October 15, 2025 · Kien Nguyen

Top 10 Famous Real Estate Agents Making Headlines in 2026

Top 10 Famous Real Estate Agents Making Global Headlines - Bella Virtual Staging

Short answer: the most famous real estate agents in 2026 are TV-made brokers such as Ryan Serhant, Josh Flagg, Josh Altman, Fredrik Eklund and Mauricio Umansky, plus Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank. By sheer sales volume, the top agent in the U.S. is Texas new-home specialist Ben Caballero, ranked No. 1 by RealTrends every year since 2013. What the famous names share is record-breaking sales, a strong personal brand and a media presence that reaches millions of potential buyers.

Updated September 2026 with each agent's current brokerage, latest sales figures and TV projects.

The 10 most famous real estate agents at a glance

Agent	Known for	Brokerage (2026)	Headline number
Ryan Serhant	Million Dollar Listing New York, Netflix's Owning Manhattan	SERHANT.	$10B+ career sales
Barbara Corcoran	Founder of The Corcoran Group, Shark Tank	Sold her firm in 2001	$66M sale of her brokerage
Josh Altman	Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles	Douglas Elliman (The Altman Brothers)	$9B+ career sales
Josh Flagg	Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles	Compass	$3B+ career sales
Fredrik Eklund	Million Dollar Listing New York	Douglas Elliman (Eklund\|Gomes)	$30B career sales with John Gomes
Mauricio Umansky	Founder of The Agency, Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills	The Agency	165+ offices in 15 countries
Ben Caballero	Three-time Guinness World Records holder	HomesUSA.com	$3.67B in 2025 home sales
Dolly Lenz	New York luxury deals	Dolly Lenz Real Estate	$15B+ sold
Madison Hildebrand	Malibu, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles	The Malibu Life (Compass)	10 seasons on TV
Tarek El Moussa & Christina Haack	HGTV's Flip or Flop and The Flip Off	Investors and TV hosts	10 seasons of Flip or Flop

Why famous real estate agents matter to the real estate market

Reality television turned a handful of real estate agents into household names. Shows like Bravo's Million Dollar Listing, Netflix's Selling Sunset and Owning Manhattan, and HGTV's flipping series brought luxury properties, bidding wars and closing deals into millions of living rooms. Instagram, YouTube and TikTok now let the same agents reach buyers directly, so a strong media presence has become a sales tool as much as a publicity one.

That exposure changes what buyers expect. In the National Association of Realtors' 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 48% of agents said buyers expected homes to look like the ones staged on TV, and 58% said buyers were disappointed when homes didn't measure up. The same report found that 83% of buyers' agents say staging makes it easier for a buyer to picture the property as a future home. Presentation now matters in every price bracket, and it has shaped adjacent fields like commercial interior design, where visual storytelling drives how spaces are marketed.

How we chose the most famous real estate agents

Fame and production aren't the same thing in the real estate industry. Some of the top real estate agents by annual sales are unknown outside their market, while some of the most recognized real estate professionals are famous mainly for their onscreen exposure. We looked at three things:

Media reach: TV shows, social followings and how often the agent appears in national press.
Verified sales: career sales and recent sales volume from rankings such as RealTrends Verified and the agents' own disclosed real estate transactions.
Influence on industry peers: whether other agents copy their marketing strategies, brokerage model or approach to celebrity clients.

The result mixes luxury market specialists, top producers and a few names who built a real estate empire mostly through television. Facts are current as of September 2026.

Top 10 famous real estate agents making headlines in 2026

1. Ryan Serhant

Ryan Serhant is arguably the most visible person in real estate today. He built his name over nearly a decade on Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York, then founded his own brokerage, SERHANT., in September 2020. Netflix says he has closed more than $10 billion in sales, including the most expensive home ever sold in Florida at just under $140 million. His Netflix series Owning Manhattan premiered in 2024, and Season 2 arrived in December 2025.

His firm treats real estate as a media company. SERHANT. Studios produces video content, while SellIt.com teaches agents in more than 130 countries. According to HousingWire (August 2026), the brokerage now has more than 2,000 agents across 19 states plus Washington, D.C.

Rose to fame on Million Dollar Listing New York.
Founder and CEO of SERHANT., an AI-driven brokerage and media company.
Stars in and executive-produces Netflix's Owning Manhattan.
Bestselling author of books on sales and personal branding.

