Million Dollar Listing LA - General Discussion

[Stan39]

The Brits need to read up on their Shakespeare, “me thinks thou dost protest too much.” I’m glad they sold the house, but they seemed WAY too interested in rubbing it in Tracy’s face. I doubt she even cares. 
 

I’ll never understand the LA scene. None of the people buying or selling these houses ever seem all that bright or hardworking yet they have $1-10M just laying around to buy houses. 

[SunnyBeBe]

6 minutes ago, Surrealist said:

Me too. I like Fredrik, but am not looking forward to this drama.

I’ve started to wonder if he has some kind of need to create drama.  I finally had my fill of that with Jeff Lewis. Eventually, it’s time to grow up and stop making an asp out of yourself. 

[Grrarrggh]

10 hours ago, dleighg said:

And when did David start calling James "Jim"? It seems like Jim is a purely American thing for a "James".

You've obviously never read the All Creatures Great and Small books... 

4 minutes ago, Stan39 said:

I’ll never understand the LA scene. None of the people buying or selling these houses ever seem all that bright or hardworking yet they have $1-10M just laying around to buy houses. 

Just like all too many they either inherited it or got it illegally.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Grrarrggh

[Surrealist]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’ve started to wonder if he has some kind of need to create drama.  I finally had my fill of that with Jeff Lewis. Eventually, it’s time to grow up and stop making an asp out of yourself. 

I genuinely do like Fredrik, but drama seems to kind of follow him and after a while, you get bored with it.

[Marley]

David has called Janes Jim forever it’s nothing new. Obviously they are exactly what Tracy says because they are protesting too much. They annoy me.

The guy is obviously playing his music hoping his dumb band gets discovered lol.

I am actually not minding Josh Altman this season and I feel like him and his bro were doing a good job.

 

[KHenry14]

I gotta call BS on Altman singing that song. No way he made that up on the spot. It's not like he's the Real Estate version of Wayne Brady. 

[SunnyBeBe]

10 hours ago, KHenry14 said:

I gotta call BS on Altman singing that song. No way he made that up on the spot. It's not like he's the Real Estate version of Wayne Brady. 

Oh, I definitely got the impression that song was written by someone else and that they all had practiced prior to the performance.  At one point Josh said Altman brothers and I thought he said Allman Brothers......lol....sort of amusing. 

[TV Diva Queen]

12 hours ago, Marley said:

David has called Janes Jim forever it’s nothing new. Obviously they are exactly what Tracy says because they are protesting too much. They annoy me.

The guy is obviously playing his music hoping his dumb band gets discovered lol.

I am actually not minding Josh Altman this season and I feel like him and his bro were doing a good job.

 

The guy had  on the same ridiculous shirt he had on when he first met Josh.  I think that was staged and all filmed in one day, but the homeowner never got the memo from wardrobe to change his Versace/Gucci shirt.  He had on Gucci flips, so the shirt was probably Gucci too.  LOL  

[bichonblitz]

On 6/30/2020 at 11:26 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

That band scene with the Altman Bro’s was very entertaining.

Loved it when Josh said he was channeling his inner "Steve Perry" from Journey. Then they showed a pic of Steve in his prime. Nice touch! I'm a huge SP fan girl!! 

Edited July 2, 2020 by bichonblitz

[amarante]

Like others have posted, the show is so much better without the fake fighting. Let them show what most of the viewers are here for which is showing homes and being somewhat of a behind the scenes look at the world of high end real estate agents.

I am on a Bravo "viewing panel" and I generally leave a plea to end the stop fights so perhaps enough people like me persuaded the producers to change the tone of the show and focus on the real estate.

It's obviously somewhat still faked - Heather the buyer was not just a normal cold caller and the Trousdale guy was selected because of the real estate and his personality. No suspense that Altman was going to get the job - that guy would have paid a million dollars just to be on the show playing his music :-). 

I didn't mind because the Trousdale house was exceptional. Renovated by people with money and taste and the willingness to restore rather than gut. The Pasadena home really needed that kind of gut renovation - hopefully done by somebody with taste so that it doesn't turn into the generic boring flip - white Shaker cabinets; quartz waterfall island; spa-look bathrooms. However that house really was in sad shape - fluorescent kitchen and bath lighting; formica cabinets; electric coil range; poor layout plus only two bedrooms. That would be a complete negative since that neighborhood seemed family and three bedrooms is minimum for a family. Seemed as if it was an odd layout since the square footage was about 2500 feet which is more than ample for three bedrooms.

