Is Luis D. Ortiz *Really* Done with Real Estate? Fredrik Eklund Weighs In
The #MDLNY agent admires his pal's decision.
Luis D. Ortiz said au revoir to Big Apple real estate and bonjour to Paris when he moved to the French capital earlier this season of Million Dollar Listing New York. But the MDLNY alum revealed that he didn't find happiness in Paris like he thought he would during this season's finale.
So did Fredrik Eklund and Ryan Serhant, both of whom expressed their reservations about the move to Luis earlier this season, feel like telling their friend, "I told you so"? "The thing is, with good friends, and I really regard him as a close friend, there's no right or wrong. It's not like I'm right, he was wrong. We're both right, we're both wrong. I was just giving my two cents, that's all," Fredrik told The Daily Dish earlier this summer about whether he stands by what he said to Luis before he moved. "I don't think it matters if you're in New York, Stockholm, Paris, the Maldives, like, you know what I mean? That was my advice to him. The city is secondary. It's not like, oh, you move to Paris, and you're happy. Or you move to New York to be happy. And my take on it has always been family, friends, thank God I have Derek [Kaplan], family. That's what's ultimately going to make you happy. The city and the architecture and the restaurants, that doesn't matter."
Ryan told The Daily Dish that he and Fredrik just gave Luis "honest advice" after he told them about his move to Paris, especially since it's so difficult to build that initial momentum in New York real estate and then get it back. "But I also do understand that he needs to be happy. If he's not happy being a real estate broker in New York, then, listen, he had a good run," the MDLNY agent said. "He should go find what makes him happy."
Ryan went on to say that maybe Luis opening himself up to new experiences and traveling around the world will ultimately help him do just that. "Luis spends a lot of time by himself, writing his journals, and he's so cerebral. And I think sometimes he had to come out of that. Maybe this trip around the world for a year is gonna open him up, and he'll come back here and he'll be bigger and better than ever," he shared. "Maybe we'll all be surprised."
Luis was still figuring out his next move during the season finale, shutting down a return to real estate as an option. But does Fredrik think Luis is out of the real estate game for good? "I think so. And I admire that about him, that he dares to jump out of the airplane and just try new things," Fredrik said. "And he's so young, too. That's the other thing. I'm 10 years older than him. He should try different things."
But Fredrik said that reuniting with Luis in Paris "was very healing" for him since he was so sad when his friend left New York. "I love him so much. His energy is amazing. I didn't want him to leave. So then Steve [Gold]'s there. And I love Steve. I think he's done such an amazing job in real estate and on this show," Fredrik said of the big MDLNY get-together at his 40th birthday party. "But then to have us all together, to me, was very healing, because then I'm like, 'It all makes sense.' Like, Luis is there, he's back to me. Steve is there, who I love and support. And the four of us, and then me and Ryan, you know, being friends again. And then Derek was there, Emilia [Bechrakis Serhant] was there, it was insane. It was so beautiful."
Relive Fredrik's très fantastique birthday bash, below.
