Brother-In-Law: Michael (38) (Real Estate Agent)

Brother-In-Law: Ryan (37) (Real Estate Agent)

Lyndsay (Michael’s Wife & Ryan’s Sister- Age 35) (Real Estate Agent)

Lauren (Ryan’s Wife – Age 36) (Business Owner)

Location: East Hanover, New Jersey

Brother(in-law)hood

Ryan and Michael are like childhood best friends who just so happen to be in adult men’s bodies. Like a, “bromance,” these men find true comradery, companionship, support and joy in one another’s company. They can be honest, vulnerable and intimate with one another in a way that most adult guy’s lack the capacity for. It’s also especially rare to find this quality in brother’s in-law. Although they are not blood related, they’re lives are inextricably interwoven through family and work. They are one another’s best-friends, and for all intents and purposes, brothers.

The goofy, affable and absurdly positive pair originally met through Ryan’s sister and they immediately hit it off. They had both recently read, “The Secret” and immediately connected over the power of positive thinking, manifestation, and meditation. The bond was established over meaningful and profound conversations and the relationship has only deepened since.

Michael is a former public-school teacher turned real estate agent. Why? Because Ryan encouraged Michael to get his license and join his team. So now, the best buds are realtors who work together. Every aspect of their life is shared. They scheme together in business. They make real-estate related social media videos.

They do showings together. They work out together. They go on vacations together. They even buy the same kind of underwear and will wear and borrow one another’s underwear! Michael is very close with Ryan’s family, so they’re constantly together socially. They make a chosen effort to be connected and to do life together.

The fellas even started their own satirical online persona’s, “The Property Brothers In-Law.” They make comedic sketch comedy videos together based on their actual real estate experiences. So, when the duo isn’t working, they’re planning their next ridiculous video instalment, often roping their friends and family into the circus. The videos are completely over-the-top and hysterical, usually involving absurd situations, crazy costumes, and laugh-out-loud antics.

In order to reach new plains of personal, physical and professional success the men will embark on questionable, unusual rituals and challenges together. The duo believes in the power of manifesting, the laws of attraction and meditation. They both have their own daily meditation practice (both of their wives don’t quite understand it.) One of their more “out there” practices is semen retention. What’s semen retention you might ask? “Semen retention is the practice of avoiding ejaculation. You can do this by abstaining from sexual activity altogether or you can learn how to orgasm without ejaculating.” Purported benefits include: mental health benefits, alleviate anxiety and depression, greater physical vitality and muscle growth, improved sperm quality, as well as deeper spiritual relationships and better overall happiness.

Both Michael and Ryan will call each other every morning, sometimes while relieving themselves on the toilet to “hype” one another up for their day. Their wives are understandably grossed out and uncomfortable. They embark on rigorous physical challenges together. Currently they are doing a 75-day health challenge of no drinking, two workouts a day, and reading 10 pages from a book to prepare for an upcoming family trip to the Dominican Republic. Coming up this fall, for his birthday, Ryan asked Michael to do an intensive week long, Navy Seal training in the desert with him.

Being a part of a big Jersey Italian family is sometimes exactly what one would expect. One minute there will be arguing, yelling, and the occasional death threat, then the next minute they’re sitting down to dinner together as if nothing happened!

Lindsay, Michael’s wife and Ryan’s sister is stuck in the middle. Not only is she a real estate agent on the same team as her husband and her brother, she’s also in the middle of the guy’s constant craziness. Between them planning work events, working out together, and even planning vacations together, they’re a lot to handle. When she married Michael, she didn’t realize that her brother would spend more time with her husband than she would. Lauren, Ryan’s wife, finds Ryan and Michael’s relationship odd and unusual. Especially, for grown men. It’s as though they are in a marriage of their own. Although she’s not a real estate agent, she does have an office in the same building that Ryan’s family owns.

That’s right: Ryan, Ryan’s father Joe, Michael, Lindsay and Lauren all share an office building together that they co-own and co-work in.

But for as positive and “up with people” they are, there’s plenty of familial drama. Ryan and his sister will fight like cats and dogs, wanting to kill each other, leaving Michael in the lurch between his wife and his brother-in-law/best friend. There’s drama too between Ryan and his wife when it comes to work, and often Lauren and Michael are impacted. To add on more pressure, they all own an investment property together. Meaning that they all have to make business decisions with their family. It’s certainly not always smooth sailing with this group. Ryan’s father Joe, is the matriarch of the family and has a very close relationship with his daughter-in-law. Lauren invariably turns to Joe for life and professional advice, and will also ask him advice regarding his son.

The brother’s each live with their wives and families in very small and cramped, apartments/condos. They each convinced their partners to make sacrifices on their living arrangements so that they could save money for investment opportunities. This year the brothers are looking to invest in even more property together and take their business to the next level. The wives are beyond sick of their current living arrangements and want the idyllic, single family home that was promised to them. But Michael and Ryan are schemers and dreamers and are looking to make their next big, power moves together, whether that means investing in a shared building to renovate, or each buying another property to renovate and flip, they want to level up their business. But will their wives be on board for what might be a hair-brained scheme?

Michael and his wife are also navigating a big life question: whether or not to have children? Lindsay is on the fence, and Michael although he wants children, is supportive either way. They feel like although they don’t want to rush into it, that they are at the ages when they have to make the decisions and have to make progress either way. That means that their living arrangement is in question. And with spending so much time with Ryan, will Michael really have the time to be there for Lindsay as she goes through a pregnancy? Between career and family, only time will tell what happens for the future as these brother’s try to have it all!