Summary

Owning Manhattandocuments the cutthroat world of real estate in New York City withMillion Dollar Listing New Yorkveteran Ryan Serhant at the forefront, andthe show is already better than the west-coast-basedSelling Sunset.After spending years onMillion Dollar Listing New York,Ryan Serhant has moved into his real estate brokerage but has done so with a twist. The new Netflix series,Owning Manhattan,shows the reality of Ryan’s brokerage, which has been his dream for many years.Ryan’s time on the Bravo reality TV serieshelped give him a head start, but his company is unique.

ThroughoutOwning Manhattanseason 1, Ryan and the agents he’s collected from all over the country are shown working incredibly hard to sell difficult listings all over New York City. While some of the agents face issues in their work, Ryan is always there to help out when needed and push his agents to the next level. Despite knowing that he can do incredible things on his own, Ryan’s passion for helping other agents develop into the strong salespeople he knows they can be is fascinating. WhileOwning Manhattanis similar toSelling Sunset,it has a secret x-factor involved.

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Owning Manhattan Paints A Much More Cut-Throat Real Estate Industry

While real estate in general is a tough industry at times, the markets can be very different depending on the geographic location.Owning Manhattantakes place in New York City, a diverse but difficult real estate market. There are more factors for buyers than the real estate itself in New York, which can make it far more cutthroat to buy or sell in the city.Owning Manhattanexplores these difficult listings in a way that’s refreshing and interesting, allowing the real estate agents involved to explain the difficulties and idiosyncrasies to the audience as the topic experts that they are.

Selling Sunsetand its spin-offs, likeSelling The OC, have been the primary sources of real estate content on Netflix for quite some time, but their deep dives into the industry are few and far between. While the markets of southern California are undoubtedly difficult to navigate, they don’t have the same qualities as the New York market. This means that typically, listings onSelling Sunsetare typical enough that they don’t need to be explained or broken down by the agents. Instead,Selling Sunsetfocuses more on interpersonal drama between the agents, rather than the real estate industryitself.

Ryan Serhant from Million Dollar Listing New York smirking

SERHANT Has The Advantage Of Being A Real Estate Tech Company

Although Ryan is qualified as a real estate agent, he knew coming into the industry as the owner of a firm would be difficult, even with his breadth of experience. WhileOwning Manhattanexplains that SERHANT is a real estate firm,the company has a tech aspect to it that makes it a unique, interesting choice. Ryan and his agents have leveraged social media marketing in a way that allows innovative content to reach the buyers for listings and allows them to make decisions other firms wouldn’t be able to. SERHANT can access clients that the Oppenheim Group couldn’t reach.

Owning Manhattan Is More Intense Than Selling Sunset

WhileSelling Sunsetfocuses on the core groupof agents at the Oppenheim Group’s Los Angeles office, the drama has grown somewhat stale over the years. Rather than focusing on the real estate, the market, or the projects that the Oppenheim twins have taken on alongside their brokerage,Selling Sunsetpays attention to the drama in Chrishell Stause’s life as a real estate agent. While the majority of that drama appears to be fabricated, her ongoing relationships with her colleagues like Mary Fitzgerald, Amanza Smith, and Emma Hernan has taken up most of the airtimeSelling Sunsethas each episode.

In contrast, the intensity fromOwning Manhattancomes less from the interpersonal drama between its cast members, and more from the way that the agents are operating in their business from day-to-day. While there are some moments of tension between agents,the group onOwning Manhattanis far larger than it is onSelling Sunset, which means the spotlight doesn’t have to be on a core group at all times. The stakes of real estate are generally also higher than the stakes of interpersonal friendship, which makesOwning Manhattanmore intense as a series.

a montage of Jason and Brett Oppenheim with selling the OC cast behind them

Ryan Serhant Has The Charisma For Reality TV, Unlike The Oppenheim Twins

While Brett Oppenhiem and his twin brother, Jason Oppenheim, have been onSelling SunsetandSelling The OCfor years,their screen time isn’t typically something that viewers are looking forward to. Thoughthe Oppenheim twins are interesting as businessmen, their plotlines revolve around the stress of owning a business and their romantic lives, which leave a lot to be desired. In contrast,Owning Manhattanis able to explore the charismatic Ryan in an interesting way, showing off his ambition and skill while allowing him to acknowledge his faults, and give a peek into his personal life on the way.

Source:Netflix/Instagram

Owning Manhattan

Real estate mogul Ryan Serhant leads his dynamic team at SERHANT as they navigate the high-stakes world of New York City’s luxury property market. The series follows agents tackling multimillion-dollar listings, facing intense competition, and striving for success in a city where only the best thrive. Personalities clash, alliances form, and drama unfolds in this high-pressure environment​.

Selling Sunset

The reality TV series Selling Sunset showcases the operations of the Oppenheim Group as they navigate the high-end, high-stakes real estate game of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Newport Beach. The show explores both the personal and professional lives of the real estate agents as they buy and sell properties worth millions of dollars.

Owning Manhattan (2024)

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