Two decades after Barbara Corcoran was named CEO of The Corcoran Group, Pamela Liebman is following the brokerage’s founder to Hollywood.
Liebman will make her reality TV debut this fall on Netflix’s “My House,” the streaming service said this week. Carried over six 30-minute episodes, the show will have a distinct “Shark Tank” vibe: Four real estate mavens listen to homeowners appreciate their properties, then decide whether they want to buy them as investments.
Liebman will be joined by Redfin CEO Glenn Kellman, Los Angeles real estate investor Denmark Rygster and former National Football League linebacker-turned-home-flipper Brandon Copeland.
“The show offers viewers unique stories and a fun and entertaining look at the unrealistic expectations people have when trying to sell their homes,” Liebman said. Whether it’s their passion or their vision, I’m definitely amused since Manhattan sold for $24.
The show could provide an interesting glimpse into the changing attitudes of reality television in New York City’s top residential brokerage. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in 2013 about the impact of reality television on the real estate industry, Liebman said Corcoran brokers were “shocked by what happened” on shows like “Million Dollar Listing.”
Corcoran once discouraged agents from appearing on reality television, a policy that appeared to be relaxed in 2018 when “Million Dollar Listing New York” star Steve Gold joined the company.
“Buy My House” will focus more on the aggressive agents and real estate investments that flock to Manhattan penthouses and Malibu mansions and explore the ever-changing landscape of the real estate scene. “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” made its finale last year, and “Million Dollar Listing New York” was successfully canceled by Bravo earlier this year.
Still, the debate over reality television’s impact on the industry and its use as a branding tool for brokers is far from settled. At the beginning of this year TRD’s New York City’s Show + Forum, Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Friedman and “Million Dollar List” star Ryan Serhant engaged in a public debate about the topic during a panel discussion.
In a predictable spat on Instagram, Friedman accused the shows of “ruining the industry” by fostering a negative view of real estate brokers, while Serhant said they provide invaluable exposure and legacy firms like BHS and Douglas Elliman “were cowards.” From the competition you can. (Elliman, it should be noted, has a number of brokers on TV, including Frederic Eklund, Josh Flagg and Tracy Tutter.)
“Buy My House” premieres on September 2nd.