After graduating from law school, Jason Oppenheim moved out to L.A. and took a job working as an attorney. Four years later, he was over it. Decided to quit. Traveled the world for a while. Upon returning, followed his passion: real estate. He loves everything about it. Architecture, design, furniture, the people, the agents, comparing pricing in different cities—literally everything.
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In 2013, Jason bought his first house for $1.3 million dollars. As nerve-racking as it was to throw down that kind of money, he believes his ability to not overthink things is a big reason he’s been successful in real estate. “Almost everything in my life where I’ve just kind of bet on myself and disregarded the fear, has worked out,” he told Graham Stephan in an interview.
From there, Jason followed a simple formula: remodel the home, add value, refinance, go buy another property, and repeat. Here’s what he looks for: “I like buying homes that are just, like, terrible. Great bones. High ceilings. Open floor plan. But just really nasty finishes. And then bad photos [for the online listing, so that everyone overlooks it]. Been sitting on the market forever. Maybe the sellers are getting a divorce. Just, the perfect storm,” he says.
Still, Jason admits he only made around $50,000 the first couple years he was in real estate. Year three, he jumped to $300,000 in income. After that, it really began to snowball and Jason was able to build his bankroll for bigger projects.
There’s no such thing as get rich quick—unless you win the lotto—Jason warns. You’ve gotta earn it. Get in the game, take your licks. Learn. Land your first client. Treat them like a VIP. Get a referral or two. Build that foundation. Keep going.
Jason Oppenheim photographed at one of his listings for $11.5 million.
It’s gonna take more than just hard work. That’s a given. But you also have to also put yourself in smart situations, Jason says. For example, early on, he partnered with another highly successful real estate agent. He also made sure he looked the part. He dressed successful. Got a nice whip. He even bought a fake watch for $200 that looked like a $10,000 Hublot.
He would go to nice restaurants, knowing he would run into people who had money. Before opening The Oppenheim Group, he joined the biggest brokerage, with the biggest office, in the heart of Beverly Hills. He was at all the high-end open houses. “So, it wasn’t a mistake that I became successful,” he said. “I put myself in those situations.”
It’s funny, Jason’s so gung-ho about reinvesting in himself, to this day, he still doesn’t have a 401(k). “Mindset is a lot of it,” he explained. “You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will. You need to know what you’re talking about. You need to have the confidence and the experience to back it up. Not just bravado, either.”
Advice you might wanna listen to, considering Jason Oppenheim has a net worth of $50 million dollars. This, according to Celebrity Net Worth. As far as what’s next for Jason? Expect more of the same. Incremental growth, he says. Staying grounded. Staying focused. Keeping his finger on the pulse of L.A. real estate. Continuing to double down on himself and work hard. Here’s more:
