Josh Flagg isn’t just one of the top real estate brokers in Los Angeles, he’s also one of the original cast members of Bravo’s hit show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. There’s a reason why he knows how to make such good reality television. The bold broker is a straight shooter, fierce negotiator and represents some of the best luxury properties on the market. With the new season in full swing, I recently sat down with Flagg to talk about the show, his life off camera, and get some advice for first-time buyers.
Amanda Lauren: What can we expect to see this season on Million Dollar Listing?
Josh Flagg: A lot of fighting. What else can we see? Oh, yeah, me and Josh are besties now. I love it.
This season is good because there’s a lot more fighting, number one. But number two, I think I think there are a lot better properties this season. There’s [also] a really good dynamic between all the agents whereas, in other years in the past, there hasn’t been [as much]. There is a synergy. Everyone’s getting along with each other. It’s just a whole different thing.
Lauren: Did the pandemic throw any wrenches into the current season?
Flagg: The pandemic was last season. I mean, the pandemic is now but I’m saying in terms of filming what we can do and what we can’t do— that was really more of a last season thing.
Lauren: It looks like you have the most fun of everyone on the show…
Flagg: Most real estate agents work 24/7 and don’t enjoy their life. My grandfather always said “I don’t need to die the richest man in the cemetery,” What does that mean? It means you make one less deal. Who cares? You’ve got to enjoy your life sometimes. Josh Altman, who’s one of my very close friends will say to me, “How do you go to Europe for a month in the summer? How do you go to Hawaii for three weeks?” I’ll say, honestly, “Look what’s the difference?” Okay, so I’m not able to show houses during that time. Nobody’s buying houses during Christmas anyway. At least I can make deals by phone. I’m available. There’s never been one time that my clients have not been able to get ahold of me.
Plus, I don’t sleep very much anyway. I really only sleep from 3:00 am to 7:45, maybe 8:00 at the most.
Lauren: What are you doing up until 3:00 am?
Flagg: I watch Criminal Minds. That’s a good one. I text Candy Spelling, I text and email my assistants, and sometimes I’ll play Solitaire. I cuddle with my dog.
Lauren: What are you doing taking to Candy Spelling if that hour? What do you two text about?
Flagg: Criminal Minds. We love that show together. What other things do we do together? She’s a big card player, as am I. So we decide if we’re going to play gin rummy the next day. She’s great. I’m also really close friends with her daughter, which is unusual.
Lauren: Do you have any advice for first-time buyers?
Flagg: The biggest problem with first-time buyers of the world— there are two problems. Number one, they’ll get into bidding wars and they’ll try and buy anything and everything they can because they’re afraid that they’re gonna get tapped out of the market, but then they end up buying [bad] property and they’re stuck with it.
The second biggest problem with first-time homebuyers is they don’t have brokers that are educated enough, and then they sell them properties that are not good properties because the brokers want to take advantage.
Lauren: How do you know you’re working with the right broker?
Flagg: In my business, one percent of us do 99 percent of the business and there’s a reason why we have good reputations. [Do] you know how you can tell a [bad] broker from a good one? The giveaway is knowledge of the market. Very few brokers have knowledge of the market.
Lauren: Did you ever anticipate that you’d become a “Bravolebrity” when you started in the business?
Flagg: I started as a top broker then I got into this two years later with the show and everything. It obviously catapulted my business. The show is a wonderful thing. But it could also not be good for somebody who’s shy and it doesn’t like [it], but you shouldn’t be on a show then.