Josh Altman recently appeared on season four of the hit Bravo series “Million Dollar Listing”. Josh is not just a Bravo TV Star but also one of LA’s Top Real Estate Agents. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Josh about the show and also his business.
Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved in the real estate business?
Josh Altman: I bought my first place when I was 22 years old with my business partner who is my brother. We ended up fixing it up within 3 months and put it back on the market as a joke. This was around 2002 in the time where you could buy anything, fix it up and sell it for more money. About 5 years ago I got more into the agent side of things and that is where we are now. Because of our early success and some of our celebrity clientele I had gotten called by bravo to be on “Million Dollar Listing”.
MG: How was it working on season four of the show, “Million Dollar Listing” on Bravo?
JA: It was great! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. You never get to see what actually is being shot until its on television because it’s a reality show. I was very happy and doing the show was great for our business. The show in a way is a 9 hour infomercial for my business. Its nice people get to see the day to day work that goes into selling these massive homes.
MG: Was it difficult coming on to the show which was entering its fourth season?
JA: I hadn’t ever watched the show when I was first approached. I took a look at it and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it or not. I wasn’t sure how they were going to portray me on the show. After watching a few episodes I figured I could bring something fresh and different to it. From there I jumped in and took no prisoners.
MG: Tell us about your nickname “The Shark”?
JA: (Laughs) People call me that around town because I am the guy you want on your side when it’s time to sell or be represented. I am a ruthless negotiator. If I smell blood I am going to jump all over it. (Laughs)
MG: What is the most fun/challenging part of working on the reality show?
JA: I get to walk around and be recognized from the show. I was just in Italy and people recognized me there. That never gets old for me as I am a realtor and people know who I am. The difficult part was balancing the business and the show. With my brother as a partner that helped because some of that business was able to fall towards him. That balance was truly the hardest part and at the end of the day my business is more important than the show. When you see me with a phone in my hand 
on the show it’s because I am always working.
MG: Any word if you will be returning for season five?
JA: There will be a season 5 however they have not announced the cast yet.
MG: What is the largest listing that you have sold?
JA: We just sold a listing last week that was the most expensive listing ever for a condo in Santa Monica. The condo sold for 10.5 million dollars. It was pretty spectacular. We also sold a 16.5 million dollar home that was the 6th highest sold in L.A. county. Last year alone we sold over 60 million dollars in properties.
MG: When you are not selling houses, what keeps you busy?
JA: I would be doing this even if I wasn’t getting paid. This is something that’s fun for me. I do love spending time with my dogs and hanging out with friends though.
