When I decide whether I want to work with a professional, whether that be a mechanic for a radiator flush or a gastroenterologist for a different kind of flush, I like to do a deep dive and know as much information about them beforehand so that know whether or not I’m going to like them and can make an informed decision. So, I’ll save you the trouble and tell you everything I can without making you fall asleep. Let’s take things way back to the beginning…I was born Alba Maximilian Altmann (“Max” is an abbreviation of my middle name) in 1989 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Side note: in order to keep this tradition alive, my wife and I schlepped ourselves to Cedars for the birth of our 3 kids, which is no easy feat from Burbank when you take into account all pregnancy-related doctor’s appointments that also entailed. Now, back to the story. My parents both immigrated here from Germany and met different times and met at a Rajneesh gathering… (see Netflix’s Wild Wild Country) in Laguna Beach, CA in the mid-to-late 80s. My mom is from Munich (home of the BMW), my dad is from Stuttgart (home of the Porsche & Mercedes-Benz), and I drive a Ford/Toyota; go figure haha. My mom was a teacher at the Waldorf School in Northridge and then later a Realtor® herself for a period of time. My dad was an architect and construction supervisor who was mentored by iconic L.A. architect, John Lautner. Despite my dad having been an architect, I grew up in what I lovingly describe as “a shack with an amazing view”, as you’ll see below.
I went to elementary school at Wonderland Ave. Elementary, which was an still is a great public school and went to middle/high school at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, which is an LAUSD “magnet” school and was/still is a great public school as well. After that I went to UC Riverside for undergrad. In college I decided that I wanted to work with children with disabilities and did so in various capacities until late 2020. I even got a master’s degree in a sub-discipline of psychology called applied behavior analysis (a primary therapy for children with autism) and became certified in it. In 2020 my wife and I had our first child and in 2021 we bought our first house. Having a child of my own (and now two more) made me realize that I wanted to work for myself so that I could be in control of my own time and be as efficient with it as possible. Going through the process of buying a home made me realize that the capacity in which I wanted to work for myself was as a Realtor®. I was also drawn to the real estate industry because of my deep interest in it and because real estate/construction played significant roles in my childhood. I still have fond memories of going door knocking with my mom and being on job sites with my dad.
Now that you know everything about me, let’s get down to business and talk about…real estate business stuff. We’ll start with an obligatory professional businessman picture of myself and two other Altman(n) realtors in L.A. who I am not, to clear up any confusion.
I’m a real estate agent and also a “Realtor®”, which just means that I belong to a national trade organization called the “The National Association of REALTORS®”. The real estate brokerage that I work for is called eXp Realty, which is “cloud brokerage”, meaning that we don’t have physical offices. Thus, when we meet in-person, we’ll probably meet at a local coffee shop, diner, açai bowl place, my home, or maybe even the park if you already have kids. I chose to work for a cloud-based brokerage rather than brick and mortar because I wanted my kids to be my cubicle mates rather than Bob with the aggressive cologne.
Since we’re talking about kids, here’s a picture of mine (and my amazing wife, Heather).
The word “BunkBed” in BunkBed Realty has two meanings to me. The first being that bunk beds often refer to kid’s rooms, which is fitting since my primary clientele are families with kids. Additionally, to me “BunkBed” also means that your kids might actually have to have a bunkbed (or two) since homes in L.A. are very expensive for most people and thus many homeowners (like myself) may have to make the sacrifice and opt for a 2 bedroom home in order to live in a desirable part of town if they’re flush with cash. We strive to be minimalists ourselves and are big proponents of this way of living. It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone, but it’s a way to have the best of both worlds and live in an urban or pseudo urban/suburban area and all the amenities that come with urban life while still having kids.
I have enthusiasm for & am competitive about seemingly disparate activities.
I’m trying to be like Phil Dunphy, but look like Jason Statham. I’m currently having much more success achieving one of those goals than the other (hint: not the lower-right picture).
If we use a carousel as a metaphor for finding the ideal home for you and your family then I promise to keep riding around (L.A. County in our own cars, not an actual carousel) with you and until you’re happy.
A few more random pictures…
