The Facts
We like watching “Million Dollar Listing Miami.” Its first season just ended.
His Side
Reality TV is to scripted TV as documentary film is to narrative film. With that being said, I am not a fan of documentaries or reality TV. Most of you already know, however, that my wife enjoys reality TV. So, I watch it on occasion. While I can’t stand that reality TV is taking over, I can sort of see why… some of the shows are interesting. Most of them are not, but I can tolerate some. I even enjoy watching some.
I was first introduced to the “Million Dollar Listing” shows via the Los Angeles edition. It was entertaining and I enjoyed seeing the expensive houses, etc. Also, the agents are so competitive and sometimes very petty which makes for some nice mindless entertainment. Then, “Million Dollar Listing New York” started and Kristi had told me that those guys were even more entertaining. She was right. With this one, I started even getting more invested in the agents as people. It wasn’t just about the pricey condos and breathtaking views anymore.
Then we saw a commercial for the newest addition to the “Million Dollar Listing” shows: Miami. They are starting to spread as quickly as the “Real Housewives.” I was hesitant at first about the agents in “Million Dollar Listing Miami” because they didn’t seem very personable. Chad just seemed like a dumb beefcake with a superficial girlfriend. Sam seemed like a whiney, wanna-be super broker. And Chris seemed like a stuck up rich guy who cares WAY too much about his looks. As I got to know them through the show, though, my opinions softened.
I realized that Chad takes great pride in what he does and cares so much about getting his clients what they want that it’s quite endearing. And, it turns out that his girlfriend isn’t superficial at all. She helps him with business and helps him be a better person. He has some anger issues but she helps soften those. They work well together so I see why he bought her a 127,000 dollar ring… yea… it’s huge.
I also found out that Sam has a lot of fight in her. She is the underdog in Miami and is right on the cusp of being where she wants to be; but her drive is impressive. Running her own company and doing everything herself must be tough, but her passion for what she does makes me want to root for her. She’s the first female broker on a “Million Dollar Listing” show and she was a good choice. Also, I’m glad she didn’t join a bigger company. Staying independent is her thing and she should keep it that way (I realize that last bit doesn’t make any sense unless you watch the show… sorry).
Then there is Chris. He seems to make the biggest deals and have the quirkiest personality of the Miami agents. While I can’t get behind his obsession with Botox and other superficial treatments, he seems to treat everyone with respect and get his job done to the best of his ability. And he’s super competitive (all of them are, but he especially is) which I can relate to.
I know I always bash reality TV and how it’s everything that’s wrong with TV these days. But it’s tolerable, I guess, if you pick the right show. None of the “Million Dollar Listing” shows help with the idea we talked about in a previous post, though: don’t look at houses out of your price range or you will not be satisfied with what you’ve got. Yea, well, a man can dream, right?
Her Side
Nolan and I differ greatly on what we consider entertainment. For me, shows like “The Real Housewives,” “Say Yes to the Dress,” and well, pretty much any show on Bravo fall under entertainment. For Nolan, he’s entertained by sports and… well that’s the main one. So, when we find something that we both enjoy, we watch it religiously. “Million Dollar Listing Miami” (MDLMIA) is the most recent show that we’ve found we both love (although we do love the New York and Los Angeles versions just as well).
Recently, the first season of MDLMIA came to a conclusion, so it’s only right that I attempt to sum up this entertainment experience. At first, both of us were extremely skeptical of the show. I got Nolan turned onto the Los Angeles version last year and then we both found that the New York version was way better (thanks to our favorite… Luis). So, when yet another version came out, neither of us thought it would be any good… but we still gave it a wholehearted shot.
As the season progressed, I began to enjoy it more and more. The folks in Miami have a different way of wheeling and dealing than the folks in New York or LA… and it is fantastic! Let’s be honest, there is just something mesmerizing about seeing a deal close for a few million dollars and realizing that the agent just made a sweet hundred thousand dollars on it. Let me just go ahead and say I’d do that… but I would probably sell one and be done for the year. Mostly because that kind of money is something I can only dream of at this point in my life. It’s interesting, however, to see them act so nonchalant about the amount of money they just accrued. I understand that they invest more time in selling a property than what they can show on television… but even then it’s still a great pay off.
The most expensive listing we saw this season was a penthouse suite going for a cool $13,995,000. Selling at this price would mean breaking major records in the area. As the deal was going down, it was as if they were talking about pennies and dimes. The potential buyer didn’t like the European style kitchen and wanted the massive master bedroom closet to have see-through closets instead of closed in cabinet styles… a pretty understandable request if you’re forking over that kind of money. Well, the selling agents thought that an overhaul of the kitchen and master bedroom were ridiculous to even discuss because (and I quote) “those are only minor cosmetic changes.” Uh, more like cosmetic changes that would cost more than I make in a year… Sheesh, people!
So, we record and watch the show every week and now I’m kind of sad that it’s over. Good thing is that “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” starts a new season next week. Only, now we have to get used to the LA style of selling ridiculously expensive homes again… what a struggle.
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