The star of “Million Dollar Listing” used to lift the paninis, but now led a team concluding $ 15 billion in transactions – because someone was “stupid enough” to hire him

But things seemed very different two decades ago when he moved for the first time in town. Eklund distributed paninis in front of the Late show with David Letterman For only $ 15 an hour before being shot on the sale of luxury apartments.

“It was at a time when New York – and I did not know so – was very undervalued,” said Eklund Fortune. “And it was about to explode what I concentrated on: new developments, and these magnificent new buildings.”

“I was a little chance of having fallen into it; I obtained my license in Nyu and I got a job from someone stupid enough to get involved without any experience. ”

Eklund is now carrying out a real estate power plant of around 100 agents, the Eklund team | Gomes, at the luxury firm Douglas Elliman. He directs offices on 10 markets, with a celebrity clientele from Joe Jonas Joe Jonas, while he takes control of the American real estate scene. Aside from New York, the Millionaire Self -taught also has his eyes on Miami as a sales ambassador for a luxury project of $ 2 billion in Bahia Mar, working with the related real estate group Titan Jorge M. Pérez.

But its ascent to glory in industry – and on Bravo – was anything but meteoric. It took years to succeed after Eklund cleaned his slate and moved from Stockholm to New York with nothing. No connection, no company and no clear plan of what he wanted to continue.

“It was very frightening not to really know the city, because I had no context here,” explains Eklund. “No one would give me a business because I didn’t know anyone.”

Distribution of Paninis outside David Letterman to help close $ 15 billion in real estate

Needless to say, Eklund did not propel directly into a better real estate business when he tried to find his first concert in New York.

“We distribute the paninis for free for one of these coffee restaurants just outside David Letterman,” recalls Eklund. “As part of the work, we got a penny a part. I think we got $ 15 at $ 20 an hour, which is not bad. They had a free lunch. ”

But Eklund was determined not to distribute paninis for life, then a friend suggested real estate as a potential career path, suitable for the outgoing personality of Eklund. Intrigued by the idea, Eklund quickly obtained its real estate license from New York University, and a boutique real estate agency offered it a role. Six months later, he won his first client. And everything was thanks to his perceptual friend on what the profession Eklund could stand out.

“After the Paninis, I said to myself:” What will I really do? “,” Said Eklund. “One of my friends told me that I would be really good in real estate, because I have this crazy personality – a very great eccentric, entertaining and sparkling personality. But I am also super motivated, cute and very competitive.”

Millions of viewers from across the country would soon connect to its competitive advantage over Lists of a million dollars in New York. Eklund was an original actor when the Bravo Show was created in 2012 and remained a complete decade until his departure in 2022.

Since then, Eklund had built its own real estate empire, recording $ 3.77 billion in sales in New York, California, Florida and Texas in 2023 only. Notable customers include Sex and city The Sarah Jessica Parker icon, as well as the Hollywood Power Chrissy Teigen and John Legend couple. And Eklund says he is proud to have built his $ 15 billion empire from zero.

“I did not have all these contacts, nor a kind of easy start. Nobody made me a favor, nor my father or my mom, ”explains Eklund. “I did everything by myself – I put everything on this one thing, and it worked.”

A word of prudence for budding real estate millionaires: success does not come quickly

While Eklund has two decades of achievements to his credit, he has a word of prudence for other budding real estate agents who seek to reproduce his success. Becoming well established in the profession takes years to get there and doubt slips along the way.

“I would say it takes five years to really do it,” warns Eklund. “It’s a very difficult industry because it’s great, super competitive, so you can’t give up as I almost did. I wanted to give up after two, three years. I said to myself:” It’s not for me, I don’t go well enough. “”

Being able to harden the first years can lead to closings of a million dollars in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, but you need a certain type of person to cut. While Eklund says he has eccentric personality and stands out, there is another part of his personality which is a double -edged sword in work. It could be the trait that makes or breaks someone in real estate, but it exploits the perceived defect to its advantage.

“(Real estate is) an art and a profession, and the only way to learn is the way. You can’t really learn it at school. (You must) be in the streets, the middle streets, ”explains Eklund. “It takes a long time, and if you are an impulsive and impatient person – which I am and I can make you even more successful at work – it is very easy to find a new hobby or a new thing.”