And my last WTF was deliberately putting carpet in the bathroom. That was really being completely clear that the place was meant to be gutted as there was no attempt to do anything that might it even appear to be move in ready. I have no idea what they paid for the new stuff and the staging but in my opinion, the money was completely wasted. The market for that home was either a developer or someone who was sophisticated enough to want to deal with a down to the studs renovation. And those kinds of buyers don't give a rat's ass about staging but just the bones, location and how much it will cost to get it up to snuff. The easiest sells are "handyman's specials" because you aren't paying for ANY half assed fixes like cheap carpeting or move-in ready. The first house that Flagg took Heather to showed a poor renovation as the changes didn't conform to the look of the home itself and were so taste specific like a robin's egg blue paint exterior.

The Pasadena renovation was such a contrast with the flipper who did the Craftsmen in Sunset Square and just removed anything that was true to the era - he didn't even attempt to use new stuff that was Craftsmen in tone except for the stuff that he was required to do. I just finished a remodel - and I did a kitchen that was evocative of Craftsmen with quarter sawn white oak kitchen cabinets. 

 

Edited July 4, 2020 by amarante

[jrzy]

On 6/25/2020 at 11:26 PM, amarante said:

If you like the character of a neighborhood, living in an HPOZ zone is very desirable. You won’t have a horribly out of character McMansion built on your block. The area is very charming and people deliberately choose to live there. 
 

This particular guy was an idiot in terms of his choices. The realtors made it appear as if the entire location was problematic whereas it was the location of his lot which was less desirable than homes more in the middle and north of Hollywood. 
 

He then made expensive aesthetic choices which would be completely unappealing to a lot of people who want a Craftsman home. And aside from that the layout was weird with that useless hallway and the walnut slats which maybe would work in a mid century home. 

I thought he absolutely ruined the aesthetic of that house.  He deserved to lose his shirt on that horrid renovation. Overdone and out of charactor with the exterior.    

[7-Zark-7]

Sunset Square - I live in LA but still had to look up the area.

Me: Oh, that's where Hugh Grant was caught with that prostitute.

Bf: Oh yeah, they have nice houses up in that area.

Me: Wasn't that where that guy was beheaded?

Bf: Yeah, but he was beheaded in a nice house.

Edited July 9, 2020 by 7-Zark-7

[Lady Lucy]

Fredrik may be an excellent realtor but he's a horrible actor.  I agree with the poster above, I hate the (fake) fighting on this (and all Bravo) show. I'm here for the real estate porn.

[SunnyBeBe]

So what’s to prevent the developer Scott, in Malibu, from listening to what Tracy would do to market the property, then, send her off her and steal her ideas?

[Marley]

Wow that developer is really into himself. Not a fan.

The Altman and Fredrik stuff seems so fake. Hasn’t Fredrik done business in LA for quite some time? Seems like a lame storyline.

[Koalagirl]

6 hours ago, Marley said:

Wow that developer is really into himself. Not a fan.

The Altman and Fredrik stuff seems so fake. Hasn’t Fredrik done business in LA for quite some time? Seems like a lame storyline.

They were all on WWHL last night and everyone got along great.  It was a fun watch.  Andy asked each of them to say something complimentary about Frederick and their responses were very heartwarming. Most of the compliments had to do with him being such a sweet, loving guy.  

[Stan39]

10 hours ago, Lady Lucy said:

Fredrik may be an excellent realtor but he's a horrible actor.  I agree with the poster above, I hate the (fake) fighting on this (and all Bravo) show. I'm here for the real estate porn.

Agree. The way he shows homes on TV is very off putting and would never entice me to buy a house. Now, if he just used all the knowledge he accumulated to answer my questions and calm any doubts I have he could probably convince me to buy something. Then again, different people react differently to styles of sales pitches. 

[LekoBoy]

I've always wanted to spend $75mil to take a bath in a giant wooden salad bowl.

"So many people seem to have more money than cents."

 

[jrzy]

Is anybody else slightly revolted by these massive houses?  I wonder what habitat was destroyed with that massive build up?  Greed, ego, and excess are the main themes on this show.  I feel a little filthy after watching. 

[TV Diva Queen]

I was obsessed watching Altman NOT rub Heather's feet.  LOL  He just kept talking with his hands and not rubbing her feet like he said he would! 

