‘I have to clean clogged extractor fans at work’: What British estate agents make of Netflix’s Selling Sunset

It is the latest bingeworthy lockdown box set, but has reality show Selling Sunset sold us anything but drama? Diyora Shadijanova talks to estate agents about how much it gets right

(Rex Features)

“Let’s just make something fabulous and get this property sold,” viewers are watching high-end estate agent Christine Quinn tell her colleagues they need to host a “burgers and botox party” to attract potential buyers for yet another multi-million dollar property she is trying to flog in the Golden state. Forget Tiger King, Normal People and I May Destroy You, the latest zeitgeist were-you-even-in-lockdown-if-you-didn’t-watch show is Netflix’s Selling Sunset.

The series, currently in its third season, has everything from property porn, to expensive parties, beautiful tans, perfect teeth and bucket loads of drama. We hear sentences uttered like: “I have learned the hard way that incredible houses do not sell themselves,” and watch the lives of bitchy realtors unveil in front of us in a Kardashian-style talking heads reality show.

Christine Quinn – one of the show’s protagonists, born in Dallas, Texas and featured in Vogue magazine nonetheless – is impossibly slim and glamorous for someone who has a full-time job. Like all our Selling Sunset cast, Quinn belongs to the Oppenheim Group, which represents Beverly Hill’s best buyers and sellers of luxury properties, often dealing with celebrity clients.

The show oscillates between showing the team hard at work to their dramatic personal lives, full of boujee events, cat-fights and relationship troubles. With plenty of expensive champagne thrown in at frequent intervals. The women get so attached to the properties they are meant to be selling, that they use them to host parties and, on one occasion, an entire wedding.

Needless to say the show has proved a hit (although the second and third series, launched in March and August 2020 respectively, sent it into the Netflix history books rather than the first iteration in 2019). Like all other shows on the streaming platform, there are not audience figures available, but if the Instagram followings of stars Chrisell Stause and Heather Young – 1.5 million each – are anything to go by, then we know it is doing something right.

But for anyone in the UK who has engaged with the British estate agents, renting that mouldy studio flat in Zone 4 or arguing about not responding to emails, it often feels more selling bedsit than selling sunset. And it’s certainly a far cry from bubbly toasts in a Monday meeting. So how realistic is the show? And what do estate agents on this side of the Atlantic think about it?

“They’ve definitely added the drama element! I don’t think it’s that glamorous or dramatic in reality – especially not in London,” says 24-year-old Jasmine*, who works for a real estate agency based in West London. Her listings span from one-bedroom flats worth £300k all the way to family homes worth £2.5 million. She values mid-range properties and finds new ones for the books through existing clients, networking and cold-calling. “The LA market is much smaller than the one in London, which is why the girls get agitated with each other – if they don’t sell then they’re screwed,” she explains.

The Oppenheim Group is run by twin brothers Jason and Brett. The brothers, notably Jason who is President and founder, are consistently ranked as the top real estate agent in the USA, according to their website ogroup.com. Jason claims he has more than $1b in closed sales, including the largest home in the Hollywood Hills on his books. For people who make anywhere between three and six per cent on each commission, this isn’t your average high street agent. But because of that, they work their team hard. In one morning conference we hear them say: “If you guys focused 100 per cent on work and put drama aside, you would be unstoppable.”

And they’re right. The show is plagued by gossip. While it makes for compulsive viewing, it doesn’t feel like somewhere work could happen. And Jasmine agrees. “The only things that happen [in real life] are secret inter-agency relationships, but there are no explosive fights.”

I would not have my client on one line and a buyer on the other and flit between them

Jessica is a partner at Knight Frank, one of UK’s leading high-end independent real estate consultancies. She loves Selling Sunset but agrees with Jasmine it’s not a realistic portrayal of the job. “I think it captures all the fun of the job and the reason why I love it so much, however I would not have my client on one line, whilst I have the buyer on the other and flit between them,” she says, commenting on the quick on-screen negotiations that take place on the show.

Katya, another Knight Frank partner, says that another element that isn’t quite the case is the speed at which deals are closed. Of course endless behind-the-scenes admin isn’t going to make the cut in a 30-minute episode, but sometimes it is portrayed as instantaneous. Katya says in reality deals can take anywhere from three days to a week to happen – and that is the fastest example. Others can take years at the top end of the market.

