From Brickell to the Beach: Zachary Oppenheim’s Fort Lauderdale Hustle
Before Zachary Oppenheim walked through homes as a realtor and CEO of Oppenheim Realty, his education in the world of homes began far from traditional real estate courses. His early years were amid warehouse shelves and loading docks. Then, at 19 years old, behind the counter at CompUSA, selling cameras and phones. Later, EMT/Fire Fighter Academy, where he learned to read the structure of a house and became educated on what holds it together, what can go wrong, and how different damage can affect property short-term and long-term. Even though plans for a career in the fire department never quite caught fire, he gained knowledge of construction, home damage, safety, and insurance that later became an unexpected advantage in real estate. Long before he learned to sell the dream of a home, Zachary Oppenheim learned to see what was happening beneath the surface.
“I also got into event coordination and being a production assistant,” said Oppenheim. “For multi-billion-dollar companies like Lexus, Lincoln Motor Company, Unilever, and everything I've learned, I've implemented into my own business, and when it comes to marketing and branding you see our logo, vehicles and websites all over town."
Many people have a certain image of what the average and everyday realtor should look like and be. For some, it’s only polished shoes crossing beige carpets, a stack of business cards tucked into a pocket, or rehearsed smiles being exchanged beneath fluorescent lights as another house simply becomes another transaction.
Zachary Oppenheim is more than that picture. When he isn’t bringing Fort Lauderdale’s community together for beach cleanups or opening the doors of his office for events. You might also find him zipping around on his Go-Kart (skurt-skurt) on his way to capture and create his next informative video, turning a routine day into something worth watching. For Zachary Oppenheim of Oppenheim Realty, real estate isn’t simply about opening doors to houses. It’s about opening doors between people, ideas and the local community he calls home.
“Most of my family were entrepreneurs when I was growing up,” said Oppenheim. “My uncle had a successful marketing business in Tallahassee, my grandparents on my mother’s side had a cleaning chemical business where my father was one of the salesmen, and my grandfather had a real estate brokerage that I grew up going into his office every day after school as well.”
The beginnings of Oppenheim Realty were not glossy real estate brochures or signs. When Zachary Oppenheim first launched the brokerage, he was living at his mother’s house in Hollywood, Florida, in 2019. He didn’t have a car and had very little money and not a single agent beside him. All he had was just an idea, a phone, and the determination to make it work. He ventured into Miami Brickell City Center, where the glass towers, polished lobbies, and high-stakes energy offered glimpses of success. Even though he found success there, it never quite felt like his own. Eventually, the pull and his roots in Fort Lauderdale proved stronger than the allure of Brickell’s skyline. Fort Lauderdale was his home, the streets he knew, the community he understood, and the place where he could see his brokerage growing into something much bigger than himself.
“I love the boat shows,” said Oppenheim. “I love Fort Lauderdale Beach, the yachting, and I think it’s an absolute exceptional place to live, and to see the Fort Lauderdale transformation over the last 20 years has been amazing.”
When Zachary Oppenheim of Oppenheim Realty first entered real estate, there was no established pipeline waiting for him, so he took the work to the streets and was knocking on doors, shaking hands, introducing himself and turning conversations into connections.
“I did work in the restaurant industry a little prior to this,” said Oppenheim. “All the people I knew were servers and bartenders. In the beginning, I couldn’t get one person to do business with me. I was sending strangers DMs on Instagram, and I had to hit the ground and hit the streets.”
That same spirit of hitting the streets now takes him to the shoreline. On the second Saturday of every month, he brings members of the Fort Lauderdale community together for beach cleanups, trading suits and sales pitches for gloves, trash bags, shorts, and the salty breeze. It’s another side of Oppenheim’s approach to business and community and bringing people together for something bigger than a real estate transaction.
When the beach cleanup is over, Oppenheim’s community-building engine keeps running. He also brings car enthusiasts and the rest of the community together by sponsoring Cars and the Stars at Fort Lauderdale’s The Easton, where polished classics, gleaming exotics, and Fort Lauderdale’s social scene converge beneath the South Florida sky.
“We help everyone,” said Oppenheim. “We cover all bases between selling commercial, selling residential, and selling businesses. We’re excited for our future and the future of the community. I’m also excited for what’s coming, like Sixth and Rio, Andare and a bunch of other new developments coming as well as great restaurants on Las Olas like Caviar Club, Naia, and few other great spots."
What started as one man hustling to build a brokerage has now evolved into something bigger, with Zachary Oppenheim building a team. Oppenheim Realty is looking for the next wave of real estate talent to join them. With competitive splits, hands-on mentorship, and one-on-one training, he’s creating an environment where agents aren’t just handed a desk and told to figure it out. They’re given the guidance, the tools, and attention to sharpen their skills. Oppenheim Realty continues to grow, and he’s focused on developing future realtors who can turn ambition into a career.
“Zach [Oppenheim] walked me through the entire licensing process, from registering for classes to applying for my license, and made everything incredibly easy,” said Rob Hallinan, who is one of Oppenheim Realty’s newest agents. “With his guidance, I was able to complete the entire process in under 45 days. Since getting started, I’ve already connected with a few potential clients through my social media presence, and I’m excited to keep building from here.”
From restaurant shifts to CompUSA, and eventually the sharp suits of Oppenheim Realty, Zachary Oppenheim has built his career. Whether he’s cleaning up Fort Lauderdale Beach or zipping off on his go-kart, he’s still doing what he’s always done, making connections.
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