Serhant, the New York–based brokerage firm founded by TV personality Ryan Serhant — who stars in Netflix’s Owning Manhattan and was formerly on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York — recently launched a DMV branch.
What made you decide to enter this new market?
We began expanding out of New York City two years ago, in June of 2023, to serve our clients in the markets they want to be in — whether it’s to buy, sell, or develop. And Washington, DC; Virginia; and Maryland are a big piece of that puzzle for our clients. And we want to be where they are.
This area has been heavily affected by the current administration’s downsizing efforts. Have you noticed any trends based on these changes?
I think markets go up and markets go down. You see a lot of volatility as well in New York City, the same way we see it in Miami, all for very different reasons.
Have you discovered any favorite places to eat in the area?
[No], but I’m looking forward to finding new places with our agents. They tell me the food is the best in the country.
You’ve appeared on HBO Max’s And Just Like That… in addition to your reality show roles. How was that experience?
It was awesome. It was so much fun.
You originally moved to New York to pursue acting. If you were given an opportunity to act full time, would you give up real estate?
No, I love what I do. I love being the CEO of this company. I love what we’re building. But I also get the best of both worlds. I’ve been on TV now since 2012 when we started filming season one [of Million Dollar Listing New York] and it went off the air in 2021. And at the same time, I was pitching what is now Owning Manhattan to Netflix. And so, I just feel very, very lucky and very fortunate that I get to do a little bit of everything that kind of keeps my brain ticking.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Feature image courtesy Ryan Serhant
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
