Whether you know him personally from working in luxury real estate or from seeing him on a variety of platforms (in your pocket on social media or on TV/streaming), you’ve likely come across power broker Ryan Serhant. He rose to fame as one of the original stars of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing NY” and quickly became a force to be reckoned with.
Through his career, and especially after founding his own brokerage in 2020, Ryan has firmly cemented himself as a broker who knows how to utilize all forms of media and technology to market listings, grow his business, and brand himself.
Busier than ever, he and his accomplished firm are even the stars of Netflix’s “Owning Manhattan” now, but we still found time to chat with Ryan recently. Read on to get his thoughts on social media and AI in real estate, what it’s like to spotlight his team on TV, 2025 market reflections, and more.
It’s been five years since you founded your namesake brokerage, SERHANT., which is known for having a focus on creative social media/content creation and even has a full-service, in-house film studio. How has social media and the way you use it for real estate changed since SERHANT. started?
When I launched SERHANT. five years ago, social media was already a powerful tool and a huge part of what we built, but it was still mostly a megaphone. You posted, you promoted, you hoped people paid attention.
Today, it’s the marketplace. It’s where trust is built, where first impressions are made, and where deals begin long before anyone schedules a showing. The biggest shift has been the move from “posting content” to “building community.” People don’t just want to see a listing, they want to understand the story behind it, the lifestyle it represents, and the people driving the deal.
That’s why we invested so heavily in SERHANT. Studios. Five years ago, you created for one platform, or maybe two. Today, you create for ecosystems, you need short-form video, long-form storytelling, AI, the whole thing. And, the data we get back helps us refine everything in real time.
Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, or the next platform, do luxury agents almost have to think like influencers now in terms of constantly growing their following and reach with content, or is social media secondary when it comes to selling elite properties priced above $10M or $20M?
I don’t think luxury agents need to be influencers, but they absolutely need to think like an innovative marketer. At the high end of the market, your network, your relationships, your negotiation skills matter, but you’re also selling a lifestyle, and while the higher end can sometimes favor discretion over flash, the idea that social media is somehow “secondary” for $10M or $20M listings is simply not true. The most affluent buyers in the world are consuming content the same way everyone else is, they’re on TikTok, they’re on Instagram, they’re watching YouTube at midnight from private jets.
The more people who know you, trust you, and understand your expertise, the more deal flow you create. Social media just happens to be the most efficient tool on the planet to make that happen.
Let’s talk AI. You’re clearly very forward-thinking when it comes to technology and are always working to use the latest thing to your benefit. What are the main ways you and the agents at your brokerage are using AI now, and are there any positive and negative effects you have already seen?
AI is the biggest shift in our industry since the iPhone, and it’s exactly why we built S.MPLE, our proprietary platform that brings all of our data, marketing, and operational tools into one intelligent ecosystem. We didn’t want to rely on generic AI. We wanted something purpose-built for real estate, for our agents, and for the way we sell. The major benefit with S.MPLE, aside from the fact that no other brokerage has it, is how much time it saves our agents. It allows us to identify opportunities faster, personalize our outreach, and stay ahead of trends in the market.
But like any tool, it’s important to make sure AI complements human intuition rather than replacing it. At the end of the day, clients still want expert advice, market insight, and a personal touch. AI is the engine that helps us deliver that faster.
What is your personal and business reaction to AI in general? What are you most excited about and most concerned about as this technology evolves and becomes more ingrained in society?
I’m very bullish on AI. It lets you work smarter, reach more people, and focus on what really matters. Like everyone else, I am a little cautious about too much too soon, and technology should amplify human judgment, not replace it. The human touch and real relationships will always be what sets you apart, especially as a real estate agent.
How do you think it will change the real estate industry in the next 5-10 years and change day-to-day life for brokerages and clients?
I think it already has changed the industry so much so I’m not even sure how much further we can go! For brokerages, I think it means faster insights, smarter marketing, and more efficiency in every part of the business. For agents, it’s about spending less time on repetitive tasks and more time building relationships and closing deals, which is the most important part of the job.
Another medium you have fully embraced and excelled at over the years is television. Starting, of course, with Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing NY” and most recently with “Owning Manhattan,” which has season 2 premiering on Netflix this month. For this new show focusing on SERHANT.’s real estate dealings, how do you generally decide which agents to feature and what listings to show?
The goal for “Owning Manhattan” is to show the real work that happens inside SERHANT., the real deals, the fumbles, the ambition, the deals, and the personalities. The casting process was really long and involved and production was in charge of that, but we feature agents who have real deals going on and have something that that the audience can relate to, and you hope that they’ll make good TV, which so far, they have.
Same with the listings. We highlight properties that represent the scale and complexity of what we do, of course, we always want to show the biggest and the best, but that’s what we’re actually working with, whether that’s a record-breaking penthouse or a challenging deal with a great story behind it.
What do you love most about “Owning Manhattan” and how has this experience been different from ‘Million Dollar Listing’?
I really believe that this show redefines the genre and what people expect from a real estate reality show. We have voiceover narration and major deals and it’s all happening in real time so you see it unfold how it actually went down. With Bravo, the series was spread across several months and we filmed for so long, but we had a format to stick to. This show doesn’t have a format of showing/deal gone right or deal gone wrong, it’s just what naturally unfolds which I think is why viewers are really interested and invested in it.
Since it centers on the happenings at your own firm, does any of the TV drama linger and affect your team after the cameras are down? How do you balance the entertainment and television aspect with the rest of your business?
I wish the answer to this was no, but since the show is real, yes, things can carry over and sometimes it causes a little chaos in the office, but it’s not over the top. It’s a competitive business so there can be a lot of ego, but everyone knows that professionalism is paramount here and we don’t tolerate unprofessional behavior. I balance it the same whether the cameras are there or not – if you’re unprofessional and you cross a line, you’re out.
Finally, 2025 is coming to a close and I’d love to get your reflections on the New York City market this year and how the political and economic climate shaped it. What are your major takeaways and what should people know going into 2026?
2025 was a little choppy in New York, but as always, it’s New York and it is resilient. New York has this unique ability to absorb volatility and keep moving because the demand for this city never actually disappears, it just ebbs and flows with whatever headlines might be taking over at the time.
Sellers who priced correctly and presented their homes well won. Buyers who acted when everyone else hesitated got incredible value. And new development continued to be the backbone of the luxury sector, especially in neighborhoods where inventory remains tight.
I think for 2026, rates will influence timing, but they won’t determine demand. Volatility isn’t going away, inventory will remain tight in the best neighborhoods, and buyers who spent the past two years waiting on the sidelines are going to re-enter the market.