From The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Utah is certainly having a moment. With that comes Sold on SLC. Think Million Dollar Listing meets the LDS community. Bravo’s newest reality show property follows Presido Real Estate CEO Jennifer Yeo as she handles business and the varying personalities of her agents.
That’s easier said than done standing between Tyna Edwards and Matt Jones in the middle of their drama. Then there’s worrying about where Sarah Martindale’s loyalties lie with her husband Chris running Presidio’s biggest rival brokerage. Others featured on the show are Malaysia Fua, who returned to the company after initially leaving for another firm, and top seller Kenny Sperry.
Here Yeo tells us why you should invest in Sold on SLC.
How long has this show been in the works?
Jennifer Yeo: It has probably been a year-and-a-half, but I think there was a lot of work put in behind the scenes to make this a really great show. It took a little bit of time, but I’m super excited about this coming out.
What was the experience like for you to have cameras follow you at work and home?
As a broker and business owner, I’ve grown the company pretty large. I’m on the frontlines quite a bit. I do a lot of appearances and things like that. So, it has been a little bit normal for me, but this will be opening up to the whole world. Then it becomes, “Wow, here is a front-row seat to my fabulous life everyone.”
It seems the timing is perfect right now with so much focus on this state and area in the country. What do you make of this upswing?
There are definitely a lot of eyes on Utah right now. I do believe there are so many factors to it. Our show is about real estate. I have watched the real estate in Utah go astronomically high. In fact, I think we’re number eight in the country for the highest prices. We’ve got some really nice luxury real estate here. Then on top of that, you have the religion. This is still one of those states where you have a lot of eyes and people wanting to look at the religion. We’re also a really cool beautiful state with beautiful mountains, all four seasons. There are so many things that make this so primed to have a great show.
SOLD ON SLC — Pictured: “Sold on SLC” Key Art — (Photo by: Bravo Media)
Besides yourself, you have others who work for you that are part of the show. At the start, there is some drama between Tyna and Matt. What can we expect from that and having you manage these different personalities?
That as a broker is basically my job. It is so common in real estate because it’s a competitive business. You get to have a front-row seat to it, but this is nothing new. I don’t know any transaction I’ve done in 18 years that hasn’t had drama in it. I feel like it’s one of those things viewers are going to love because they get to see that first-hand. They’ll get to see what happens between competitive realtors, but also our personal lives. It’s such a cool way to get to know people.
Then there is Sarah, who you bring on board despite some reservations because her husband works for another team. How do you approach this situation?
I will tell you this. I have never not taken big risks in my life. It was a big risk having Sarah come over to Presidio. Also, I allow people to show me who they are. Sarah along the season has shown me that she is actually a really good agent. It’s fun to mentor her where as a female she can find her own power and strength. So, it has been a fun thing, but it is quite a risk as well.
The premiere leads into a sitdown you have with Sarah and her husband Chris at their house. That couldn’t have been an easy conversation about where the lines are.
It’s a real thing. There are still feelings around a lot of what you’ll see. I will tell you it’s going to make it interesting for people. It’s a real thing with competition between brokerages.
The show comes in when Malaysia comes back to work for you. How do you look at that scenario when someone leaves and returns?
Malaysia took a big risk going from a team agent to an individual agent. When someone comes to me as a leader and tells me they really want to develop this characteristic within themselves, trying to be independent and things like that it is my job as a leader to help. Even though we had to clear up some confusion. Malaysia has been working really hard to do things on her own. It has been quite impressive to watch.
Kenny is one of your top sellers. What will viewers see from his story?
Kenny is quite impressive as an agent. He cranks out business all by himself. He has no team, no assistant. He is pretty dang impressive. I think the world will be impressed with how he runs his business.
What can you tease when it comes to clients? I know in the first episode we’ll see an appearance from RHOSLC’s Lisa Barlow. Any other names we can expect?
I think you’ll have to tune in to see, but for sure it was great to work with Lisa. She is such a fun person, so it was great to have that crossover for sure.
You talked about this being a unique market with religion being especially prominent. You open up about your journey, deciding to step back from the LDS community. How do you work through this unique real estate landscape?
I lived in Utah for 20 years now. The LDS church has evolved drastically in that time. You’re starting to see a lot of people who do leave the church and/or have this hybrid version of being a Mormon. It has been a very interesting thing to see. I think that’s why a lot of people tune into what’s going on in Utah because of peculiar people. It is very interesting. I think as a leader in business in Utah, you sometimes have to be a chameleon. As realtors, you do that too. In the same sense, sharing who you actually are is probably the best way to be a realtor. You want to be very authentic. You’ll see a lot of people who have either left the church or have feelings about the type of Mormon they are. That’s very interesting.
Have you watched the other shows?
Yes! I’m a diehard. I love all these shows. I love it. I think it’s very interesting. I think it’s ruffling some feathers in Utah and having a lot of people going, “Wow, what is happening?” It’s interesting, but that’s what we love. Ruffling feathers and having eyeballs on us.
Was it hard getting your husband on board to do this show with you?
Darin is one of the most supportive people in the world. If I came to him tomorrow wanting to do something big, he would go. “Okay, let’s talk this through and understand it.” I’m so grateful to have a husband like that. Someone who is willing to support everything I do. He actually loves the idea of the show. He is not the type of person to go out and look for something like this. He is absolutely just, “Jenn, whatever you do, you turn everything to gold. Everything you touch turns to gold. So, I’m going to support you.” I’m so grateful to have him as a spouse and partner.
Are you ready for people to learn the “Jen Commandments” from watching?
Yes, like thou shall always be selling. That’s what I want people to know.
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What can you say about the houses we’ll see?
This show is an authentic look at our brokerage and the inner workings of luxury listings in Salt Lake City, so you’ll see some cool beautiful homes on there. One thing that sets Utah apart is there are a lot of features in homes that accommodate large families. You’ll see multiple laundry rooms. For the LDS Church, there is a lot of food storage. Then because people have a lot of kids you’ll see things like slides inside people’s homes. Park slides in people’s homes. It’s kind of cool. There are a lot of fun things in Utah that are specific to Utah with some beautiful luxury listings.
In the teaser, there is this big revelation looking to come from Matt. What can you say about how that affects things?
There are definitely a few surprise plot twists. It’s kind of a lot to unpack, but I’m telling you that is what is going to make this an incredible show. The Bravo viewers are going to love it. That one was a shock to all of us. It was a lot of, “What’s going on?” But that’s real life. That is what is the cool part about it.
Sold on SLC premiere, December 4, 9/8c, Bravo (next day on Peacock)
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