In the world of real estate, Josh Altman may be the ultimate star agent and celebrity. He’s augmented his talent for selling and flipping houses with a popular reality show, “Million Dollar Listings,”. The brokerage firm he runs with his brother sells over $100 million worth of property every year.
Altman himself is believed to be worth $40 million, this makes him the richest cast member on the show. He recently jumped ahead of Josh Flagg on the rich list. Altman specializes in selling properties around Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills, which is known locally as the Platinum Triangle.
So let’s trace Altman’s journey. It began in 1979 in the toney Boston suburb of Newton, where Altman was raised in a Jewish family and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in both the US and Israel. He attended Syracuse University and earned a degree in Speech Communications, and believe it or not Altman was the kicker on the school’s football team.
Then Altman’s career took a serious turn. He moved to LA and launched his real estate career, flipping houses. When he discovered that he had a knack for it, he formed a company with his brother Matt, and more success followed. The Altman brothers began representing actors, athletes and entertainment executives in their real estate ventures, with the high-water mark being the sale of a house for $16.5 million, which was the sixth-highest sale in LA history.
But Josh Altman wasn’t happy just selling homes. He began appearing in “Million Dollar Listings: Los Angeles,” a reality series that follows a group of real estate agents as they sell high-end, pricey homes to celebs and other wealthy folks.
Altman quickly discovered he had a knack for television, too. He’s appeared on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Hollywood Today Live,” “The Real,” “FabLife” and “Money with Melissa Francis.” All of which made him a household name far beyond his SoCal power base.
He listed his own home in Hollywood Hills for $8 million in 2017, this after paying just over $2.5 million for that same house in 2014 and reportedly rented it out for $38,000 per month.
Altman’s neighbors included the likes of Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston, and during that same period the star agent took a stab at writing books with long titles, starting with “It’s Your Move: My Million Dollar Method for Taking Risks with Confidence and Succeeding at Work and Life.”
Altman’s personal life uniquely dovetailed into his work life when he announced his engagement to Heather Bilyeu in 2013. The couple called off their wedding, but worked it out to the point where they now have two children, Alexis and Ace.
Given the fact that Altman is just 43 and now has a growing family to support, it’s safe to say that his wealth and visibility will continue to grow.
His habit of hobnobbing with celebrities seems to have served him well and has plenty of friends to call on for help in his future ventures, which will involve plenty of high-end luxury homes as well as his special flair for the outrageous.
