- Six elite matchmakers shared their vetting process for high-net-worth clients as part of Business Insider's "Dating Like a Millionaire" series.
- Two of the matchmakers said they make house calls to get a better feel for a millionaire's lifestyle and personality.
- An organized home can indicate that the owner is a grown-up, whereas a messy home can be a red flag.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Getting past the gatekeepers of love can be tough.
I talked to six elite matchmakers for Business Insider's monthlong series, "Dating Like a Millionaire," and they all said they have a vigorous vetting process before deciding whether they should play cupid for a potential client. The matchmakers work with clients locally and globally, from royals and celebrities to entrepreneurs and CEOs, who have net worths ranging from the low millions into the billions.
But first, they have to determine if a client meets their standards — a process that involves everything from conducting in-person screenings and interviews to background and social media checks. On top of that, two matchmakers said they even pay a visit to the millionaire's house.
"You can tell a lot from a person by looking through a keyhole,"Mairead Molloy of Berkeley International, who is based in London, told Business Insider. Berkeley's pricing starts from £15,000 ($21,000) and goes up to £60,000 ($85,000) for private headhunting, with a year of unlimited introductions. Highly tailored packages — with some very specific requests — can run up to £100,000 ($112,085).
The way a house looks is a reflection of the homeowner's personality, which helps the matchmakers get a better feel for a millionaire's life and style, Molloy said: "Everything about someone's house screams who they are."
For example, a clean, organized home can indicate that a person is well put-together, but a sloppy home can reveal a much different side of their personality.
Fridges, medicine cabinets, and closets say a lot
Mother-daughter matchmaking duo Janis and Carly Spindel of Janis Spindel Serious Matchmaking Inc. in New York City also make house calls. They take on male clients only, for whom fees run from $25,000 for basic, private matchmaking to $1 million for global VIP private matchmaking.
Their clients have two to nine homes on average; the Spindels typically select three of those homes and spend time there with the prospective client, Janis told Business Insider. They do so to try and get a true feel for the millionaire's personality — and to look at pictures of their exes.
"We get a sense of who they are and how they live," Carly said, adding that a man's home is his castle. "The home is where they're most comfortable because it's where they live; it's their turf."
She added: "We go in the fridge, their medicine cabinets, and their closets. Women want a man who is mature, lives like a grown-up, is neat, and is semi-organized. If there's ever a house that looks like a tornado hit it, too much medicine in the cabinets, dishes piled up in the sink — that gives us a bad feeling."
Janis said one client had a locked closet and a gun (which he felt he needed because he was a criminal attorney), which "freaked us out."
But that's not the only way the Spindels get to know potential clients: The matchmakers also go on a simulated date with their clients to get an idea of how much effort they put into it, how they treat dates, what their manners are like, and how they behave, Janis said.
Millionaires looking for love certainly have their work cut out for them.