Buying Beverly Hills - General Discussion

[hottesthw]

2 hours ago, QQQQ said:

Was there an explanation as to why the family meeting on RHOBH was presented as being such an emotional shock to the children when in reality they'd already had 'the talk' when the article came out while they were in Aspen? Or, for that matter, why there even was a second such meeting filmed? Again, knowing the timeline makes it look like Kyle was trying to produce the whole thing to increase ratings/sympathy, etc.  

not to mention, during the aspen talk, no one was upset, there was no sobbing, and mo looked more confused than anything. I’d think hearing your parents “confirm” the rumors, there would be more emotion. Weeks later, on RH, while having the exact same talk, Portia was hysterical. 

Kyle was totally holding in her giddiness when saying she had to go back because they were going to start filming again, “because you know, when a scandal breaks they need to get you on camera again right away”. Suuuure Kyle. I wouldn’t be surprised if she filmed herself on the flight back to submit to Bravo as a confessional. 

I’ve said from the start this was a ratings gimmick, and while i still believe it, I don’t think Mo was totally onboard. 

[Soapy Goddess]

8 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Oh, my gosh. Sophia is a mess. She inherited all of Kyle’s anxieties and phobias. 

She's also an entitled brat...very similar to Kyle's attitude.

[janiema]

The number 1 rule of The Agency is no assholes and, yet, there seems to be a whole office full of them. Except for Farrah. She seems to be both a good person and a good worker. 

[Sweet-tea]

11 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Oh, my gosh. Sophia is a mess. She inherited all of Kyle’s anxieties and phobias. 

Is this the new season you're watching? Has it finally aired? 

[Starlight925]

I'm 8 episodes into the 10 episodes, and I like this season better than last.

It prompted me to look up The Agency, which honestly, I thought was a small time real estate office.  Given Mauricio's constant stoned-stare on RHBH, I figured he was a slacker who a house once in a while.  Boy, was I wrong.

The Agency now has 110 offices around the world, with hundreds of thousands of homes for sale, all $1 million+.

Mo has built something spectacular.

I think the whole "which daughter will be CEO" is for show.  The Agency has a very professional group of leaders, and I suspect they would bring in an outside CEO to run the business when that time comes.  I bet Mauricio will be involved in the business until he dies.  He will step down as CEO but stay very much involved until his last breath.  This is his passion.

Interesting how, in Episode 8 (Aspen), Mauricio & Kyle discuss the downfall of their marriage.  This show was filmed several months after RHBH, so the girls already knew about it.  What happened in this episode is that, even though their parents had already told them, it wasn't public yet, and People had just run the article.

But Kyle said she just wants to raft down a river, and Mo said he can't give up the social aspects of his life.  

They are just two people who grew apart once the kids were out.  The 3 oldest girls all went to college and are now launching careers, and Portia is almost out of braces and coming into her own.  Mo & Kyle are that couple who looked at each other one day and said, "Who are you?", realizing that they spent their lives looking at the kids, not realizing that they were growing into two very different people.

While yes, Sophia is a bratty kid who shows up late to meetings, the juxtaposition of these 3 girls to the idiocy of the Kardashian girls is amazing.   Mo & Kyle should be proud.  These girls don't have giant plumped up lips, butts, Botox, etc., and in the case of Farah & Alexia, they seem to work hard & sell some real estate.  Sophia will get on the bus or she'll be left behind.

Edited March 24 by Starlight925

[Sweet-tea]

Well I found the new season and barely got through the first episode. Too much of the Umansky family for me. The daughters' voices grate on my nerves. 

[snarts]

Just finished binging S2. It was must better than S1 or maybe just easier to follow now that I know all their names. 

$36M in sales in Alexia's first year is pretty impressive although I wonder if that was all co-listings.

Between this show and the other real estate shows, I still don't fully understand when agents decide to co-list. I get that sometimes the seller asks two agents to partner but that's typically when they're from different agencies.  How does it benefit Joey to co-list with Alexia? Just to share in the workload of marketing/showings, etc?

Farrah seemed more at ease in front of the camera this season so I liked her more. Still not a fan of her "best friend" who seemingly took some joy in the demise of her engagement.

Ben's still a tool.  Loved the addition of Zach. Hope to see Brandon featured more. 

As a RHONH watcher, I hate Kyle. Totally team Mauricio. Maybe he cheated but the way she's been publicly carrying on with the country singer and dragging this whole storyline out for ratings is not fair to her kids. 

[janiema]

Why would I choose one of these children to sell my house? The Agency must have some more mature, more competent agents that we don’t see.

