Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles: Fredrik Eklund declares he’s ‘new sheriff in town’ to rivals

Fredrik Eklund warned his fellow brokers he had every intent to rule Los Angeles on Tuesday’s episode of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.

‘There’s a new sheriff in town,’ announced Fredrik, 43, who left New York City behind in 2019, and was getting territorial over West Coast agents’ listings.

On earlier episodes of the show, Fredrik had a run-in with longtime pal Josh Altman, 41, who had a good hold on the Los Angeles real-estate market.

But on the new episode, entitled ‘Swedish Invasion,’ he set his sights on laying claim to listings being represented by James Harris, 33, and David Parnes, 37.

James and David ran into Fredrik at their open house for Sunset View, a 10,000-square foot Hollywood Hills home owned by developer Zach Vella and his wife Michelle.

Fredrik had represented many of Zach’s properties in New York, and James was thrilled to get the listing for the L.A. property, even though he’d worked with Zach before.

‘I honestly had this vision that I was going to pull up, and now that Fredrik lives in L.A., I was just gonna see this big seven-foot tall Swedish man staring down at me,’ he told the developer.

Vella’s warm, modern home boasted five bedrooms, a gorgeous entertainment area with private theater, home gym with view of the city, and a great location near the Sunset Strip.

‘We’re in an extremely price-sensitive market,’ James cautioned the seller, suggesting he list it for around $14.995 million, which Zach nudged upwards to $15.495 million.

At the open house, many buyers expressed interest in the place, which was built by internationally renowned architect Tim Campbell.

Then there was an unexpected visitor: Fredrik, who sauntered in with a coolly appraising eye.

James had anticipated their encounter, and was ready to defend his role in the listing.

‘Even though Fredrik has his own relationship with Zach, we still want him to know that L.A. is our turf,’ James said. ‘If he has a serious buyer, he should bring them. And if they end up buying the property, well, that’s just the cherry on top.’

As Fredrik toured the home, he called the master bedroom ‘a little funky, a little small,’ which got James’ hackles up.

‘This is bigger than a New York penthouse!’ the British broker clapped back.

‘Don’t be upset,’ Fredrik soothed. ‘Say ”He’s right.” That’s all.’

In a confessional, James refused to fall for it, offering, ‘I can see right through Fredrik’s BS. Here we are, with a listing of a client of ”his” on the East Coast, and so this is how he’s dealing with it.’

Fredrik turned to the men, acting conciliatory for the moment.

‘For the record, I’m not here to take any listings from you, so you don’t have to be worried,’ he said. ‘But I do live in Los Angeles, and you do acknowledge that I knew Zach before you guys were even born.’

‘Just so we’re clear,’ James countered, ‘it doesn’t really matter, ’cause we have the listing. But we got the listing because we’ve done a lot of business with Zach in L.A.’

‘I don’t want to come in here and step on anybody’s feet, but this is gonna be an issue in the sense that there’ll be more listings,’ Fredrik returned.

James asked Fredrik if he was feeling resentful, and Fredrik protested that he wasn’t.

‘No, no, but I think it’s the weirdest thing that they didn’t put me on with you,’ he said. ‘In fact, this house should have been listed by both of us. Bam!’

‘One question,’ James interrupted. ‘If we move to New York tomorrow and you put on a big building of Zach Vella’s… would you expect us to be on that listing with you?’

Fredrik suggested that he would consider it, but didn’t see it happening.

‘I have all the East Coast buyers, and the Miami buyers, and the internationals,’ he sniffed. ‘You’re very good locally but you don’t have the buyers that I have. I think it’s time for me now to be a little more aggressive.’

‘There’s a lot of houses and a lot of developments in L.A,’ he went on. ‘I should be working on them. There’s a new sheriff in town.’

As Fredrik staked his claim to the L.A. real-estate market, Josh tried to find a home for RD, a man who ran an exotic car and private jet business popular with celebrities.

At first, Josh took RD to see Blue Heights, a stunning five-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills, which was going for $7.390 million.

RD proclaimed it ‘dope,’ ‘sexy’ and ‘cool,’ but it lacked the parking he needed for his 20 cars.

The next place he saw, a swanky six-bedroom in Beverly Hills, had loads of parking and a ’10 out of 10′ master bedroom, according to Josh.

RD loved the parking but disliked the home’s style, asking Josh to look for something special.

‘Finding a needle in a haystack is my job,’ Josh said. ‘I find so many needles, I’m a f***ing seamstress.’

The broker’s wife Heather Altman, 35, suggested he take RD to a Doheny Estates five-bedroom listed for $22.995 million.

While it was unfinished, it had spectacular appeal, with a huge master, floor-to-ceiling windows, ‘jetliner views from city to ocean,’ and parking for up to 10 cars.

‘This listing is perfect for RD,’ Josh reflected. ‘It’s modern, it’s got the views, it’s got the massive party space, it’s got the parking for all the cars. And most importantly, it’s got the ”wow” factor he needs to keep his car buyers buying.’

After a protracted negotiation with the developer’s agent, Josh scored the property for RD at $15,750,000 in ‘as-is’ condition.

Meanwhile, Josh Flagg, 34, earned a listing in L.A.’s Bird Streets through an unlikely source: His late grandmother Edith Flagg, who’d been pals with the seller, Lana.

The home cost Lana $6.3 million in 2006, but needed updates and was listed at $3.995 million.

‘In 2006, everybody wanted to be in the Bird Streets,’ Flagg recalled. ‘Today, we have an astronomical amount of property on the markets that’s not moving because there’s so much inventory.’

To lure brokers and buyers to the contemporary home, the broker hosted an open house with a sumptuous charcuterie spread, but got no offers.

Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles will return next week on Bravo.