Million Dollar Listing New York icon Fredrik Eklund came to NYC with no job, connections, or family help. He started off handing out paninis outside David Letterman\u2019s late-night show, earning $15 hourly and one penny per sandwich, before a friend recommended real estate as a career. A boutique agency was \u201cstupid enough\u201d to hire him with no experience, and the rest is history. Now, his team of around 100 agents has closed more than $15 billion in property deals, and his celebrity clientele includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Jonas, and John Legend.<\/p>\n
Fredrik Eklund has made it in U.S. real estate<\/a>\u2014the Million Dollar Listing New York star has helped close more than $15 billion in sales all across the country.<\/p>\n But things looked a lot different just two decades ago when he first moved to the city. Eklund was handing out paninis in front of the Late Show with David Letterman for just $15 an hour before he got a shot at selling luxe apartments.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was at a time when New York\u2014and I didn\u2019t know it then\u2014was very undervalued,\u201d Eklund tells Fortune. \u201cAnd it was about to explode in what I\u2019ve been focusing on: new developments, and these new beautiful buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was a little bit lucky to happen to fall into it; I got my license at NYU and I got a job from someone stupid enough to hire me with no experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Eklund now leads a real estate powerhouse of around 100 agents, the The Eklund|Gomes Team, at luxury firm Douglas Elliman<\/a>. He leads offices in 10 markets, with celebrity clientele ranging from Jennifer Lopez to Joe Jonas, as he takes over America\u2019s real estate scene. Aside from New York, the self-made millionaire also has his eyes set on Miami as a sales ambassador for a $2 billion luxury living project<\/a> in Bahia Mar, working with real estate titan Jorge M. P\u00e9rez<\/a>\u2019s Related Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n But his rise to fame in the industry\u2014and on Bravo\u2014was anything but meteoric. It took years to achieve success after Eklund cleaned his slate and moved from Stockholm to New York City with nothing. No connections, no business, and no clear plan of what he wanted to pursue.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very scary to not really know the city, because I didn\u2019t have any context here,\u201d Eklund says. \u201cNobody would give me any business, because I didn\u2019t know anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Needless to say, Eklund didn\u2019t propel straight into a top real estate firm when trying to find his first gig in New York City.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were handing out paninis for free for one of those cafe restaurants right outside David Letterman,\u201d Eklund recalls. \u201cAs part of the job, we got a penny a panini. I think we got $15 to $20 an hour, which is not bad. They had some free lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n Weiterlesen <\/p>\n But Eklund was determined to not hand out paninis for life, and then a friend suggested real estate as a potential career path, fitting for Eklund\u2019s outgoing persona. Intrigued by the idea, Eklund soon got his real estate license from New York University, and a boutique property agency offered him a role. Six months later, he landed his first client. And it was all thanks to his friend being perceptive on what profession Eklund could stand out in.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the paninis thing, I was like, \u2018What am I actually going to really do?\u2019\u201d Eklund says. \u201cA friend of mine told me that I would be really good at real estate, because I have this crazy persona\u2014a very large, eccentric, entertaining, and bubbly personality. But I\u2019m also super driven, cutthroat, and very competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n Millions of viewers from across the country would soon tune into his competitive edge on Million Dollar Listing New York. Eklund was an original cast member when the Bravo show premiered in 2012, and stayed on for a full decade until his departure in 2022.<\/p>\n Ever since, Eklund had been building his own real estate empire, recording $3.77 billion in sales across New York, California, Florida, and Texas in 2023 alone. Notable clientele include Sex and the City icon Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as Hollywood power couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. And Eklund says he\u2019s proud that he\u2019s built his $15 billion empire from the ground-up.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have all those contacts, or a sort of easy beginning. Nobody did me a favor, or my dad or mom,\u201d Eklund says. \u201cI did it all by myself\u2014I put it all on this one thing, and it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n While Eklund has two decades of accomplishments under his belt, he has a word of caution for other aspiring real estate agents looking to replicate his success. Becoming well established in the profession takes years to get there, and doubt creeps in along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say it takes five years to really make it,\u201d Eklund warns. \u201cIt\u2019s a very difficult industry because it\u2019s super, super competitive, so you cannot give up like I almost did. I wanted to give up after two, three years. I was like, \u2018This is not for me, I\u2019m not doing well enough.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Being able to tough out the early years can lead to million-dollar closings across New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, but it takes a certain type of person to make the cut. While Eklund says he has the eccentric personality and drive to stand out, there\u2019s another part of his persona that\u2019s a double-edged sword in the job. It could be the trait that makes or breaks someone in real estate, but he leverages the perceived flaw to his advantage.<\/p>\n \u201c[Real estate is] an art and a craft, and the only way to learn is the hard way. You cannot really learn it in school. [You\u2019ve] gotta be out on the streets, the mean streets,\u201d Eklund explains. \u201cIt takes a long time, and if you\u2019re an impulsive and impatient person\u2014which I am, and can make you even more successful at work\u2014it\u2019s very easy to kind of find a new hobby or a new thing.\u201d<\/p>\n