[Drumpf1737]

Now this is quality reality TV. I like Mauricio. I thought it was weird when he was meditating on the couch in his office and Ben said he was "melting down". Dude what Mo was doing was the opposite of melting down. 

I like the Umansky girls for the most part. They're leaps and bounds better than the Hamlin girls. I like how they stick together, protect each other, and have sleepovers. I'm not a fan of the vocal fry but it's better than most.

Was production auditioning different people to be the villain or were Melissa and Michelle really that awful?

Looking forward to season 3 of this more than season eleventy-billion of RHOBH.

[hoodooznoodooz]

How can they open so many offices, so quickly, all over the world, and claim that they hire only the most talented agents? 

[QQQQ]

Does anyone know if/how these agents (i.e. those who specialize in luxury properties) will be affected by the recent ruling re: the 6% commission, etc.?

[snarts]

7 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

How can they open so many offices, so quickly, all over the world, and claim that they hire only the most talented agents? 

They poach the top producers from established local agencies.

[hoodooznoodooz]

49 minutes ago, snarts said:

They poach the top producers from established local agencies.

Please describe your theories regarding how. I think more than two agents have complained that either they don’t believe Mauricio treats them fairly (compared to Alexia) or they believe Mauricio takes too much of their commissions? One seemed very excited that Hilton & Hyland was offering equity. Or am I misunderstanding? Thank you! 

[snarts]

They operate a franchise model. Successful brokerage/real estate offices are converted i.e franchised under The Agency (vs. Century 21/Coldwell Banker/ReMax/Sotheby's etc.) The various offices arent owned by The Agency. The franchised offices pay licensing fees and must abide by The Agency's operating guidelines. 

Not much different than franchise models in other industries. Mauricio makes his money from the licensing fees & maybe a % of each offices  commissions/EBIT. You can likey find a copy of their franchise agreement if you look hard enough. 

It's also not uncommon for brokerages/real estate offices to change brands. The realtor offices used to buy my current home from was affiliated with ReMax, now they're Berkshire Hathaway. Same office location, likely many of the same agents  just a different sign.   

More info on Mo's business model: https://labusinessjournal.com/featured/real-estate-18/

 

[Sweet-tea]

On 3/24/2024 at 5:27 PM, snarts said:

As a RHONH watcher, I hate Kyle. Totally team Mauricio. Maybe he cheated but the way she's been publicly carrying on with the country singer and dragging this whole storyline out for ratings is not fair to her kids.

Agree. I don't like her. I was never really a fan but this season she totally lost me. I thought her behavior to Sutton has horrible, and she came off like a manipulative narcissist playing the victim card. 

[mytmo]

Seems funny that on multiple occasions when an event is at Mauricio's house someone asks if this is a Kyle event and they don't seem happy about it.

This series seems the most real.  I've worked for a few family owned businesses and the characters are very similar.  There's always a non-related female that is a regular bitch.  A couple of douche bags in sales that think they are God's gift. And the nepotism will never be breakable with the laziest, dumbest people on the planet will never get in trouble nonetheless lose their jobs.

[Sweet-tea]

On 3/29/2024 at 10:33 AM, hoodooznoodooz said:

Please describe your theories regarding how. I think more than two agents have complained that either they don’t believe Mauricio treats them fairly (compared to Alexia) or they believe Mauricio takes too much of their commissions? One seemed very excited that Hilton & Hyland was offering equity. Or am I misunderstanding? Thank you! 

I’m only on episode 3 and I’m surprised how much Mauricio is talking about the Hiltons. I thought the subject was off limits as it causes strain between Kyle and Kathy. I saw Paris’ post. I wonder if the rest of them are ticked off. 

I don’t think Sophia adds much value to the agency or this show, at least not what I’ve seen so far. Maybe she’ll grow on me. I still sense underlying sadness in Farrah. I like her. If the guy is this slow to get moving on wedding plans she’s better off without him. 

Edited April 6 by Sweet-tea

[QQQQ]

Methinks Mo no longer gives a toss if his actions/words affect Kyle's relationship with Kathy. And honestly, those dynamics are a powder keg anyway, regardless of what anyone else does/says. The whole thing can blow up at any moment. 

[Showthyme]

On 3/29/2024 at 2:08 AM, hoodooznoodooz said:

How can they open so many offices, so quickly, all over the world, and claim that they hire only the most talented agents? 

The agents pay the broker's fees to have an office and work under their umbrella. In most offices (Keller Williams, etc.), the number of realtors a broker will accept is unlimited because it covers their overhead. 

I suspect that the more successful realtors at the Agency keep their deals confidential to protect their buyers. 

