Entertainment
Meet Roh Habibi From 'Million Dollar Listing SF'
The Million Dollar Listing series is one of Bravo's most under appreciated. Essentially crossing House Hunters with Real Housewives means there's plenty of drama, and the apartments and houses are always incredible. So, setting the new MDL in San Francisco is a fantastic idea, since it's one of the most expensive, exclusive areas in America right now. Million Dollar Listing San Francisco 's Roh Habibi is one of the three stars of the show and definitely the most unique. Not only does he have a huge beard that would never be expected on a luxury real estate agent, but he reminds me a lot of Luis from MDL New York, in that he's relatively new to the industry but is still competing with people far more experienced to become a wildly competitive agent. I always wind up rooting for Luis because he seems so eager to please, and while Roh is a little more confident, he's still considered the "new kid" of the show.
He's pretty unique among the MDL agents, and it will make the show much more interesting to see if Roh is able to get along with Andrew and Justin, the two other agents who will be competing to sell the most of the tech sector's most expensive homes. The prices will be so astronomically high that you might get a nosebleed. Here's what you need to know about Roh ahead of the show's premiere.
He's Familiar With San Francisco
According to his Bravo bio, Roh was born in Afghanistan, but his family moved to the Bay Area when he was young, so he's been familiar with it for basically his entire life. Like fellow native Justin Fichelson, he's going to exploit that familiarity by using it to find the best homes in unexpected places for his clients.
He's A Family Man
Surprisingly, on a show that's usually about relatively young and unattached guys, Roh is married and has a young daughter, also according to his Bravo bio. So he has real responsibilities, and needs to make those big commissions in order to support his family — that's going to add stakes to his big deals.
He's A Finance Whiz
Roh's business actually combines real estate and finance, his first post-collegiate career. I don't know how much of that will be covered on the show — everyone watches MDL for the houses, not the finance tips — but know that this guy is smart enough to have mastered more than just selling houses.
He's Only Been At This For Three Years
Already, Roh is a top-rated agent at Coldwell Banker, but he just got his real estate license in 2010, and started selling in 2012. He's like an expensive house whisperer, or a condo-selling savant.
He's Open About His Religion
There aren't many portrayals of practicing American Muslims on TV, but Roh is going to be blazing that trail for Bravo.
He's Known For His Look
While the trailers feature Justin Fichelson openly dissing Habibi's look as "cheesy" and "Miami Vice," I think the distinctive beard and his passion for flashy suits just makes him more memorable. Since Roh Habibi is going to be one of the agents to watch — and personally, I'm guessing one to root for — it helps that the Million Dollar Listing San Francisco star is easy to pick out of a crowd.
Images: Kim White/Bravo; Evans Vestal Ward/NBC; Bravo