Million Dollar Listing LA - General Discussion

[2727]

Tracy manages to humanize Altman, which even Heather and his daughter haven't done. Even if it's scripted, I enjoy their co-worker interactions and Tracy being so over Altman's belligerent posturing towards Flagg and the Brits. 

I admit to getting a kick out of seeing Altman's stupid Entourage house gutted and looking like a fixer. Him being so tickled to get Wahlberg on the phone ... just please. Does he really not understand why some viewers find him repugnant?

The producer repeatedly telling Matt to put the phone on speaker was funny: "Dude, neither of us wants to recreate this later."

Edited January 18, 2019 by 2727

[MajorNelson]

On 1/14/2019 at 10:49 AM, AnnA said:

@TipseyGirl : Not only that, but the brits work for The Agency, which owned by Mauricio who is Kyle Richards' husband. She is also on the Housewives of Beverly Hills.

@AnnA Then they should have known that Dorit and PK don't own that house.

This exchange is absolutely hilarious to me, thanks!

[MajorNelson]

On 1/18/2019 at 8:06 AM, TheLastKidPicked said:

Everybody was more toned down last night.  Josh Altman was actually likable, and It was interesting to watch him work with Tracy instead of against her.

Josh:  This house even has a grotto.

Tracy:  My dad has a grotto.

Josh:  Your dad is cool.

I liked that little interaction.

Her father is a billionaire, and I heard that as bringing that factoid up.

 

On 1/18/2019 at 10:05 AM, Diane Mars said:

Yes ! I was even thinking that Tracy and Matt should have been an item a long time ago, because of how they interact. There's is trust and respect here, and I like it.

I'd guess Altman mainly 'respects' her moneyed background, so lets her 'in' a bit.

[lynxfx]

That Boris guy is a complete tool. Thinks he is acting tough and smart yet has no clue that he just comes off as a dumbass and prick. Just wait for when the house sells for way less than they hoped and all they have to do is go back to the video tape to know why. I did laugh at Altman's impromptu explanation why the house was empty and the other brokers saw right through it.

I've seen Mark Wahlberg's house before but I can't remember what show it was featured on. 

[MajorNelson]

I assume the show you mean was Entourage.

[oakville]

On 1/14/2019 at 1:49 PM, AnnA said:

I'm one of those who believe that at least 90% of what we see on Bravo reality TV is staged.   

Then they should have known that Dorit and PK don't own that house.

Why would the Brits waste time negotiating with PK if he isn't the majority owner of the house ?

[TheLastKidPicked]

2 hours ago, oakville said:

Why would the Brits waste time negotiating with PK if he isn't the majority owner of the house ?

Because the Brits know the deal.  Bravo wants PK and Dorit to have screen time on Million Dollar Listing so they can cross promote Real Housewives.  

They would negotiate buying the fake plastic plant in the background if they could cross promote it with a Bravo show about plastic plants.

[CatsAndMoreCats]

I just wanted to share one thought about The Agency, the brokerage where Mauricio (Kyle Richards' husband) is a partner.  Mauricio is definitely the "front man."  But they do have a partner back at the office who kicks some major butt, doing multi-million-dollar deals (like, $30million per transaction) on a regular basis.  I do have to wonder about anyone whose ego is so empty...or huge, perhaps?...that they need to be on one of these shows.  But at the end of the day, The Agency is a highly successful legitimate real estate brokerage.

[Diane Mars]

Isn't The Agency Mauricio's ? Isn't he the creator and owner, after he left Hilton to create his own company ?

[CatsAndMoreCats]

It's not exclusively his.

Edited January 22, 2019 by CatsAndMoreCats

[Pickles]

Sick of the arguing between Altman and everyone else. Josh Flagg did not need to read his little prepared statement at the Brits’ open house. This show seems so scripted. 

[Marley]

Altman just seems like such a slimy tool.

Flagg makes me laugh and him and Bobby are my favourite part of the show.

Its funny Tracy just leaves when all the guys start their drama.