Also, I was confused with the Altman brothers new office.  Did they leave Douglas-Eliman (or whatever the name is)

Frederick has a whole LA team - why would they manufacture all that drama when they know we know he has a team and an established business there.  

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by TV Diva Queen

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm wondering how Tracy is going to sell that Castle.  She had some good ideas, but, how is she really going to sell it?  I don't think the people who would buy THAT kind of house would want to go on a little yacht cruise off the coast and put on monogrammed slippers for a tour.  lol  Just my suspicion.  I didn't find her marketing plan all that impressive. Maybe, she was scared that he would steal her ideas and then not hire her. lol 

[dleighg]

53 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm wondering how Tracy is going to sell that Castle.  She had some good ideas, but, how is she really going to sell it?  I don't think the people who would buy THAT kind of house would want to go on a little yacht cruise off the coast and put on monogrammed slippers for a tour.  lol  Just my suspicion. 

I agree-- is she going to stalk buyers to find out their personal preferences? Wouldn't they find that creepy? And I'm not sure how it really relates to getting them to buy a home.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

I didn't find her marketing plan all that impressive. 

Me either!  That was a new, exciting and innovative plan?  Seemed pretty basic to me.  

What I did like was Tracy standing up to that douche and not cowering or acting like she lacked confidence (which he wanted her to do).  Go girl!

I also didn't find the Castle to be that beautiful?  It was a huge, empty bowling alley.  I may be alone, but I didn't care for the look of the wood beams (love them in general, but those look like the bark was peeling off!).  The house had no personality.  Even the sterile, modern, white boxes you can sometimes see the glittering appeal of, even if it's not your particular style.  This was just blah. 

I screamed when that kid slammed open and shut the oven door at the one home.  Kids shouldn't be allowed on home tours of any kind.  Period. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

So Josh Flagg's client actually bought a house at $4.57 million, because her kid said to?  

I didn't like the Castle at all.   It did seem cold, and empty.   Why would Tracy actually represent the seller, when he had so many conditions?    

The Fredrik-Josh A. fight was stupid, and obviously staged.    Fredrik obviously had a team in L.A. for a long time, and I think this was all for show drama, especially since there are regular pictures of the two families together.    Josh A. is another person that mistakes being honest, with being mean, and a jerk. 

I suspect that just like Fredrik, the Ellman (spelling) still is the overall broker, and they have their own offices, and teams under that umbrella.   

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[DrSparkles]

2 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

I was obsessed watching Altman NOT rub Heather's feet.  LOL  He just kept talking with his hands and not rubbing her feet like he said he would! 

Also, I was confused with the Altman brothers new office.  Did they leave Douglas-Eliman (or whatever the name is)

Frederick has a whole LA team - why would they manufacture all that drama when they know we know he has a team and an established business there.  

 

Yeah, I’d like to know how that works. Seems like Altman bros & Fredrick have their own offices/teams, but are still under the D-E umbrella?

[bichonblitz]

Fredrik is a terrible actor. The tears. 

[Stan39]

I realize the show is fake, but it still shows how horrible at negotiating I am. If I had $5M to buy a house, had NO house, and Josh found me exactly what I wanted I wouldn’t bother negotiating and risk losing it. I’d just buy it and move forward. Either you have the money or you don’t. 
 

Laughed at the Castle because I’ve seen it appear on 1-2 other shows. I agree with Tracy, when I looked at buying a house in Florida it was after the recession and there were a lot of developers buying houses and selling them without a broker (without even doing anything to the house). They’d show you the house and the whole experience was just creepy and off-putting. They just came off as sleazy opportunists. Also laughed at the guy who claims to not have any time for Tracy to put together a pitch, or lowering the price was a mistake. Dude, the house didn’t sell so clearly you’re wrong. His idea that brokers were showing clients other properties is just bs. It would be unethical for brokers not to show their clients all their options. 

[KHenry14]

I agree the "fight" was stupid and made no sense. And Altman once again shows he's a douchebag.  With that said, I think opening his own shop is a good idea. Serhant did it in New York and he's wildly successful. Frankly, i'm kind of surprised that he took so long to do it.

I'd never heard of a wooden tub before, that's an interesting item in that house. But overall, i'd feel lost in a house the size of the Castle.

[gaPeach]

Quote

3 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

 

What I did like was Tracy standing up to that douche and not cowering or acting like she lacked confidence (which he wanted her to do).  Go girl!

