Jody Minns's Stories: Heather Rae Young’s Top Real Estate Secrets From ‘Selling Sunset’

Monday, August 10, 2020

Heather Rae Young’s Top Real Estate Secrets From ‘Selling Sunset’

“Selling Sunset” has just returned for Season 3—and while all of the Los Angeles real estate agents on the show are mesmerizing to watch wheeling and dealing, probably the biggest breakout star of the bunch is Heather Rae Young.

This 32-year-old recently made headlines due to her whirlwind romance with “Flip or Flop” star Tarek el Moussa, who proposed to her in July after a year of dating. Whether the pair might end up with their own reality TV show remains to be seen, but until then, we can watch Young in action on “Selling Sunset” (now streaming on Netflix).

And while Season 3 is packed with the usual beautiful properties and claws-out drama among the ultracompetitive real estate agents at the Oppenheim Group, Young and her co-workers also divulge tons of smart insights on buying, selling, or renovating homes. Here are some of Young’s top tips from the first few episodes of “Selling Sunset” that are sure to come in handy wherever you live.

Ask what will be left behind after a sale

In the season premiere, titled “Back to Business,” Young is showing a Beverly Hills, CA, home to her clients Rene and Lauren. They are interested in the home, particularly the furnishings. They ask if the chandelier by the staircase will remain with the house.

“That chandelier’s pretty amazing,” Rene says.

“I can see if it comes with the house,” Young replies.

Usually, anything bolted to the wall or ceiling is expected to stay with the house, but it’s good to make sure.

While Young’s clients don’t end up buying the house (or the chandelier), it’s important to know that some home items, like light fixtures or furniture, can be negotiated in the sale.

So when touring a home, note the details you like. Love that fridge? Think that couch looks perfect in the den? Ask your agent to find out what the sellers plan to leave behind, or what they’re willing to throw in to sweeten a sale.

One room can serve several functions

When showing the Beverly Hills house, Young knows that her clients are looking for a family home. So when she shows them a bonus room, she offers suggestions for how the space could be used.

“This could be a game room, playroom, kind of like an everything room,” Young says.

music booth — Young points out that this music studio can double as a home theater.
HGTV

Similarly, in a later episode, Young tours a home that has a professional music studio. While this feature may appeal to music producers, Young is thinking of a broader clientele.

She asks, “Could it be turned into a movie theater?”

When selling a home, you have to spend money to make money

In the “Biggest Agent in the Room” episode, Young teams up with fellow agent Amanza Smith to sell a Los Angeles home. The house is beautiful, but it could use some sprucing up.

So the seller decides to use the brokerages’ new concierge service in which the team fronts the cost of small repairs, like paint, in order to make the house look better and fetch a higher price.

Young and Smith fix the damaged wood flooring, paint the walls a clean, bright white, and replace some lighting. These small improvements transform the space.

Their boss, Jason Oppenheim, estimates they spent about $40,000 on the improvements. But “we probably added $240,000 in value.”

The space looks sensational, and the home ends up selling for $3,650,000.