Getty Josh Altman and wife Heather Bilyeu Altman
Heather Bilyeu Altman is featured on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and is married to real estate agent Josh Altman. The couple has been together for nearly a decade. They tied the knot in 2016 and have two young children. They also work together as part of the Altman Brothers team at Douglas Elliman.
Here’s what you need to know about Heather Altman:
1. Altman Grew Up In Las Vegas & Obtained Her Real Estate License At Age 17
Altman was born in January 1985 and spent her childhood in Las Vegas. She explained to Focus Magazine in 2014 that she initially expected to join her parents’ company after high school. Her parents owned a Visa/Mastercard processing center but decided to sell it.
But Altman also developed an interest in real estate from a young age. She explained to Toronto Paradise in 2015 that during high school, she used to tour new housing developments with her mother on the weekends.
Altman said her mother encouraged her to obtain a real estate license after high school. At the time, the housing market was booming and Altman decided to go for it. The Nevada Real Estate Division lists “Heather J. Bilyeu” as a former “salesperson” in the state but the online record does not include the year she earned the license.
Altman told Toronto Paradise her career began with a bang because homes were selling for well above the asking price. But that early success took a drastic turn when the housing bubble burst. “It was great while it lasted but then the market tanked and I had to take on a 2nd and 3rd job to float myself. I was miserable. I decided that it wasn’t a good time to make a career change BUT I could make a move to where houses are more expensive meaning my commissions were going to be bigger and that is how I ended up in LA.”
2. Altman Started Her Los Angeles Career By Working as an Assistance But Has Been Licensed to Sell Real Estate in California Since 2008
California Department of Real EstateHeather Bilyeu Altman has been a licensed real estate agent in California since 2008
Altman made the move to Los Angeles in 2006 after the housing market crashed in Las Vegas. She told Focus Magazine that she decided it would be a good idea to work as an assistant before diving into sales on her own because the Los Angeles market was very different from her hometown.
Altman described Las Vegas as being filled with “cookie-cutter” homes and that it was easy to figure out comparable prices when buying and selling. But in Los Angeles, Altman said the variety of homes made pricing much more difficult.
In the aforementioned interview, Altman explained that her first job in Los Angeles was with one of the most successful female brokers in Beverly Hills. She didn’t disclose her former employer’s name but said the experience helped to launch her career “into the luxury market.”
Altman earned her real estate license in April 2008, according to the California Department of Real Estate. She will need to renew it in 2024. Altman does not have any disciplinary actions listed on her license.
3. Altman Did Not Initially Want to Be Shown On Million Dollar Listing
Altman is not one of the main real estate agents on Million Dollar Listing but she has appeared on-camera frequently over the past several years. She became involved with the reality show after going to work for Madison Hildebrand. Altman said she became Hildebrand’s assistant because she wanted to learn more about selling beachfront properties.
At the time, it was unclear whether the reality show would be picked up for a second season. Altman said she was thrilled about that because she had no desire to be part of the show. When Bravo decided to film a second season, Altman requested to be left out of it. But as her work began to tie in with the storylines, Altman reversed course and decided she would go along with being filmed.
After Altman met her future husband, Josh Altman, drama began to develop between she and Hildebrand. After she decided to co-list a property with Josh in 2011, Hildebrand fired her. He explained his side of the story in a blog post for Bravo in 2015:
When Heather worked for me, we had a contract, of course, and in the contract she was privy to earning bonuses, at my discretion, for closings. However, once she lied to me about taking a co-listing with Josh Altman behind my back, it left me no choice to fire her immediately as it was also evident, per Heather, that her and Josh were beginning to date. That is a huge conflict of interest, so I had to let her go…and in doing so, she was not privy to any bonuses for being dishonest and manipulative while on salary working exclusively for me.
Heather Altman countered that she felt Hildebrand was acting “paranoid” and that she never intended to harm Hildebrand’s business or steal his clients. After several years without speaking to each other, Altman and Hildebrand decided to clear the air in 2017. They sat down together for a conversation that was featured on MDLLA. In the clip, Altman told Hildebrand that she had considered him family and that losing his friendship was difficult to handle.
4. Heather Altman Met Her Future Husband At an Open House While Filming MDLLA
Heather Altman had been uneasy about going on-camera for MDDLA, but it was because of the show that she met her future husband. She and Josh met at an open house that fellow realtor Josh Flagg was hosting. Madison Hildebrand was at the party as well and even encouraged Josh Altman to ask Heather on a date, Curbed LA recounted in an episode recap.
After about three years of dating, Josh Altman proposed to Heather in 2013 with a 5.5 karat ring. He got down on one knee at another listing and flew in members of Heather’s family to be there to celebrate. Bravo’s camera crew was also there and the proposal can be viewed here.
Altman captured his proposal to Bilyeu in an episode of Million Dollar Listing.
But the stress of wedding planning took a toll on the couple and they ultimately decided to postpone the nuptials. Heather told Reality Tea that she felt the decision to call off the wedding had been the smart choice. “I almost went through with the wedding and I feel like if I would have Josh and I might not be together. Or our relationship wouldn’t be where it is now.”
The couple took that extra time to work on their relationship before setting a new wedding date. They got married in Aspen, Colorado, on April 2, 2016. They also kept it relatively small, with 84 guests. Wedding Style magazine reported that Heather Altman’s gown was a custom dress by designer Nektaria and included “6,500 hand-sewn pearls and beads and Italian and French lace overlay.”
5. The Altmans Live In Beverly Hills With Two Young Children
The Altmans went on a honeymoon to France about four months after tying the knot. She told Wedding Style magazine that she found out she was pregnant about one week before they left for Europe. “We apparently didn’t waste any time! I ended up getting morning sickness halfway through, but it was still all absolutely incredible.”
Josh and Heather Altman are now the proud parents of two young children. Their daughter, Alexis Kerry, was born in April 2017. Josh Altman wrote on Instagram that it was the “greatest day” of his life. He wrote, “To experience the birth of your child is such a mind blowing event that is greater than anything I can describe. I’m so happy and so proud of my wife for handling this like a champ. Life has definitely changed in an instance, and from gazing into my baby girls eyes, I can tell you it just got much better.”
The couple’s son, Ace David, arrived in July 2019. Heather Altman posted a photo from the hospital and shared that her son was “perfect” and healthy after a somewhat challenging pregnancy. “As we like to say ‘Ace was a mover and a shaker’ from day one. Breached baby, we tried every trick in the book from acupuncture to chiropractic to inverted crazy pregnancy exercises to finally having a successful ECV, little Ace turned head down just in time. We’re so excited to have this little legend as part of our family.”
The Altmans are raising their children in Beverly Hills. Heather Altman told People magazine in 2019 that they decided to move away from Hollywood Hills because they were looking for a more family-friendly atmosphere. “We loved the sexy lifestyle of the Hollywood Hills, but as life progressed, we realized we wanted to be in a neighborhood where we could push a stroller around.”
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