‘Selling the OC’: How Much Is Real? In Terms of Real Estate, a Whole Lot, Believe It or Not

‘Selling the OC’: How Much Is Real? In Terms of Real Estate, a Whole Lot, Believe It or Not

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Fans of the “Selling Sunset” spinoff “Selling the OC” might wonder: How much of the drama unfolding on screen is real? Quite a lot, apparently.

Jason Oppenheim, who heads up the luxury real estate brokerage with his twin brother, has admitted that opening this second office in Orange County has not been without its share of office tension, both on screen and off.

“Some of them really don’t like each other,” he admitted during a recent interview. “I spend a lot of time with those guys and girls, [and] they have real issues.”

Probably the most buzzed-about uproar occurs in an episode titled “An Off-Market Offer,” where agent Kayla Cardona gets drunk and tries to kiss agent Tyler Stanaland, who was married at the time. (He has since separated from his wife, actress Brittany Snow, who reportedly asked him not to participate in the show in the first place!)

Interpersonal drama aside, this show delivers some smart real-life ways to buy and sell our homes. And although this show barters in megamillion-dollar homes, these same rules apply just as well to real estate at any price. Check out what we learned of late amid the office tension.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Ask about pocket listings

Almost every real estate agent knows of a home or two that isn’t on the market, but the owners would be willing to sell if they were offered the right price.

Agent Sean Palmieri has a client who’s been looking for a four-bedroom, four-bath home with an ocean view, and he’s willing to pay up to $13 million for it. The client’s search of current listings hasn’t found anything suitable, so Palmieri asks his colleagues if they have any pocket or off-market listings.

Of course, they do! Alex Hall has one that’s new construction and hasn’t gone on the market yet—it’s just the right size and location, and the owner wants $10 million for it—which Hall jokingly corrects to $13 million.

Most of us are not shopping for something that pricey, but there are usually pocket listings in every price range. It never hurts to put it out there and see what pops up.

The one place you should never put a bathroom

The more bathrooms, the merrier, right? That ain’t necessarily so.

Yes, a high number of bathrooms looks good on a listing, but when potential buyers arrive on the property and find that a bathroom is practically in the kitchen, it could send them running in the other direction.

That’s almost what happens to agent Polly Brindle as she shows a client around a Balboa Cape Cod that was built in 1938.

The owners are asking $2.75 million for it, which, in this area, is a steal. But “it needs a lot of work,” Brindle explains.

Still, she notes that if you put $1 million into fixing it up, you could sell it for well over $5 million and make quite the profit.

But the client is horrified when she sees, at the end of the narrow galley kitchen (which in and of itself is bad enough) an open door to a powder room, toilet in full view.

“The toilet is actually in the kitchen,” she exclaims.

Let’s just say it leaves a very bad impression.

The way a house smells matters as much as how it looks

“I smell trouble” is not just an expression. When looking at a fixer-upper, your nose can sense things your eyes can’t. Brindle is reminded of this as she shows the client around the Balboa property.

As they open a closet, a stench exudes from it that practically makes their eyes water.

“The potential is here, but it’s a lot more disastrous and horrific than I expected,” says the client.

“I would say ‘horrific’ is definitely the word of the day,” Brindle adds.

You can smell mold and mildew that you can’t see. You can smell plumbing problems that may not be observable by the naked eye. You can also get an idea of rat infestations and more just by taking a good whiff.

Age has its advantages

Sure, shiny and new looks great, but older homes have their advantages. For example, Alexandra Jarvis and Alexandra Rose have a listing for a beautiful home with an unrivaled view of the beach from every level.

The house stands out for many reasons, but a main one is that it’s three stories tall.

“You can’t even build a house like this on this street and more,” says Rose as she’s showing Cardona around.

Zoning laws are always changing, but a home that was built before those changes are made is “grandfathered” in, or allowed to stand as is. It can be a tremendous advantage.

Solar panels are a huge plus

Rose and Jarvis’ $10 million listing may have incredible views as well as five bedrooms and 9.5 baths in 11,000 square feet of living space, but one of the features that potential buyers seem to admire most is the bed of solar panels on the unbuildable terraced hillside.

Rose says, “95% of the energy comes from the solar panels.”

It’s a bonus feature that not only helps keep energy costs down, but also makes the owners feel good about doing something for the environment.

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