[lynxfx]

On 1/22/2019 at 5:43 AM, MajorNelson said:

I assume the show you mean was Entourage.

Did they use it on the show? I actually just rewatched the entire series but binge watching has it all blended together. Maybe Drama looked at it when he was house shopping and that's why I remember.

[2727]

I'm usually very indulgent towards Flagg because he's entertaining and I loved his relationship with his grandmother, but him reading his stupid statement at someone else's open house was extremely rude and childish. I enjoy his friendship with James but that was a nasty thing to do to someone you supposedly like. If it was staged or the producers egged him on, that's even worse. 

I don't know why James and David thought their ultra modern listing being the opposite of every other house in the neighborhood was a good thing. Agents keep insisting that these modern marble and glass boxes somehow feel warm and inviting. Do not.

Who do we believe is telling the truth about the listing on Heather? I think the Altman Brothers believe their version, but I trust the Brits that they knew nothing about it, nor would Flagg offer to sell it for free. Work is kind of a bother to him at this point.

[oakville]

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

Sick of the arguing between Altman and everyone else. Josh Flagg did not need to read his little prepared statement at the Brits’ open house. This show seems so scripted. 

The fight at the open house was unnecessary. Can Altman ban Flagg or the Brits from taking over his listing?

I am surprised that the russian guy took the $12.5m offer for the entourage house  He seemed to be adamant that he would not take 1 penny less than $13.5M.

[MajorNelson]

9 hours ago, lynxfx said:

Did they use it on the show? I actually just rewatched the entire series but binge watching has it all blended together. Maybe Drama looked at it when he was house shopping and that's why I remember.

I'm not an expert.  But, Altman claimed the house was used for most of the shots on Entourage, presumably Vincent Chase's pad...?

[AnnA]

11 hours ago, Marley said:

Altman just seems like such a slimy tool.

Flagg makes me laugh and him and Bobby are my favourite part of the show.

Its funny Tracy just leaves when all the guys start their drama.

I agree.   Now that Madison is gone, Flagg is the only reason I'm still watching.    One of the things I liked best about this episode was how little screen time they devoted to Tracey.  I'm so NOT a Tracey fan.

[Surrealist]

14 hours ago, Marley said:

It's funny Tracy just leaves when all the guys start their drama.

It's one of the main reasons I like her. Also, I've noticed she's not featured as much as the guys. Probably because she doesn't want to play drama queen. 

[TheLastKidPicked]

14 hours ago, 2727 said:

Who do we believe is telling the truth about the listing on Heather? I think the Altman Brothers believe their version, but I trust the Brits that they knew nothing about it, nor would Flagg offer to sell it for free. Work is kind of a bother to him at this point.

I actually believe each of the players involved.  Josh Altman seemed convinced that Flagg offered to sell it for free.  James seemed truthful when he kept saying,  "I never even met this guy.  Call him and ask him."  Daniel Starr has worked with Josh Flagg many times before, and expects to work with him in the future.  I'm sure Starr and Flagg talk all the time.

Here's what could have happend:

Flagg:  We work on so many deals together, you should just give me back the listing back on Heather.

Starr:  Altman already has that listing.

Flagg:  Altman will never sell it.  

Starr:  Do you have a buyer for it?

Flagg:  The Brits always have buyers for that kind of property.  I can talk to them about it.

Starr:  Won't it cost me money to take this listing from Altman and move it to you?

Flagg:  Don't worry.  I'll waive this fee over here, and that fee over there so that it won't cost you money to break your contract.

Starr:  Okay

 

Then Starr goes to Altman

Starr:  I want to list the house with Josh Flagg

Altman:  We have a contract.  I'm not letting you out of the contract unless you pay my expenses.  Plus, we've spent money marketing your house.  You don't want to give all that up for nothing.  

Starr:  Josh Flagg told me he and the Brits would pay for any of that.

Altman:  You mean they would list it for free?

Starr:  (misunderstanding the question):  Yes

Altman:  That doesn't sound right.  They would do it for free?

Starr (still misunderstanding the question):  Yes.

