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Million Dollar Listing: New York highlights some of the most expensive real estate in the world. New York City is home to plenty of high-rise, luxury penthouses — some worth nearly $100 million. And behind those expensive apartments are the agents and brokers who list and sell the properties, giving them a cut of the profit. When it comes to New York real estate, there are a few major players, and Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund could be the two most well-known. But which of these real estate moguls is wealthier?

Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund
Ryan Serhant (left) and Fredrik Eklund | Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Ryan Serhant was an actor before he became known for real estate

Serhant wasn’t born into the New York City real estate business. He was actually born in Houston, Texas but raised in Massachusetts. Growing up, he attended a performing arts school during the summertime, where he refined his acting skills. If you were once a fan of As the World Turns, you may have seen him on the show about 10 years ago. However, Serhant eventually got his feet wet in the New York real estate market, and has since made quite a name for himself as both a reality television star and real estate mogul.

Today, Serhant has a net worth of about $20 million

Serhant’s previous acting endeavors may have contributed a bit to his $20 million net worth, but he mostly has real estate to thank for his massive nest egg. According to Business Insider, Serhant moved to New York City hoping his acting career would take off, but decided to test out real estate in the meantime. Clearly, the real estate endeavor took off instead, which is how Serhant ended up as one of the most successful real estate agents in the city. And he’s probably one of the most successful failed actors of all time.

Fredrik Eklund was an IT entrepreneur and tested out the adult film industry before making it big in real estate

Similar to Serhant, Eklund also was not born into the real estate industry. Eklund was born and raised in Sweden, but he attended high school in the United States. He returned home for college, but instead of finishing school, he developed his own IT startup. Eklund also dabbled in the adult film industry, but it was reportedly a very short stint — he has since said that he doesn’t have any regrets.

Today, Eklund is worth an estimated $30 million

Eklund made his way to New York City in 2004, where his real estate career kicked off. And it has since earned him a reported net worth of about $30 million, much higher than his co-star, Ryan Serhant. But Eklund also owns a real estate brokerage in Sweden, and it’s one of the most successful brokerages in that country. This has definitely helped add to his overall net worth. He has sold luxury New York City apartments to several celebrities throughout his career, including John Legend and Cameron Diaz.

Both Eklund and Serhant likely also get paid a decent amount for being on the Bravo show, but their actual per-episode salary has not been disclosed.

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