Altman Brothers to open office in Corona Del Mar

“Million Dollar Listing” star Josh Altman: “We should be the top team in Orange County in 24 months”

From left: Altman Bro's Josh Altman, Heather Altman, Matt Altman
From left: Altman Bro's Josh Altman, Heather Altman, and Matt Altman (Douglas Elliman, Getty)

After a few years of selling homes in Orange County, The Altman Brothers are showing they are serious about the market barely an hour’s drive from their Beverly Hills headquarters.

The luxury home brokerage, which appears prominently in the reality TV show “Million Dollar Listing,” plans to open a flagship office in Newport Beach’s exclusive Corona Del Mar enclave. Co-founder Josh Altman will run the new office with his partners, his brother Matt Altman and his wife Heather Altman.

Josh Altman declined to state how much his company spent on the lease for a 2,200-square-foot space at 3700 East Coast Highway, which is the former site of a bank building. Altman forecast that his company would move into the new office around summer of 2023. The firm signed a five-year lease with two five-year options.

“It will double as a billboard for Altman Brothers,” Josh Altman told TRD.

Altman is the latest high-profile real estate group to officially open a storefront in Orange County’s Newport Coast market. The Oppenheim Group, which this summer unveiled “Selling the OC,” a reality show about its Orange County real estate business, opened an office in Corona Del Mar in 2021. The Oppenheim’s office is located a minute’s drive away from the Altman’s upcoming location.

Aaron Kirman, a top real estate broker who starred on real estate reality shows such as “Listing Impossible” opened a satellite office in Orange County last year. Eklund|Gomes is active in Orange County. Co-founder Fredrik Eklund formerly appeared with the Altmans on “Million Dollar Listing.”

Altman said that he had been looking for the right office in Orange County for a couple years. “It wasn’t like we said, ‘That market is hot, let’s do something.’ This was a long time coming. We didn’t want to do anything until there were multiple hundred millions sold in a year,” he said. “We should be the top team in Orange County in 24 months.”

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Altman said his company sold $307 million worth of homes in Orange County last year. In August, the firm closed a deal for a $19 million mansion at 1201 Dolphin Terrace in Corona Del Mar. Josh Altman also owns a house in Orange County; his family splits time between Newport Beach and Beverly Hills.

Altman Brothers ranked third in The Real Deal’s list of top Los Angeles residential teams. The list featured Los Angeles County deals recorded in MLS between April 2021 to April 2022.

The Altmans’ outfit is affiliated with Douglas Elliman Realty, as is the Eklund|Gomes Team. “(Altman Brothers) office marks our fourth location in Orange County and will greatly elevate our presence in the region,” Stephen Kotler, CEO of Douglas Elliman’s Western Region, said.

The new Corona Del Mar office will be designed by Newport Beach designer Frank Berry, who is known professionally by his first name, Frank. A full-time barista will work at the office. There will be a virtual reality station where people can digitally “tour” Altman Brothers listings.

Also, there will be one desk in the entire office. It will be Josh Altman’s desk. Instead, the design inspiration for the space is a lounge. Agents and clients will be encouraged to gather at booths rather than sit around a desk. Giving agents a place to brainstorm was one reason Altman was interested in opening the office.

“If you’re not surrounding yourself with agents, you’re not making deals,” he said.

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