What about that commission? The women on Selling Sunset are earning enough to be travelling like rock stars. In season two, Christine describes a holiday with her husband, Christian: “We went all over, to Maldives, Bordeaux, I feel like I was travelling the world doing my eat, pray, love thing. But in like, five-star resorts, obviously.” But Toto, who also works at Knight Frank, says that the commission is “much lower” in London. Research from 2018 found estate agent fees in the UK are the “lowest in the world”.

Rosie*, a 22-year-old works in lettings for a small agency, says Selling Sunset presents a totally incomparable job to her own. While they prance around in their stilettos and drive sports cars up and down Sunset Boulevard, she’s had to inspect and clean the grimiest flats at work. “I’ve had to deal with loads of things left by previous tenants, change light bulbs because the contractors are on holiday, build furniture and wipe clogged extractor fans,” she grimaces.

Apart from Jason and Brett, the majority of the agents featured on the show are women – something which appeals to female estate agents, says Toto – in a straw poll of her colleagues it has proved much more popular with women than men and she says has helped to shake off the traditional “sleazy estate agent stereotype” that sometimes still exists.

One thing the show does get right is the focus on appearance – the 365-days-a-year tan, the permanent blow dry and wardrobe perfection. Christine and Chrishell never shy away from their love of designer pieces. Who can forget Quinn’s rainbow fur jacket and Louis Vuitton hoop earrings? Katya reveals her workplace has a no trainers and no jeans policy. “I look after private clients who have the wealth of £50 million plus and typically buy for up to £10 million plus. Just for the nature of clients we mingle with, you do need to buy a few items of latest fashion. I don’t have a figure on it but I spend more than the average person.” she says.

 I don’t think [Burgers and Botox] would ever fly anywhere in the UK, frankly, not even in the two to four million bound segments

Similarly, Jasmine feels the pressure to dress well – “If I’m in the office, I think less about what I’m wearing, but if I have a busy week and meet clients, I make real effort. I’d hate to think I didn’t do my job properly because of my presentation. As shallow as it sounds, people are really critical. You’ve got to put yourself in the best light and be a symbol of your brand.” Like the characters on screen, Katya and her colleagues at Knight Frank maintain a glamorous image on Instagram where they post pictures of their international jet-setting and beautiful buildings.

Buttering up potential clients is also common, but Jasmine insists professional and personal boundaries are much clearer in the UK. “Open houses here are very different in London, we wouldn’t be throwing parties like they do on the show. Here it’s just an open invitation to anyone who wants to view the house,” she shares. Higher end listings may have unveiling events once the building has been completed, but nothing over the top.

Katya recalls one she attended recently: “It was very tastefully done – one of the top firms in the UK was hosting an evening for a crowd of about 100 people. There was champagne and it was smart casual. I don’t think [Burgers and Botox] would ever fly anywhere in the UK, frankly, not even in the two to four million bound segments.” Agents at Knight Frank also aren’t as involved in each other’s personal lives as the women on Selling Sunset, according to Katya the most they’ll do is go for an occasional team drink.

Difficult clients aren’t uncommon and just like on the show, they love complaining how busy they are, says Jasmine. But what if a listing just won’t sell? “It depends on the agency, but I would say if you don’t sell a certain amount, or meet a quota every single month – it does reflect badly on you as an individual because regardless of the market, you should be selling four to five properties every single month,” she explains.

The slang is a bit different too, the Oppenheim agents say things like “if you don’t buy it I will” to get their listings sold, but in the UK, you get a lot of “there’s a deal to be done” and agents asking if you’re “happy to walk away” from a property when testing a client’s commitment. Jasmine thinks that these types of negotiations tactics can have a big influence on a sale.

It’s clear Selling Sunset isn’t representative of the British real estate market, but does the show tempt the agents to move and work in LA? Jasmine isn’t as keen because the market isn’t as busy as London, but Jessica doesn’t rule it out. “I love the more relaxed approach in the agency and being able to dress up as much as they do in LA – I try to do it in London but within reason!” Her colleague Toto agrees – “if it involves driving a sports car, selling amazing homes and having sunshine all year round – I’d at least have a conversation about it!”