Jason and Brett Oppenheim

Spear’s Review

The twin brothers behind the Oppenheim Group found a canny way to take their luxury real estate brokerage based in southern California to new heights. Their Netflix show, Selling Sunset, which has had eight seasons with more likely to come, is a worldwide hit and has had a huge impact on sales. 

Jason and his brother Brett have worked with many high-profile clients, including Nicole Scherzinger, Orlando Bloom and Jessica Alba. The glitz and glamour belies their serious business acumen: they have more than $3 billion in closed sales and $300 million in active listings, and both trained as lawyers before moving into real estate. Jacob Stern, Brett and Jason’s great-great-grandfather, was a pre-eminent real estate entrepreneur in Los Angeles, and Brett and Jason are the fifth-generation owners of the firm, originally The Stern Realty Co.

Although Selling Sunset focuses on the drama and conflicts within the brokerage, property is the priority. It’s not always as exciting as the show, but neither is it fake, as some critics suggest, according to Jason.

‘You’re seeing what happens,’ he told Hello! magazine. ‘Granted, we film for months and you’re seeing just a few hours. You don’t see the part where we're just on our computers for hours at a time. That would be too boring. But there’s a lot going on ... It makes for a great show, but it can make for a difficult office once in a while.’

The reality TV show is even influencing the way the British property industry works; its impact can be seen on social media-savvy London-based property advisers such as Daniel Daggers.