2. Barbara Corcoran

Barbara Corcoran built a New York real estate empire from a $1,000 loan. She founded The Corcoran Group and sold it to NRT in 2001 for $66 million. She's an original "Shark" on ABC's Shark Tank and has appeared in all 17 seasons, becoming one of the best-known business voices in the country. Corcoran shows how real estate expertise can grow into a brand far bigger than a brokerage.

Founded The Corcoran Group and sold it for $66 million in 2001.
Original investor on Shark Tank.
Author, speaker and media commentator on business and real estate.

3. Josh Altman

Josh Altman became a star on Bravo's Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, appearing for 15 seasons before leaving the show. Off screen, he runs one of the country's biggest luxury teams, The Altman Brothers at Douglas Elliman, with his brother Matt and his wife Heather. The Los Angeles Business Journal credits him with more than $9 billion in career sales. The team closed $1.3 billion in 2025 and ranked No. 1 among mega teams by volume in RealTrends Verified 2026. The team has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, where it opened in Rancho Santa Fe in 2026.

More than $9 billion in career sales, including sales in Beverly Hills and Bel Air.
No. 1 mega team by sales volume, RealTrends Verified 2026.
Known for sharp negotiation and high-end video marketing.

4. Josh Flagg

Josh Flagg is the original and longest-standing cast member of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. He started selling homes at 19 in Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills and moved to Compass in 2024. His official bio puts his career sales above $3 billion. His records include the most expensive house ever sold in the Flats of Beverly Hills, and he represented the Betsy Bloomingdale estate, which sold to Tom Ford. The Wall Street Journal has ranked him among the top agents in the U.S. by sales volume.

Beverly Hills luxury market specialist with $3B+ in career sales.
Agent with Compass since 2024.
Builds long-term client relationships with high-profile clients.

5. Fredrik Eklund

Swedish-born Fredrik Eklund became a fan favourite on Million Dollar Listing New York. With partner John Gomes, he leads the Eklund|Gomes team at Douglas Elliman: about 100 agents in five states, plus an AI real estate specialist named Maya. The Hollywood Reporter (May 2026) credits the duo with $30 billion in career sales. Variety reports more than $3 billion in transactions in 2025 alone, for clients including Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker.

$30 billion in career sales with John Gomes.
Team spans New York, California, Texas and Florida.
Known for his energy, optimism and client-first style.

6. Mauricio Umansky

Mauricio Umansky co-founded The Agency in Beverly Hills in 2011, and it celebrated its 15th anniversary in September 2026. Viewers know him from Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills and Bravo's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles Business Journal reports that The Agency has grown to 3,302 agents in more than 165 offices across 15 countries, mostly through franchises. It opened 27 offices in 2025, including its first Houston-area office. Umansky's model sells a lifestyle brand as much as a brokerage, which sets it apart from the traditional brokerage model.

Founder and CEO of The Agency, 165+ offices in 15 countries.
Stars in Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills.
Specialist in ultra-luxury estates and celebrity clients.

7. Ben Caballero

Ben Caballero rarely appears on TV, but by sales volume he is the most productive agent in U.S. history. The founder and CEO of HomesUSA.com sells new-construction homes for more than 70 Texas builders using technology he built himself. RealTrends has ranked him the No. 1 individual agent in the country every year since 2013. According to audited MLS data, he sold $3.671 billion in homes in 2025, more than 20 sales a day. He is the first individual agent to pass $30 billion in career sales and 75,000 homes sold.

Holds multiple Guinness World Records (three titles) for most annual home sales through the MLS by an individual agent.
Sold 7,722 homes worth $3.92 billion in 2024.
Proof that technology and scale can beat celebrity in the real estate business.

8. Dolly Lenz

Dolly Lenz is one of the most powerful names in New York luxury real estate. With more than 30 years in the business and more than $15 billion in sales, she now runs Dolly Lenz Real Estate with her daughter, Jenny Lenz, covering New York City, the Hamptons and South Florida. She is known for discretion with high-net-worth clients and is a regular market commentator on business TV. Like the right interior design service, her value lies in quiet expertise that clients trust.

$15B+ in career sales across New York, the Hamptons and Florida.
Trusted advisor to ultra-high-net-worth buyers.
Frequent market expert in the financial media.

