The alluring world of luxury real estate comes with its own set of drama, both corporate and personal, and Netflix is about to capitalize on it. Its new show, Million Dollar Beach House follows five Nest Seekers International brokers out for success in the Hamptons real estate market as they navigate high-stakes business while keeping up with their families and loved ones and dealing with interpersonal conflict with each other.
Million Dollar Beach House premieres exclusively on Netflix August 26. Get ready to meet the brokers!
Noel Roberts
From Minnesota, Noel is a recent addition to Nest Seekers and chose to work in the Hamptons because of the great lifestyle and high income-earning potential. He’s seen as pompous by some of the other realtors and clients, but is a no-nonsense broker who isn’t afraid to push buttons.
The show highlights the different angle you take in contrast to the others. Talk about your different approach and why it works.
It might have something to do with our backgrounds. We’re all very different and there’s different approaches to how we look at real estate. My background is more finance. I was initially consulting and helping real estate developers raise money for projects and working more on the finance/construction end. Brokerage I sort of backed into. I look at things a little more analytically, a little more black-and-white and more matter-of-factly. I relate well to finance and investment guys and speak the same language, and in some ways have the same personality.
What was it like doing major business while filming?
It was fun, it was nerve-wracking, it was exciting, it was challenging, and I knew going into it that it would be a very challenging but rewarding experience. I got to learn about myself and what I’m really good at what I can improve on.
How did your relationships with the other brokers affect your time on the show, both positively and negatively?
What’s great about the show is you get to see us get to know each other in real time. It’s unscripted, it’s reality TV. Many times we’re going about our business and cameras are just flies on the wall. We’re getting to know each other on camera, we’re getting to know the clients on camera, so viewers get a real inside look to what it is that we do out here in the Hamptons.
What was it like dealing with clients who may not have been used to being filmed?
That part is challenging. I’m a very private person, and out here in the Hamptons you are dealing with a unique crowd. Some people are eccentric and they’re characters and love the camera, others are quite private and would rather not be on camera. But those who have good relationships with us and know we’re going to do right by them and we’re not out to make a spectacle of anybody, we’re just out to capture real life…it was a good fit. It was supposed to be an uplifting experience for everybody involved and I believe it was.
What are some behind-the-scenes aspects of creating the show that viewers at home would never expect were going on?
It doesn’t feel like a show. It feels more like a documentary. So viewers are going to be transported onto the camera and feel as though they are there, they’re going to feel our emotions as they happen, clients’ emotions as they happen, so there’s not a lot that was hidden. It was all revealed.
What are the challenges associated with selling luxury properties in the Hamptons?
I think, in many ways, the Hamptons is the same as if you’re a broker somewhere else. But you’re dealing with bigger numbers and bigger assets. But you’re still buying and selling based on emotional times, whatever issues might be going on in your life that might affect your motivation to sell or buy. What’s great about the Hamptons is that it still has that caché. People want to be here, and if not permanently they want to see what the lifestyle’s about. So what I try to do more now is show off and highlight some of the lifestyle and what it is to live or have a home here out in the Hamptons.
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a Hamptons real estate broker?
The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that I need to be even more meticulous. There’s so much history here with properties and people you need to always be learning. Each location has its own history, its own story. There’s always something else you didn’t know happened on a block. I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for four years now and I’m just learning things about people who live here that I didn’t know before. Hamptons real estate has really taught me to learn about the history of a place and the people and the things that make it special. It’s more than just about the numbers, which is my background. I’ve learned more about the stories and the people.
What aspects of this market do you think viewers from elsewhere will find particularly surprising?
We definitely capture the aspirational aspects of the Hamptons. We capture some ultra-luxury homes. But as someone who didn’t grow up here, who thought all there was was luxury here, we actually have a large working class. Not everything is living in 15 and 20 million homes. There are a lot of down-to-earth people. You could be in a coffee shop chatting with a fisherman just as well as you see Jimmy Fallon walk in to get some ice cream. It’s a wide range of people who call this place home.
How do you build trust with buyers and sellers?
It starts with a relationship. It starts with commonality. Sometimes you have to put the deal or the property to the side and ask, will you see yourself actually enjoying dinner with this person, will you still have a relationship five years down the line?
As a broker in such an exclusive market, what do you think makes the Hamptons so special? And what makes you the perfect broker to work here?
What makes the Hamptons so special is, obviously, the scenery. When I first moved out here it was spring and as soon as Memorial Day rolled around it opened up. There are some beautiful sunsets, such beautiful art and fashion and the big part of the pull is the history this place has. Of course there’s a proximity to Manhattan. It’s very serene. It’s the landscape, the people, the places.
What makes me the perfect broker? I’m going to be honest. I don’t try to be all things to all people. I don’t want to be, necessarily, the biggest broker in the Hamptons. I think my niche has been to sort of work with people who like my style, my strategy, my mindset, the level of attention I might provide to them. I don’t mind working with somebody who’s not looking to buy or sell today, but months from now. I provide them with market reports until they’re ready to pull the trigger. I’m going to be the perfect broker to a select group of people and I’m okay with that.
Discuss what impact you think being on this show will have on your business and the way potential clients will perceive you.
I hope it has a very great impact on my business. I hope a olot of people relate to me and get to know me. I have sort of been tracking a lot of owners who aren’t ready to sell. I’m hoping to be approached by buyers who are looking for off-market opportunities and I’m hoping over the next few months to do more deals than I’ve ever done but help a lot of buyers find their Hamptons getaway.
What are you most looking forward to viewers seeing on Million Dollar Beach House?
I have some hidden talents that not a lot of people know about! I can’t wait for people to see some of the ping pong stuff we do on the show!
Check out the trailer here!
Million Dollar Listing premieres exclusively on Netflix August 26