Altman:  If you want to break the contract, then fine.  But I'm putting an addendum in there that you can't list it with Flagg or the Brits.

Starr:  Um, okay.  Send over the addendum and I'll show it to Flagg.

 

Now, I made all of this up, but it shows that there can be a misunderstanding where Altman believes that Flagg poached the listing (which he did, but Altman poached it first).  And Altman mistakenly believes that Flagg was so set on showing him up that he would list it for free (which sounds exactly like something Flagg would do).  And the the Brits, who really never had anything to do with this, had their name mentioned somehow and so Altman included them on the addendum.

So, why didn't somebody just pick up the phone or send an email to clear things up a long time ago?

Because, it is more in their nature for these people to whip their things out at an open house and compare sizes than settle the dispute with one simple phone call.

Edited January 25, 2019 by TheLastKidPicked

[ninjago]

17 hours ago, 2727 said:

Who do we believe is telling the truth about the listing on Heather? 

I think the person lying or misrepresenting or misunderstanding is the client.   I don't think Flagg would work for free, I don't think Altman is going to do something that is that verboten in the industry and I don't think the Brits would offer to work for free since it seems like they have to work very hard on every listing.

The realtors are varying types of distasteful-cheesy (Altman), frenetic (Brits), arrogant (Flagg)-but none are as slimy and sketchy as most of their clients. 

Edited January 26, 2019 by ninjago

[TV Diva Queen]

In any given situation I will always assume that Altman is lying, because chance are that he is. I hate his sleazy ways. 

[buttersister]

Boris is terrible. But he has my affection for making Altman miserable. 

[Marley]

I’m sure Altman is lying. He’s like a greasy used car salesman. It seems wrong too that he was representing the seller and buyer in that one deal.  

Edited January 27, 2019 by Marley

[Mrs peel]

On 1/27/2019 at 11:41 AM, Marley said:

I’m sure Altman is lying. He’s like a greasy used car salesman. It seems wrong too that he was representing the seller and buyer in that one deal.  

 

As long as he discloses (and the show has shown him telling sellers that an offer is from his client) it’s not unethical.  Typically it’s not really good for the buyer or seller, since the agent knows exactly what you will pay, but...

i expect Josh A could add that addendum, stupid and petty as it is.  What makes no sense is real estate contracts usually are for a specific time, so all the seller would need to do is not renew the contract.

I vote for Josh A lying on the freebie, in part because none of these guys work for themselves, and I doubt the real estate agency they work with/for would agree to give up their share of the commission.  The realtor doesn’t keep the full 6%.  The theory of the seller being confused makes some sense, but Altman should know  one of these guys can’t just give up the commission.

I thought the “entourage” house was a former home of Mark Walhberg, where “he” lived with a group of friends, thus inspiring the show Entourage.  And while I despise Altman, Walhberg is a big “Boston guy” and the Altman’s are from Boston, so his fanboy makes some sense.

going back a few weeks, Josh A was an ass about the #1 real estate seller v. tracy’s #2.  He has a much larger team, and the award was likely for total sales of the team.  

Edited January 29, 2019 by Mrs peel
Can and can’t mean different things!

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:49 PM, ninjago said:

The realtors are varying types of distasteful-cheesy (Altman), frenetic (Brits), arrogant (Flagg)-but none are as slimy and sketchy as most of their clients.

 

On 1/25/2019 at 7:43 PM, TV Diva Queen said:

In any given situation I will always assume that Altman is lying, because chance are that he is. I hate his sleazy ways. 

 

On 1/27/2019 at 10:41 AM, Marley said:

I’m sure Altman is lying. He’s like a greasy used car salesman. It seems wrong too that he was representing the seller and buyer in that one deal.

I've noticed an undercurrent of distrust in the show these last few comments.  If you compare today's episodes to the earliest episodes of the show, you can see why.

The early episodes were basically following the agents around with a camera crew.  I believe that the buyers and sellers were real buyers and real sellers, and they allowed things to be filmed because they knew people would be interested in the amazing real estate and the crazy lifestyles that some of the agents lead.  So real people doing real things, and it was interesting enough to record it.