I also didn't find the Castle to be that beautiful?  It was a huge, empty bowling alley.  I may be alone, but I didn't care for the look of the wood beams (love them in general, but those look like the bark was peeling off!).  The house had no personality.  Even the sterile, modern, white boxes you can sometimes see the glittering appeal of, even if it's not your particular style.  This was just blah. 

I screamed when that kid slammed open and shut the oven door at the one home.  Kids shouldn't be allowed on home tours of any kind.  Period. 

 

That developer was a jerk!  He wouldn't let Tracy put her purse on the counter or table?  And no one drives on the driveway to keep its integrity....sheesh some people have way too much time on their hands.  he was so full of shit it was oozing out of every pore.

I also found the "castle" an ugly brown BOX.  Who buys that crap?  Someone so rich they need to park their money somewhere it is going to lose value?

And the bratty kid slamming the oven door was one thing.  His mother's lack of MOTHERING him was something else.  She barely looked at the kid much less corrected his behavior.  And while I am at it...……..give that kid a hair cut.  The Beatle look went out with the 60s. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by gaPeach
my grammer is bad.........

[pally]

8 hours ago, Stan39 said:

Agree. The way he shows homes on TV is very off putting and would never entice me to buy a house. Now, if he just used all the knowledge he accumulated to answer my questions and calm any doubts I have he could probably convince me to buy something. Then again, different people react differently to styles of sales pitches. 

I've read articles about Fredrik that say that in person he is much calmer and professional than the persona he is on the show.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I must have odd taste, but, I rather liked the Castle.  I prefer basic over ornate, so, plain doesn’t bother me.  It’s not a dream home, but I could like it, except for the size. It’s too large for my taste. I did like the views. Not a fan of the wooden tub or cigar room.  The seller was rather insecure. Tracy will earn every dollar of that commission. 

[Stan39]

“So why do you think the house didn’t sell?”

”Well, I listed it at $85M and then the last realtor convinced me to lower it to $75M, which was a mistake”. Whaaaaaat? Lol. Yeah, that’s the mistake, it’s too cheap for someone to buy. 

[howiveaddict]

10 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

Me either!  That was a new, exciting and innovative plan?  Seemed pretty basic to me.  

What I did like was Tracy standing up to that douche and not cowering or acting like she lacked confidence (which he wanted her to do).  Go girl!

I also didn't find the Castle to be that beautiful?  It was a huge, empty bowling alley.  I may be alone, but I didn't care for the look of the wood beams (love them in general, but those look like the bark was peeling off!).  The house had no personality.  Even the sterile, modern, white boxes you can sometimes see the glittering appeal of, even if it's not your particular style.  This was just blah. 

I screamed when that kid slammed open and shut the oven door at the one home.  Kids shouldn't be allowed on home tours of any kind.  Period. 

Didn't like the Castle either.  I don't want to live where I feel like I'm going to fall off a cliff at any moment.  Also got to have window coverings to close at night.  You know, so the boogie man can't peek in.

Like it when the kid was slamming the oven door, Flag says to him, " you break it you bought it". I enjoyed that the kid's mother did not look like most LA women.  She looked normal.

[seigle]

That Malibu property has been on the market since 2016 and gone through three different brokerages. It's obviously ridiculously overpriced. It's on the wrong side of PCH and high up. Yeah there are $100 million sales in Malibu but that's in Carbon Beach or Paradise Cove. Beachfront or Oceanfront with beach access not high up on a canyon.
And about Altman, Fredrik actually pitched Altman to Zach Vella long time ago. I don't know what happened why he ended up with the Brits. My guess is back then Altman hasn't broke through the ultra high end real estate back then.
Staging in MDL are getting worse and worse.

Edited July 9, 2020 by seigle

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, seigle said:

It's on the wrong side of PCH and high up.

I love an ocean view but for that price I want a nice ocean view, not one over a mile or two of residences. Views of LA itself, especially at night, are a bit more glamourous. 

[seigle]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

I love an ocean view but for that price I want a nice ocean view, not one over a mile or two of residences. Views of LA itself, especially at night, are a bit more glamourous. 

Sadly this "$75 Million New Castle" have neighbors close to it as well. And the neighboring properties have values from $1.5M to $8.5M.

[TV Diva Queen]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

I love an ocean view but for that price I want a nice ocean view, not one over a mile or two of residences. Views of LA itself, especially at night, are a bit more glamourous. 

I agree - If I'm spending $75MM on a home in Malibu, I want to be on the sand.  The New Castle was not my style, the front outside was a white box.  I don't care if the "fun" is in the back, when I drive up, I want to be awestruck.  

