Washington Ho of HBO Max’s “House of Ho” Joins eXp

Reality television star and Houston real estate and banking scion Washington Ho is going national.

A couple of months after adding his company, The Real Estate Team, to Houston-based Camelot Realty and inking a deal with Realty.com, Ho is joining eXp Realty.

A break-out star from HBO Max’s “House of Ho” — a reality show that follows the Vietnamese-American Ho family who made their fortune in real estate and banking in the Bayou City — Ho told The Real Deal he plans to expand his current roster of national agents from 48 to 108 by the end of December. He also will work with eXp on expanding the firm’s celebrity and sports business.

“The attraction of eXp is that they’re national, and they have a great technology platform,” Ho said. “I also like that they work with celebrities and sports figures in L.A. and New York and I plan to use my presence as a public figure to help with that part of the business.”

Ho’s move to go national comes as out-of-state real estate players with their own reality show fame are trying to grab a piece of the Lone Star State’s realty business.

With home prices slumping and inventory on the rise in Houston and other cities, Ho thinks there are many opportunities for agents to “think like investors.”

“I think prices are going down and contract volume is going down and anybody who is well capitalized and recruiting around the nation, will have seriously good opportunities,” Ho said. “They’re are so many opportunities to sell more, so I think that deals will be valued more fairly in this environment. It’s time to shift and think like an investor.”

Ho also believes the current real estate landscape will help with his efforts to recruit agents in other markets.

“There are a lot of unhappy agents right now that aren’t being groomed and mentored and need coaching right now, and that’s where I think I can excel,” he said.

Ho, who noted that “House of Ho” has three more seasons on a five-season deal with HBO Max, doesn’t plan on abandoning Houston’s real estate market.

He’s rebooting his real estate development company, and will build a spec home in River Oaks, the Bayou City’s most venerable neighborhood. It will be the first spec home built there in 15 years, Ho claimed.

“I have recently restarted my real estate development company and am looking forward to building my first home in River Oaks at 20 Tiel Way,” Ho said.