 

Fast forward to the last few seasons:

 

The show reaches a wide audience, and now people want to jump on the bandwagon for their 15 minutes of fame.  (or their 15 thousand "likes").

Wait a minute!  The real estate assistant has an IMDB page?  I thought he was a real estate assistant?

The seller is on another Bravo show?  And doesn't even own the house he is "selling"?  How can that be?  What do the producers have to say?  Are the embarrassed at being caught?

Nope!  Their response?  "Well, we're not filming a documentary here."

I miss those early seasons when we could at least pretend these are real people.

[TheLastKidPicked]

57 minutes ago, Mrs peel said:

I expect Josh A could add that addendum, stupid and petty as it is.

And that is the thing-- these people earn collect millions of dollars a year.  They should be above the petty drama.

[Mrs peel]

21 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

And that is the thing-- these people earn collect millions of dollars a year.  They should be above the petty drama.

I agree, yet he isn’t above it.  Or it’s all manufactured drama.  But why he thinks this is a good thing for his professional reputation is a mystery to me.

[BittySue]

I never really had an opinion on Altman’s brother but I was really surprised to see him jump into the fray like a teenage girl fighting over a boy. Josh Altman’s shenanigans are never surprising. I wonder why he chooses to portray himself in such petty ways on a show supposedly following his career. 

I realize it is just a television program but there is little to no entertainment in watching grown men acting so childishly. It usually appears that the other three try to remain above the fray but he always brings it down the the lowest common denominator. Love the show when it concentrates on the listings.

[Evangeline]

I just watched Season 4 and am part way through Season 5. Does Madison get more likeable? I've read a lot of comments about people missing him, but he's not coming off very well in the episodes I've seen. Of course, I like both of the Joshes so that might say something about my taste in people, though that might just be for entertainment value.

[Evangeline]

Jumping to what I think was a more recent episode, I appreciated hearing the producer say "put the phone on speaker," because on some other shows, those conversations are often clearly staged (and some on this show are too, but an element of reality is nice every once in a while).

[Evangeline]

It's interesting that these developers are using these agents - I wonder if it's for just publicity for the home and fake, or if they're really listing the homes. The modern McMansion homes I've seen built in the area usually seem to be listed by a developer...who overprices it (at least for homes under $4 million). I clued into that practice when I went to an open house once for one on my street, and I made the comment to the agent that I was surprised to see a new single family home like that built on my block - the only new development in my neighborhood is usually flipped bungalows or new luxury modern duplexes (spaced between large ugly and dated apartment and condo buildings that aren't going anywhere). They were trying to get 3 million+ I think for this large single family residence, which is a value you can usually only get in the neighborhood on the other side of the cross street - where you don't have neighbors like me! The agent got so defensive, and started talking about how the zoning in my neighborhood allowed them to overbuild for the neighborhood (not his exact words, he instead talked about the pool house they were able to build). I realized then he was the developer with a much more personal stake than an agent has in the property. And I've since noticed that other new homes like that are not usually listed with a well known brokerage firm and likely also the developer. Anyway, that property was on the market for a while, then ultimately they put up a "for lease" sign, so I felt validated lol. 

Edited January 31, 2019 by Evangeline

[Pickles]

Tracy's client, Kathy, has had some bad, bad plastic surgery. She looked bizarre. I thought Flagg's little video was funny and cute. Nice that the Altman brothers didn't get much air time this week. 

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Tracy's client, Kathy, has had some bad, bad plastic surgery. She looked bizarre. I thought Flagg's little video was funny and cute. Nice that the Altman brothers didn't get much air time this week. 

I loved Josh's video, and that Tracy was honest enough to say that she liked it. I am sure Altman was annoyed that he didn't think of it. He would totally be the type that would love to star in a video, and parade Heather and his spawn around in it. 

I thought Tracy's client Cathy looked just like Janice the Muppet. 