9. Madison Hildebrand

Madison Hildebrand joined Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles in its first season and filmed 99 episodes over 10 seasons before retiring from the show to focus on real estate. He built his Malibu business under his own brand, The Malibu Life. It moved from Coldwell Banker to Partners Trust, which was acquired by Pacific Union and then by Compass. He specializes in oceanfront homes and the high-end living of the Malibu coast.

Malibu coastal and luxury properties specialist.
10 seasons on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.
Author, speaker and advocate of brand-building for agents.

10. Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack

Former spouses Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack (formerly Christina Hall) made house flipping mainstream with HGTV's Flip or Flop, which ran for 10 seasons from 2013 to 2022. They buy distressed properties, renovate them and resell for a profit. Both went on to solo shows, Flipping 101 and Christina on the Coast. In 2025 they reunited, with Tarek's wife Heather Rae El Moussa, for HGTV's competition series The Flip Off. According to People, it premiered to about 4 million viewers. TV Insider reports that Season 2 has been filming since September 2025, with HGTV slating it for 2026.

Stars of Flip or Flop (2013–2022) and The Flip Off.
Brought house flipping to a mainstream audience.
Built lifestyle brands across TV, design and investing.

Also making headlines: Jason Oppenheim

Jason Oppenheim, president of The Oppenheim Group and the face of Netflix's Selling Sunset, is filming the show's tenth season in 2026. Celebrity Net Worth credits him with more than $1 billion in sales. See our guide to the Selling Sunset cast's net worth.

What real estate agents can learn from famous agents

Build a personal brand with a high-end image

Every agent on this list is known for something specific: Serhant for content, Flagg for Beverly Hills history, Eklund for energy, Caballero for volume. A clear, consistent personal brand makes you the go-to agent in your niche and gives the media and potential sellers a reason to remember you. A high-end image in your photos, website and listing materials tells buyers what to expect before they meet you.

Treat marketing like media

Top agents invest in professional photography, video tours, drone footage and educational content, and they post consistently. You don't need a Netflix show to use the same data-driven marketing and digital tools, but you do need listings that look good on a phone screen. Serhant's firm shows the model at scale: a brokerage that doubles as a media company.

Lead with market expertise

Media exposure opens doors, but market knowledge and negotiation close deals. The most influential agents know their micro-market's pricing, inventory and buyer pool better than anyone, which is why they stay trusted advisors after the cameras stop. Josh Flagg's record for the highest sale in the Flats of Beverly Hills came from decades of local expertise, not a TV script.

Earn celebrity clients with discretion

Dolly Lenz, Mauricio Umansky and Josh Altman all built their real estate careers on high-net-worth clients who value privacy. Off-market deals, confidentiality and long-term relationships matter more in the luxury sector than any open house.

Think beyond one market

The biggest names scale. The Agency franchises its brand across 15 countries, SERHANT. operates in 19 states, and Ben Caballero runs residential real estate sales for dozens of builders at once. Even solo agents can widen their reach with referral networks and a strong online presence, and they'll inspire the next generation of agents along the way.

Present every listing like a luxury listing

Staging, photography and clear floor plans set the first impression online. That principle is just as central in residential interior design, and it's where agents at every price point can match the polish of the famous agents above.

More guides for agents

FAQ: famous real estate agents

Who is the greatest real estate agent of all time?

By the numbers, Ben Caballero. He is the first individual agent to pass $30 billion in career sales and 75,000 homes sold, and he holds three Guinness World Records. For fame and influence, most lists point to Barbara Corcoran or Ryan Serhant.

Who is the most popular real estate agent?

Ryan Serhant. His brokerage calls itself the most-followed real estate brand in the world, with more than 10 million followers across social channels, and his Netflix show Owning Manhattan reached Netflix's top 10 in the U.S.

Who are the top 10 realtors in the USA?

For verified sales rankings, check RealTrends Verified, which ranks agents and teams by sales volume and transaction sides each year. In the 2026 list, Ben Caballero ranked No. 1 among individual agents and The Altman Brothers ranked No. 1 among mega teams by volume. The famous agents in this article are ranked by public profile, not only production.

Who is the #1 realtor in the world?

No global ranking exists, but Ben Caballero is widely cited as No. 1 by annual home sales. His three Guinness World Records titles cover the most annual home sale transactions through the MLS by an individual agent.

How do real estate agents become famous?

Usually through a mix of record-breaking sales, reality television, consistent social media content and a recognizable personal brand. Increasingly, agents build audiences on YouTube and TikTok before any network calls.