“Selling Sunset” (in Los Angeles, that is, not Minneapolis)

(Un)Reality TV

Aw’ right. Find people who are worth at least $250 million, even if they’re not looking for a house. This house will sell itself — just get ’em up here.”

–Selling Sunset, “If Looks Could Sell.”

Just to be clear: the titular “Sunset Boulevard,” Netflix’s reality TV show about the glitzy world of luxury real estate, is located in Los Angeles, not Minneapolis (I happen to live in on Minneapolis’ Sunset Boulevard, just southwest of Cedar Lake).

But, I don’t think there’s much risk of confusing the two markets, for three reasons.

Lost in Translation

One. Typical Home Prices — and Agents.

Unlike Manhattan or Los Angeles, there aren’t a lot of soap opera actors selling eight figure properties (as in, more than $10 million) in the Twin Cities in their spare time.

At least, not that I’m aware of.

Nationally, the average home sells for about $300k.

Meanwhile, the average age of the Realtor selling it is  . . . in their mid-50’s (not a typo).

I happen to think real estate is an interesting, challenging business — I’ve been doing it successfully for almost twenty years — but glamorous??

Not so much.

Two. Speaking of glamour . . . the gossip, intrigue, and cat fights (male and female) that apparently drive these shows (and their ratings) is anathema to discreet, seasoned professionals.

Yes, it’s a competitive business, and yes, there are rivalries and tensions.

But those sentiments are usually aired privately, behind closed doors — not on national tv.

Especially in the land of Minnesota Nice.

And while, as a former CPA, I happen to think doing a Comparative Market Analysis (“CMA”) on an Excel spreadsheet is pretty exciting . . . it doesn’t exactly make for riveting TV. 

Three. Sales tactics; Professionalism.

No responsible, litigation-averse Realtor would ever guarantee future prices: even the best Twin Cities agents saw their clients lose homes to foreclosure after The 2008 Crash (I’ve never liked the term, “Great Recession”).

Contrast that with how an agent on the show touts a Hollywood Hills home to a prospective Buyer: “Look at this! It’s beautiful, huh? This will never go down in value.”

In a bit different vein, I’m pretty confident that no Twin Cities Realtor, ever, has said this about a showing: “The advantage of a twilight showing is, you can show them the most sexual house in the whole city during the day, and during the night, it will just sell it so much more.”

Or said this about a prospective Buyer, on camera, to millions of viewers: “Oh, I don’t like the gas stove” (imitating client, mockingly). “Bitch, you don’t even cook!”

Realtor vs. Client’s Best Interests

The only thing a good Realtor contemplating being on such a show should ask is, “does this serve my client’s interests?”

After all, Realtors are fiduciaries, which means that they’re legally obliged to serve their client’s interests, not their own.

If I owned an upper bracket home in Los Angeles, Miami or some other posh locale, the last person I’d entrust to sell it would be one of these vacuous, lookalike fame-seekers.

P.S.: One more difference between me and the Realtors on “Sunset Boulevard”: I’ve actually sold homes on Sunset Boulevard (three, in fact).

See also, “Million Dollar Listing . . . Minneapolis?!?”.

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