigger. “This year, we’re averaging $100 million a month in sales, which is huge,” Altman explains. “Our goal is to beat that billion-dollar number.”

Not bad for a guy who rollerbladed to his first job in Hollywood because he couldn’t afford a car. Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Altman graduated from Syracuse University in 2001 and moved to Los Angeles in 2002, landing his first gig in the mailroom of an entertainment company. “It was like six dollars an hour back then,” Altman recalls. “But I managed to save $5,000. It was the only money I had to my name. My brother and I, we each put $5,000 together to make $10,000 and we used it to buy a $390,000 condo. It was back in 2002 or 2003, when 100% financing was available. That was our first dip into real estate and we ended up flipping that condo for $600,000. It was more money than I’d ever seen in my life profit-wise and I realized the opportunity in real estate is greater than any other business that I had interest in.” His first splurge? A Jeep Cherokee. 

The brothers officially partnered. Success came and then went quickly with the crash of the 2008 housing market. “My brother and I, we went from living in a $3 million castle in the Hollywood Hills to sharing a tiny duplex. Not that there’s anything wrong with a duplex, but it’s definitely a change when you’ve been living in an 8,000-square-foot house. All the cars, the fancy stuff, I never thought it was going to end. But it did. Thank God at the time, I was a single guy and I didn’t have a family to take care of. You learn a couple of things, including not to put all your eggs in one basket. But we’ve always been hustlers and go-getters and we leaned on each other to pick ourselves back up.”

The Altman brothers rebuilt and eventually closed enough high-profile deals that in 2011, “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” — which had aired three seasons at that point — reached out. “We’d had a couple of sales that were noteworthy,” he explains. “We were dealing a lot with that young Hollywood crowd. I got a call saying they were looking for somebody new. I hadn’t seen the show at the time but I had heard of it and then next thing you know, nine interviews later, I got the job.” 

Ever since, viewers have been riveted watching Altman and his co-stars compete to buy and sell jaw-dropping properties on behalf of their demanding clients, all who insist on top dollar in record time. According to Altman, the stress and clashes are real. “I will tell you this, I respect everyone on the show. What we do is not easy. You’ve got cameras in your face during the deal, so to be able to juggle that with the kind of outstanding careers all of us have is difficult. A lot of people have tried and failed at this, which is why you keep seeing the same group of people on the show. We all respect each other but if we’re going up against each other, trust me, none of us are holding back. You’ve got to show up, ready to go and ready to battle on camera if there’s an issue.” 

The authenticity, he believes, has been the key to the show’s enduring success. “When you think of shows that have lasted over a decade, you think of ‘Seinfeld’ or something like that. So, it’s very cool to be on something that’s aired for so long. There have been copycat shows which have some sexy real estate or a couple of listings, but we were one of the first ones to do it, the first ones to do it well and the longest lasting one. It’s an amazing ride and I’ll do it until they don’t want me.”

Off camera, his work has been just as impressive. Notable clients reportedly include Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Alicia Keys. 

“We treat everyone the same,” he notes. “If you want to buy a house, we’re going to take care of you, we’re going to fight for you, we’re going to treat your money like ours and get you the best deal possible. Celebrities are just like everyone else and if you treat them like that, they’re cool. If you freak out, they’re going to get weirded out. At the end of the day people call us because we’re really good at what we do and have the track record to back it up.” 

In addition to wealth, his career has given him a family. As fans of the show know, he met his future wife Heather during filming while she was working for a rival realtor. Drama ensued and then settled. The two were married in a 2016 Aspen ceremony. They’re now parents to Lexi, 4 and Ace, 2. “They’re my favorite people in the world and a lot has changed for the better,” he says. “If I have 20 minutes between showings, I’ll stop home whereas I used to have no issues going out with my clients all night long. Now, my priority is having dinner with my kids and hanging out with my wife. I splurge on gifts for them because I think it’s important to celebrate success. And I think it’s important to take a moment to realize what you’ve done, realize what you have, enjoy it and then get right back out there. Having a family has made me hungrier, but it’s made me a smarter person. I try to work smarter now.” 

So far, Altman says he’s having his best year yet. “Right now, we’re in one of the hottest markets on the planet. We got out of quarantine, and it was like this boost of steroids in real estate that I’ve never seen. I think it was the combination of cheap money with the rates, people upgrading because they spent so much time in their house, downgrading because they can’t afford it or moving to a different state because they want to change their lifestyle. It was the perfect storm after the worst storm. We’ve come back stronger than ever.” O