While Netflix’s ‘Selling Sunset‘ has been a hit with its perfect dose of Los Angeles’ high-end real estate market, the cast’s personal lives on display and the drama, there is a man who is behind it all, and without whom this show wouldn’t even exist. Jason Oppenheim is the President and Founder of The Oppenheim Group, the brokerage where all the action happens. Among his talented brokers, there are a few that you should know if you watched ‘Selling Sunset’: Chrishell Stause, Christine Quinn, Maya Vander, Mary Fitzgerald, Heather Young, Davina Potratz, Amanza Smith, and, of course, his twin brother Brett Oppenheim, who recently decided to leave the brokerage but still works with Jason.
Recognized as the Best Real Estate Agent in the United States for 2020-2021 by the International Property Awards and as the #1 real estate agent in the Hollywood Hills/West Hollywood by the Wall Street Journal, Jason Oppenheim wasn’t always a real estate agent. In fact, after law school, he started his career as a lawyer, representing a wide range of corporate clients, including the former CEO of Enron Corporation in a multi-billion dollar civil class action as well as the widely publicized Enron criminal trial. Following a successful career in law, Jason realized that his true passion was real estate, “It’s not like I wasn’t happy in law, but I wasn’t fulfilled. So I think it was inevitable that at some point, I would leave. I didn’t really know what I was going to do, but I always was passionate about real estate, so I decided to check it out more seriously.” And after all these years as a broker, it is clear that it was the right choice, “I didn’t wake up excited about my work back then like I do now.”
The year 2020 was definitely a tough year for everyone, as COVID-19 affected a lot of people and businesses. While Los Angeles’ high-end real estate market wasn’t as active as always at some point, Jason’s team managed to return to normal, “We slowed down for a few months but recovered pretty quickly, and now things are back on track.” With more than 1 billion in closed sales, The Oppenheim Group has an acclaimed reputation for being able to easily sell luxury homes of their affluent and celebrity clients, among which there is Orlando Bloom, Nicole Scherzinger, Erin Foster, to name a few. One of Jason’s highlights of 2020 was the opening of their new office in Newport Beach, “I’m really excited about our new office, and I’m planning to add a bunch of new agents there and build it out.” Work is extremely important to Jason, and he hopes to continue growing his business, “I want to be always working, I need that purpose and responsibility in my life to some degree.”
Real estate is a really competitive business, especially in big cities like L.A. But starting your own business can be even harder if you aren’t prepared enough. “Don’t be unrealistic about it {starting your own business}. I think some people read a self-help book or watch some Youtube videos and think that they’re going to go out there and crush it on their own. It takes a lot of hard work, and you have to be a specific type of person: ambitious, detail-oriented and really hard-working,” Jason explained. So if you’re thinking about it, then you need to consider all pros and cons and listen to someone who’s been there, like Jason, “Take a long-term approach. Your own business might not thrive in two or three years; it might thrive in 5 to 7 years, so you just need to take a realistic approach. Make sure you have a solid dose of reality and some money behind you. If you stress for income, then starting your own business might not be the right time.” Learning from his parents and his brother, Jason Oppenheim says that he likes to “take positive qualities from people” that he admires and respects. He describes himself as “loyal, ambitious and optimistic” and based on what we saw on the show, we can easily believe that.
Even though the fourth season of ‘Selling Sunset’ isn’t in the works yet, Jason expects Netflix to start filming it in the next couple of months. Nobody knew what to expect from it when they started filming the first season, but so far, it’s been a great journey for Jason and the team, “I think my favourite day of this whole thing was the day we wrapped, as I loved watching it together. You do months and months of work, and then you finally get to see it. A lot of us didn’t know what’s going to be on camera, as we’re not in every scene, and we don’t know what’s been said or done by other people. So getting into a screening room with everyone and watching it for the first time was absolutely the best.” Some people watched it for the luxury real estate, and some of us watched it for the drama. “I didn’t expect all that drama but I think it makes for an excellent show,” Jason added, and we completely agree with him.
But filming of the new season of ‘Selling Sunset’ is not the only thing that Jason Oppenheim is looking forward to. As he shared with us, he recently bought another house for himself in the Hills and he’s currently about to finish its remodelling. And besides that, Jason is an avid traveller who’s been all around the world and has a lot of travel plans for this year, “Definitely going to Europe this year, and festivals like Sundance and Art Basel – just a lot of places I wasn’t able to go to last year.” Even though Los Angeles will always be Jason’s home-base, he still likes to visit New York, London and Miami, “There are a lot of things that I love about LA. The weather is the most important factor. I love the beach, outdoor activities here, restaurants and lounges – it caters to a very fun group of people out here. You know like in West Hollywood Sunset Strip, there are lots of cool restaurants and lounges, and the entertainment industry crowd adds a dynamic to the city. Also, I think the real estate in Los Angeles is the best real estate in the world. There is no better place to be a real estate agent.”
And while we are patiently waiting for the new season, new real estate listings, and of course some new drama, follow Jason Oppenheim on Instagram.