Edited April 9 by Showthyme

[Cheezwiz]

I've only just watched the first episode of S2, but this is proving to be way more entertaining than RHOBH. I'm maybe confused on timelines, but why are Mo & Kyle still sharing a bedroom if they're separated? Mo is indeed very watchable.

The properties so far are mostly boring and generic concrete and glass mega-bunkers, but I did like the one that Adam Rosenfeld (chihuahua guy?) was showing Brandon (former dancer guy from Arizona). It was also a boxy concrete and glass building, but much more spectacular looking. I thought their interaction seemed nice and genuine.

Most of the guys in the office seem like total douche-bros - I'm actually having trouble telling them apart. So far I like Adam (even though I despise chihuahuas), and I'm rooting for Brandon, because he's starting from square one, and does not come from money.

Of the Umansky girls, I really only like Farrah (and I realize she's not technically a Umansky). She seems thoughtful and hard-working, and I LOVE her house - I hope we can see more of it. THAT's the kind of LA house I love looking at!

As for Alexia & Sophia? Phlbbbbbttt... entitled and bratty.

Edited April 11 by Cheezwiz

[Sweet-tea]

17 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

I've only just watched the first episode of S2, but this is proving to be way more entertaining than RHOBH. I'm maybe confused on timelines, but why are Mo & Kyle still sharing a bedroom if they're separated? Mo is indeed very watchable.

Of the Umansky girls, I really only like Farrah (and I realize she's not technically a Umansky). She seems thoughtful and hard-working, and I LOVE her house - I hope we can see more of it. THAT's the kind of LA house I love looking at!

As for Alexia & Sophia? Phlbbbbbttt... entitled and bratty.

There is something about Mo that makes me want to watch him. This isn't the case with his wife. The younger daughters aren't interesting to me, but I do like Farrah. If I'm not looking at my TV and just listening to the show, sometimes I think it's Kyle talking. I don't know if it's Farrah or Alexia who sounds more like her. 

The houses do look like glass boxes for the most part, and they're all styled the same way. I've noticed the same thing on Million Dollar Listing LA. 

[Sweet-tea]

The big reveal about the separation and the People magazine story seemed fake to me. It seemed like the daughters already knew something was going on. I also think Maurice's words that there is nothing going on between Kyle and Morgan sounded hollow. The way he kept calling Kyle "honey" was weird given the obvious strain between them. 

What struck me were the comments from a few of the daughters that they don't talk about difficult subjects, that things are kept under the rug and the appearance is everyone is happy. This is a classic sign of growing up in a dysfunctional home. The mantra is "Don't talk, don't trust, don't feel." And the next part of that is you don't talk about the family business, not even within the family. 

I suspect Kyle grew up in this same environment during her childhood. Sadly, it is being repeated. Their big talk in which they were supposedly "open" sounded stilted to me. I hope this is because it was for the cameras and not that this is how  awkward it is when the members of this family discuss sensitive subjects. 

When Kyle and Mauricio are talking, I can pick up on underlying tension and anger, especially from Kyle. It comes out in quips and asides, but there is an edge to it. Sometimes I get it from him, but it's mostly from her. I still think he cheated, Kyle caught him and this was the impetus for all her lifestyle changes: stopping drinking, losing weight, getting tattoos and hanging around Morgan Wade. Classic midlife crisis, female version. Not that far from a man getting a Corvette and a 25 year-old buxom blonde. 

Edited April 12 by Sweet-tea

[Sweet-tea]

Just finished season. The next CEO drama seemed manufactured to me and, as Mauricio said, premature as he is clearly not ready to retire. I laughed when the brash woman who wants to take over (can’t remember her name) said this isn’t a company that relies on nepotism. Uh… really? Did she look around and see the three women there who are all Mauricio’s daughters? She may not want nepotism to be a factor, but she needs to step into reality because clearly it is. I like Farrah but the other two I could do without. 

[ww92]

7 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

Just finished season. The next CEO drama seemed manufactured to me and, as Mauricio said, premature as he is clearly not ready to retire. I laughed when the brash woman who wants to take over (can’t remember her name) said this isn’t a company that relies on nepotism. Uh… really? Did she look around and see the three women there who are all Mauricio’s daughters? She may not want nepotism to be a factor, but she needs to step into reality because clearly it is. I like Farrah but the other two I could do without. 

OMG, they should just rename The Agency to Nepo Baby Realty. Alexia seems to do okay but how would she have fared if she wasn't Mo's daughter? Sophia strikes me as someone who will be a nepo baby forever or at least until she marries well. She was late on her first day, drank on the job, and went on a business trip with seasoned agents. Do they take all of the college interns to Miami or just ones whose last name is Umansky? And Farrah always looks mad. I really wonder how long before she pulls a Mo and bails on the family firm to start her own.