Million Dollar Listing New York star Ryan Serhant on selling $90 million homes at 23

At age 38, Ryan Serhant has become one of the most successful celebrity brokers in the world, selling properties valued up to $140 million USD ($209 million).

Starting from the ground up, a 23-year-old Ryan followed a strategy to achieve success “without having to wait 10 years”.

“No one would have trusted me to sell a $60 million ($89.6 million AUD) apartment if I told them I was 23 years old,” the star of Million Dollar Listing New York tells Nine on the phone.

Confidence from day one is his secret to success, and something he will share during his keynote speech at the 25th Australian Real Estate Conference on Sunday May 28.

Ryan, who founded mega brokerage SERHANT in 2020, will reveal how “big money energy wins deals” during his speech via satellite from New York.

“Big money energy is the confidence you need when you don’t have experience. It’s something that I saw well-experienced people had,” he says.

“I would watch people walk into a room, great real estate professionals, owners, wealthy people, and they just had this vibe, this aura and this energy attached to them. I call it ‘big money energy’ because they had big money and I had not.

“I wanted to have the same type of energy they did. I also didn’t want to have to wait 10 years. So I asked myself how I could have the same level of confidence without having the same amount of experience, and without waiting 10 years.”

Ryan gave himself the confidence he needed on day one by being “future Ryan”.

“That’s how I got started in this business. No one would have trusted me to sell a $60 million ($89.6 million AUD) apartment if I told them I was 23 years old and never done it before,” he says.

“But if I put myself out there as Ryan in 2030 then people see that I have the confidence of somebody who is much, much older. And it worked. Anyone can be whoever they want to be.”

Ryan sold a “spectacular” Palm Beach mansion in Florida two years ago for a whopping $140 million USD ($209,357,400 AUD) with one of the largest indoor fish tanks, a trend we are now starting to see in luxury Australian homes on the market.

Asked whether there is a particular design trend he’s seeing in New York that could potentially make its way Down Under, Ryan tells Nine that he’s starting to see the reintroduction of colour.

“In the US., you have a lot of open-plan, clean finishes, but colour is coming back. I spent 10 years selling white stone with light floors and light walls… a light palette.

“But now you’re seeing that those buildings are starting to look dated, they don’t look as timeless as everyone thought they were going to be. We are starting to see more colour come back which help buildings and renovations stand out… it helps add character.”

While Ryan’s time on Million Dollar Listing New York has come to an end after nine seasons since its 2012 premiere, he doesn’t rule out any future TV work, telling Nine coyly that he sees the end as a “graduation” with “things in the works”.

Asked whether there is any major difference working with a celebrity than the average Joe, Ryan jokes that while he treats everyone the same and with the same amount of privacy, the “celebrity can be just a bit more difficult”.

Ryan will be one of 33 visionaries at the Australian Real Estate Conference on the Gold Coast this May – a leading real estate empowerment event – where celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon and Caitlyn Jenner, along with real estate professionals, reveal how they develop, adopt and adapt to achieve success in every environment.

Four New York-style properties for sale in Australia

8 Penny Lane, South Yarra, Victoria – see the full listing here

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8 Penny Lane, South Yarra VIC 3141

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15 Stanley Street, Kings Park, South Australia – see the full listing here

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3A Australia Street, Camperdown, New South Wales – see the full listing here

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42 Alberto Street, Lilyfield, New South Wales – see the full listing here

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42 Alberto Street, Lilyfield NSW 2040

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