Ben Belack’s Real Estate Lessons You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else

Before he was a star real estate agent in Beverly Hills, Ben Belack was pouring wine for the elite, pursuing acting roles, and escaping the mental grind of hospitality. Today, he’s one of the most recognizable faces in luxury real estate, with a booming media presence, a Netflix show, and a brand that bridges service, storytelling, and salesmanship. But what actually got him there is less red carpet and more raw edge.

Here are seven surprising takeaways from Belack’s conversation on The Presence Podcast: Stories that challenge conventional wisdom and provide a fresh look at how content, service, and resilience build modern real estate success.

His first listing involved bolt cutters and break-ins

Most agents don’t start their career by trespassing into their own listing, but Belack did. “I had to break back into my own first listing,” he said. “I swear to you, I got there, it was boarded up, and homeless people were locking me out.” He bolted iron doors onto the property, only to have them broken into again. The home, a dilapidated duplex in mid-Los Angeles, took forever to close. “That deal took five months from the beginning of escrow to close,” he recalled. “When have you heard of a five-month escrow?”

He doesn’t like calling his database, and he’s honest about it

Despite his success, Belack admits that traditional follow-up isn’t his strength. “I think I like the excitement of calling someone new,” he shared. “In my mind, and this may be a limiting belief, when I’m calling my database, I feel like I have to be on.” His solution? Let content carry the emotional labor. “What content does is…it creates a passive credibility reminder and rapport builder,” he said.

Video is a negotiation strategy

Belack doesn’t just post videos on social media. He also uses them to navigate high-stakes conversations with empathy. Instead of asking for price reductions over the phone, he sends personalized video presentations. “I go into a Zoom alone and I record it…that argument and position is data-driven, but also includes empathy,” he said. “It slows it down…It is a transmission of empathy.” One such video led to a seven-figure price improvement. “We did it. And it worked.”

Hook matters more than humor in viral content

Even with years of training and a podcast that thrives on personality, Belack knows entertainment alone doesn’t sell. “My one friend…put out a very, very, very funny property video and it performed terribly,” he said. The problem? “The hook sucked.” For Belack, effective video content begins by “reverse engineering the finish line,” with a laser focus on business goals. “Are you optimizing for laughs or for leads?” he asked.

He teaches agents to withhold information on purpose

Real estate content isn’t about giving everything away. In fact, Belack says less is more. “Don’t say the price and don’t say the location,” he advised. “If someone’s asking you, then you [think] what’s going on here?” Creating curiosity, not clarity, is what triggers engagement. One team in his office teases coming-soon listings with no context, and it works. “They’re so good at getting people to engage because they don’t give all the info,” he said.

The Netflix show helped, but also almost cost him a listing

While appearing on a Netflix reality series increased his exposure, it also created friction. “I filmed 45 days for season two. That’s more than [George] Clooney does in a movie,” Belack said. It strained both his team mentorship and personal life. Worse, a joke from a co-host nearly cost him an $8 million listing. “They brought up what he said,” Belack said. “Thanks, Zach.” Despite the risk, he sees media as a core differentiator. “Part of what I pitch…is my ability to garner attention and maintain it.”

Tech makes his team more human by reducing the need to talk

Instead of endless texts, Belack’s team relies on automation and shared digital spaces to keep operations smooth. “Your support staff is working at its highest level when you never have to talk to each other,” he said. Using Google Spaces, project management tools, and a tightly integrated CRM, he’s designed a workflow that runs with minimal friction. “The money’s in the CRM,” he emphasized. “Even if you’re a great prospector…that’s where the fortune is.”

Ben Belack’s branding success

Belack’s story isn’t just one of hustle or reinvention. It’s an unapologetic blueprint for how to build a modern, media-savvy real estate brand — one video, one listing, and one lesson at a time.

Looking to elevate your own real estate brand with custom websites, advanced AI tools, and a content strategy that actually converts? Schedule a strategy session with Luxury Presence today and take the next step toward becoming your market’s most memorable voice.