[buttersister]

Don’t Be Tardy woman and most of the housewives should look at Cathy’s tragic face as their future if they don’t get a grip. Wonder if Cathy chose her surgeon over a feeling, rather than, say, board certification.

The Israeli bros must have really wanted to be on TV to stick with realtors who admitted they should have shut down shenanigans at open house. But didn’t. Maybe it was the $59,000 a month cash flow + asking price. Wonder what’s left on the monthly after property taxes?

[2727]

Tracy said she and Kooky Communing Cathy are friends so maybe she was feeling a bit protective towards her, but if I was a realtor and a client told me she wanted to put in an offer on a house I myself had shown her ... I'd write up the damned offer. Why put up with even more of Cathy's nonsense and drag her back there to sit down with the developer? Silliness.

Is Bobby working directly as part of Josh's team now? I like them together; they seem more like equal partners than the indulgent daddy relationship that Flagg had with Colton.

Edited February 1, 2019 by 2727

[Surrealist]

1 hour ago, 2727 said:

Is Bobby working directly as part of Josh's team now? I like them together; they seem more like equal partners than the indulgent daddy relationship that Flagg had with Colton.

I didn't mind Colton, but I like Bobby much better.

I love that he'll call Josh out on his shit. And somehow Bobby manages to convey sarcasm without sounding like an asshole. I'd be happy to watch a show with just him reacting to what people do and say in his presence. 

[oakville]

7 hours ago, buttersister said:

Don’t Be Tardy woman and most of the housewives should look at Cathy’s tragic face as their future if they don’t get a grip. Wonder if Cathy chose her surgeon over a feeling, rather than, say, board certification.

The Israeli bros must have really wanted to be on TV to stick with realtors who admitted they should have shut down shenanigans at open house. But didn’t. Maybe it was the $59,000 a month cash flow + asking price. Wonder what’s left on the monthly after property taxes?

I am surprised the israeli brothers took the lease offer. Don't they have financing costs?They should have accepted a lower commission due to the chaos they caused at the open house.

[Higgins]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 10:15 PM, AnnA said:

I don't know what Rose McGowan does either.   I'm assuming she's an actress.

I agree with you about Tracey, David and James but I love Josh Flagg and tolerate Altman. 

She does cocaine. She was just tried in my county court for possession arrest at Dulles Airport.

[Dakisela]

When were these episodes filmed?  Funny there is no mention of all those devastating fires that were raging last year!

[AnnA]

I absolutely loved the video and like so many of you, enjoy watching Bobby and Josh together.    I laughed while watching them film it and cracked up watching the cheesy finished product.    Very clever Josh Flagg!  Well done Bobby!

There was way, way too much Tracey in this episode and her friend Cathy was awful.    She has zero personality and would have been a better fit for Botched.

[walnutqueen]

The only thing douchier looking than Josh Altman in a shiny too-tight suit is Josh Altman in a hat doing a promo for Backyard Envy.  

Flagg's little video production was a hoot.

Don't care about Tracey and her scary-looking client/friend.

[atlantaloves]

Oh My Goddess...what happened to that poor woman's (Cathy the rich blond) Hollywood face? Why do they all look like that with the puffed up upper lips? Is that procedure something that removes upper lip wrinkles or something.  Well give me the wrinkles. They all look like idiots.  

[UsernameFatigue]

2 hours ago, Dakisela said:

When were these episodes filmed?  Funny there is no mention of all those devastating fires that were raging last year!

I think David said that his daughter was just two weeks old? It looks like she was born in the middle of April/18 so this week's episode (or at least that scene) would have been the end of April of last year. 

[gaPeach]

Quote

Flagg's little video production was a hoot.

Don't care about Tracey and her scary-looking client/friend.

I thought his video was cute too.  I was afraid it was going to be too cheesy but it seemed just right.  I love Flagg.

Tracey said her client was a hippy at heart...…….a hippy that can afford a 3-4 million dollar house!  And she needs to back off the plastic surgery.  

