When I decide whether I want to work with a professional, whether that be a mechanic for a radiator flush or a plumber to make my toilet flush, I like to do a deep dive and know as much information about them beforehand so that I 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 about me 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 & if I become your agent then you’ll often see my full name written on various paperwork) in 1989 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Side note: in order to keep this tradition alive, my wife & 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 the pregnancy-related doctor’s appointments that also entailed. Now, back to the story. My parents both immigrated here from Germany without previously knowing each other and then met at a meditation retreat 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 an old Ford Ranger; go figure haha. My mom was a teacher at the Waldorf School in the Northridge neighborhood of L.A. and was later a REALTOR® herself for a period of time. My dad was an architect and a 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” (pictured below), in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of LA.

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 in the “Mid City” neighborhood of L.A., 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 do that 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.

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®”. I’m also a member of a large real estate team called The RISE Group. Our team has roughly 300 agents spread amongst 7 different offices. I work out of their Los Angeles Headquarters, which are located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of LA. Our team is brokered by a national real estate brokerage called The Real Brokerage, sometimes referred to as “Real Brokerage Technologies”, “Real Broker”, or even just “Real”.

Even though, my office is located in Sherman Oaks, I’d be happy to meet with you anywhere that’s convenient for you, such as a local coffee shop, diner, açai bowl place, my home, or maybe even the park if you have kids.

Since we’re talking about kids, here’s a picture of mine (and my amazing wife, Heather).

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…