[Stan39]

1 minute ago, TV Diva Queen said:

I agree - If I'm spending $75MM on a home in Malibu, I want to be on the sand.  The New Castle was not my style, the front outside was a white box.  I don't care if the "fun" is in the back, when I drive up, I want to be awestruck.  

Sorry, you can’t drive up. You’re not allowed on the driveway 🤪

[oakville]

5 hours ago, seigle said:

And about Altman, Fredrik actually pitched Altman to Zach Vella long time ago. I don't know what happened why he ended up with the Brits. My guess is back then Altman hasn't broke through the ultra high end real estate back then.
Staging in MDL are getting worse and worse.

Zach Vella was frequently on MDL NY. He was very hard to deal with & used to ague with Fredrik.

[seigle]

1 hour ago, oakville said:

Zach Vella was frequently on MDL NY. He was very hard to deal with & used to ague with Fredrik.

He is also one of the first developers who trusted Eklund/Gomes. He is now trying to break into L.A. as well. Maybe another drama between Fredrik and the Brits that Bravo has to make lol.

[Carolina Girl]

On 6/26/2020 at 10:40 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

However, I never liked Madison. 

Neither did I.  I never liked that bowl-cut idiot that was in the first two seasons, either.  

[TV Diva Queen]

5 hours ago, Stan39 said:

Sorry, you can’t drive up. You’re not allowed on the driveway 🤪

I wonder if the douche developer writes that into the contract that no one can ever drive on the driveway or put purses on countertops   LOL

[geauxaway]

46 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

Neither did I.  I never liked that bowl-cut idiot that was in the first two seasons, either.  

Awhhhhh!   I love me some Chad Rogers!  Starla just turned 13 this week (yes I follow him).  🤣

[Marley]

Yea if I’m spending 75 million I wanna be right on the sand. Plus the house was kind of boring to me in a weird way. Nothing about it made me go wow lol.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Marley

[dleighg]

4 minutes ago, Marley said:

Yea if I’m so ending 75 million I wanna be right on the sand. Plus the house was kind of boring to me in a weird way. Nothing about it made me go wow lol.

Yeah like the bathroom (with the wooden tub) was massive, but empty. Like, what's the point of all that space? Just "because"? The "Razor" house was a lot more interesting (not that it was my style either, but a least it was kindof cool)

[Stan39]

10 minutes ago, Marley said:

Yea if I’m so ending 75 million I wanna be right on the sand. Plus the house was kind of boring to me in a weird way. Nothing about it made me go wow lol.

I wish I had $75M to spend on a house just so I could tour that house with Tracy and the developer and say, “Geez, I really like it and it’s perfect for me. I don’t mind that it’s overpriced, but this guy is such a pompous ass that I just don’t want to give him my money 🤷🏼‍♂️“

[geauxaway]

30 minutes ago, Marley said:

Yea if I’m so ending 75 million I wanna be right on the sand. Plus the house was kind of boring to me in a weird way. Nothing about it made me go wow lol.

Just like the weird toaster elevator in the Razor house, how many people are requesting a top of the line built in Wok?  I mean, it’s cool, but I can think of other features or appliances I would use more than a Wok.  Unless you are eating that (or in this homeowners case, having it made for you) daily.  
 

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, geauxaway said:

how many people are requesting a top of the line built in Wok?

and it's kind of weird he was calling it a "Wok." It's a high temperature induction burner. I guess a Wok (item not included) is the most obvious use of such a thing, but...

[Grrarrggh]

4 hours ago, Stan39 said:

I wish I had $75M to spend on a house just so I could tour that house with Tracy and the developer and say, “Geez, I really like it and it’s perfect for me. I don’t mind that it’s overpriced, but this guy is such a pompous ass that I just don’t want to give him my money 🤷🏼‍♂️“

I spend the money then make sure the developer knew I was doing a HUGE remodel and design. 

[lynxfx]

6 hours ago, Marley said:

Yea if I’m so ending 75 million I wanna be right on the sand. Plus the house was kind of boring to me in a weird way. Nothing about it made me go wow lol.

Yeah that was the least amount of house you could buy for $75m. Nothing about it was unique that couldn't be duplicated in other homes for a quarter of the price including the views. 

And when did induction cooktops become some rare luxury feature? My old $800 rental had induction tops. Don't most chefs prefer gas anyway for even cooking? They keep pointing it out during the tours like it is magic.