[ninjago]

On 1/31/2019 at 9:19 PM, Pickles said:

 

Tracy's client, Kathy, has had some bad, bad plastic surgery. She looked bizarre.

 

There are so many grotesque looking people on this show.  The women with their horrifying lips and disfigured faces and the men dressed in $400 jeans and a sports coat and a baseball hat and then they turn around and they are 85 years old with a bad eye lift.

[Globegrl]

On 1/31/2019 at 10:19 PM, Pickles said:

Tracy's client, Kathy, has had some bad, bad plastic surgery. She looked bizarre. I thought Flagg's little video was funny and cute. Nice that the Altman brothers didn't get much air time this week. 

All kidding aside, I wonder about the horror of realizing after the bandages are removed and the healing well underway, that your face has been terribly botched.  Kathy was pretty in the old picture with Tracy.  I can't imagine what you must think and feel.  I would so much rather have my wrinkles and sag.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 2/2/2019 at 8:03 AM, Globegrl said:

All kidding aside, I wonder about the horror of realizing after the bandages are removed and the healing well underway, that your face has been terribly botched.  Kathy was pretty in the old picture with Tracy.  I can't imagine what you must think and feel.  I would so much rather have my wrinkles and sag.

Most of you have probably seen the episode of The Twilight Zone called "Eye of the Beholder".  Watching this will give you a whole new perspective on the plastic surgery craze we see in Los Angeles. 

Here is the brilliant idea behind the episode:

Spoiler

 

A woman is all bandaged up from having plastic surgery.  As the doctor and nurse unwrap the bandages, they have their backs to the camera and they are blocking our view of the woman.  She looks so bad that the doctor and nurse don't even want to hand her a mirror, and only do so after warning her that the surgery was not successful.    The poor woman is hysterical, because people will continue to yell and point at how ugly she is.  The nurse tries to calm her down.  Again, we can't see anybody very well because of the camera angle, but it is obvious everyone agrees that the surgery was a failure.

As the camera pans out, we see the woman for the first time.  She is beautiful!  But she is still crying about how grotesque she looks.  She cannot even go out in public.  But she is so beautiful, that we don't understand. . . 

Until the camera pans out further.  The beautiful (by our standards) woman is surrounded by doctors and nurses who have almost pig faces.  As the woman goes outside, we realize that this society is made up of almost all pig-faced people, who stop and stare at the woman because she is (by their viewpoint) grotesque looking.

In the end, the beautiful (by our standards) woman asks,  "Why was I born so ugly?" and the pig faced people try to make her feel better by telling her, "There is a very old saying.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

 

Very cool episode!  

I'm talking about the black and white episode from 1960.  The remake is 2003 is almost as good and easier to find.

Edited February 4, 2019 by TheLastKidPicked

[hottesthw]

On 1/21/2019 at 4:45 PM, MajorNelson said:

Her father is a billionaire, and I heard that as bringing that factoid up.

 

I'd guess Altman mainly 'respects' her moneyed background, so lets her 'in' a bit.

Which is bizarre considering that was his original beef with Flagg, that he had family money so he clearly didn't work as hard as the others. 

[MajorNelson]

@hottesthw that's a good point.  I can only guess he considers Tracy as being on his team (the same firm) so begrudgingly accepts her without the usual hostility.

Another thing from the episode with Flagg's video, I was further disappointed by matt with his reaction to the video saying "that guy is a douche."  If he is then don't comment about it, as it shows he's under your skin, but in any case verbalizing it lowers Matt right down to JA's level.  If he wanted to be cutting, he could have just said Flagg just lost his client 500k or something (if that's what he believed).

[TheLastKidPicked]

9 hours ago, MajorNelson said:

@hottesthw that's a good point.  I can only guess he considers Tracy as being on his team (the same firm) so begrudgingly accepts her without the usual hostility.

You just reminded me of the scene where Tracy introduced us to one of her assistants, who was a male model (of course).

Josh Altman stepped inside the meeting room and that male model was staring him down hard the entire time that Altman was there.

I couldn't tell if Tracy didn't pick up on this, or if she just pretended not to notice.