Ten years after her Playmate debut, the model turned real estate maven tells us how her pictorial changed her life
I started at Playboy in event planning, and the first time I worked with Heather Rae Young was during our 2017 Big Game Party. My role has since evolved to partner strategy, which includes keeping up with our kick-ass Playmates. My job allows me to stay in touch with Heather and learn all the exciting developments in her life since she was featured as our February 2010 Playmate.
Heather made everyone at Playboy proud last year as a star of the Netflix original series Selling Sunset. The show centers on the team at the Oppenheim Group, where she works as a high-end real estate agent. Naturally, I sent her a note right after I’d watched the first episode so I could hear all the dish.
I caught up with Heather a couple of times—first in person, and later remotely during quarantine—to chat about what it was like to take the leap from modeling to property deals, how Playboy has impacted her journey and what to expect (high-profile romance alert!) when season two premieres globally on May 22.
PLAYBOY: Can you tell me a little about your PLAYBOY shoot?
YOUNG: I’m Miss February 2010. I shot my pictorial in 2009, and it was an amazing experience. I was in a double issue, with Jaime Edmondson, so we were January and February. I shot with photographer Arny Freytag, and it was about a two-week shoot. The sets were custom-built, so it would be a couple days in between and then a new set would be constructed. My theme was mountain girl because I grew up in Big Bear and nearby Lake Arrowhead in California. I shot my video as well during that time, which was a bathtub scene.
PLAYBOY: How did you go from Playboy to real estate?
YOUNG: After modeling and appearing in PLAYBOY, real estate felt like a good transition for me because I’d met so many people and I’m really good at building relationships and making contacts. A couple of my friends actually suggested it, and originally I said no. But you know what? I did it! I studied my ass off, I passed the test and then within my first three months of doing real estate, I sold a $7.2 million house and a $1.5 million condo.
PLAYBOY: Were you with the Oppenheim Group then?
YOUNG: No, I was actually with a different group then. I was showing a celebrity client a home, and that’s how I met Jason Oppenheim. He saw that I was super connected, and after sitting down to meet he offered me a role with the Oppenheim Group.
PLAYBOY: How many years ago was that?
YOUNG: That was 2014 into 2015, so it’s been a while.
PLAYBOY: You’re a vet now!
YOUNG: I’m a vet now! But I did take some time away. Sometimes L.A. gets really overwhelming, especially for a small-town girl like me. And it’s a tough industry. I left a few times to get clarity and more motivation and then came back refreshed.
PLAYBOY: Do you feel the show gives us an accurate sense of your off-screen personality?
YOUNG: I was just true to myself, and I’m really happy with how I came across on camera. I am who I am, so there was nothing for me to censor.
PLAYBOY: Was that the reaction of the rest of the cast?
YOUNG: They knew what they were doing. They knew it could be cut and edited in any way, but overall we’re all very happy with the show. The girls and I are actually really close, though it took me and Christine Quinn a while.
PLAYBOY: I was going to ask! Was the beef with Christine real, or did you ham it up a little for the show?
YOUNG: All the arguments are real. Christine and I have actually become close friends, and I love her because she’s so opposite of me and so outspoken. When she’s your friend, she has your back, and she just says what she means and how she feels. She’s not a bitch like people think, and she’s actually really funny.
PLAYBOY: How do you think Playboy shaped your career and your personal life?
YOUNG: It changed my life for the better. I would never take it back. I believe everything happens for a reason. I really, truly do. If I hadn’t posed for PLAYBOY, I wouldn’t have met the people who led me to where I am now. Playboy got me used to being in front of crowds and being good on camera. Meeting fans as a Playmate prepped me for the fans I have now, from the show. It made me realize a lot of celebrities don’t want to say hi to fans or give them the time of day, but I realized through Playboy that these people may never meet a Playmate again. So I talk to everyone. I take photos with everyone. It has changed my life.
Posing nude is a celebration of our bodies and our choices, and I find it empowering.
PLAYBOY: I’ve been on jobs with you, and I can tell you really love your fans.
YOUNG: Absolutely. That’s the positive. Some people judge me right away. Like, men expect me to be a little Barbie doll and be stupid. Men will meet me and say, “Wow, you’re actually smart.” And I’m like, Well, what did you think? Because I’m a Playmate, or a model, or a woman, I can’t be smart as well? All the Playmates I’ve ever met have so much going on. We’re not slutty like people think. We have husbands, boyfriends, children, ambitions, and some people don’t realize that until they sit down and start talking to us.
PLAYBOY: How is it being a woman in real estate? Are there still big hurdles in that world?
YOUNG: Absolutely. I think we’re not taken seriously, or we’re perceived as stupid or we don’t know what we’re talking about. I’m lucky to be partnered with Jason, because he is well-known in the real estate business, and he treats me like an equal. We’re partners. It’s still a man’s game, but women are rising, and clearly from the show you can see that. It’s supposed to be about women’s empowerment. You can be a pretty woman and still be successful and not just arm candy for a man.
It’s tough, especially in L.A. You’re dealing with a lot of money, big properties, big agents who have been around for 30-plus years. And this young girl comes in, and sometimes they just think I’m stupid. That’s why I’ve taken my little breaks. I’ve left and then come back and said, “No, I’ve got this.” There’s no reason I shouldn’t be just as successful as Jason or these others guys out here. I can do it just as well, if not better, than they can.
PLAYBOY: Since the previous season ended, I see you’re in a new relationship with Flip or Flop star Tarek El Moussa. How has it been to go from a private relationship to such a public one?
YOUNG: Season two is at the very beginning of my relationship with Tarek. Going from such a private relationship to a public one is very different, but it’s been amazing. I have so much support from Tarek, and the fact that we’re both not only in the television world but in the same industry helps us connect on so many levels beyond our relationship. We have a deeper understanding, respect and appreciation of each other’s real estate careers. He has been in this industry for so long, so he’s always there to help me with advice. We’re always bouncing design ideas off of each other and even learning from each other.
PLAYBOY: One more question—best for last. Would you ever pose nude again?
YOUNG: Gosh. Posing nude has not hurt me. I’m already out there; I’ve done it. I’m proud of myself and what I’ve done. It’s a celebration of our bodies and our choices, and I find it empowering. PLAYBOY first catapulted me into a modeling career and the career I’m in now.