$300k over reserve: The agent bringing the boom to the ‘burbs

Meet the real estate agent breaking property records across Logan as he sells the acreage dream in an area once considered ‘the sticks’.

PEOPLE laughed when Philip Resnikoff first came up with the idea of hosting weekly, livestreamed auction events at his local Browns Plains coffee shop in 2021.

But in the past year, the principal of Crafted Property Agents and his team have broken three suburb home price records in the area and sold properties under the hammer for more than $300,000 over reserve.

Philip Resnikoff of Crafted Property Agents has sold the highest number of properties in Queensland in the past year, with his wife Fiona and kids, William, 9, Sebastian, 7 and Emilia, 2. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

“People said; ‘auctions don’t work in our area’” Mr Resnikoff said. “Everyone set us up to fail.

“We proved them wrong.”

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The 40-year-old father-of-three has topped a list of agents ranked by the number of properties they have sold in Queensland in the past year on realestate.com.au.

Mr Resnikoff sold a whopping 191 homes in 12 months for a median sale price of $945,000.

And he puts it down to the previously unheard of auction culture his agency has created in the Browns Plains area.

This property at 31 Woodfall Rd, Greenbank, sold for a suburb record of $1.9m.

“We decided to partner with Holmes Auctions and made a commitment to follow into the auction space,” he said

Every Saturday from 3pm, bidders and onlookers pack into The Coffee Club in Browns Plains to watch anywhere from one to 10 homes go under the hammer.

In the past 12 months, a new sale price record was set in Greenbank for $1.9m, in New Beith for $1.55m, and in Regents Park for $1.03m.

“You can’t break records by underselling homes,” Mr Resnikoff said.

This property at 11 Leis Way, Regents Park, sold for $1.035m.

“The rationale behind the auction space is about having the skill as an agent to facilitate a process that allows buyers to demonstrate the true value of a home. That has really helped the area price-wise.”

Mr Resnikoff’s agency specialises in acreage properties, with suburbs like Forestdale, Browns Plains, Jimboomba, Logan Village, and Greenbank accelerating in popularity in the past couple of years.

“The explosion in the area has been quite dramatic,” he said, citing a new appreciation for acreage and new developments as helping to drive demand.

This property at 36 Tucker Court, New Beith, sold for a suburb record of $1.55m.

“When I grew up out here, a lot of these areas were seen as being ‘out in the sticks’, but when you look on a map, we’re really very close to the city and major infrastructure.

“We’re getting a lot more Gold Coast and Brisbane traffic, who are seeing they’re getting better value for money, but also see it as a good centrepoint between the coast and Brisbane.”

Mr Resnikoff’s father started the business in the 1970s in Park Ridge, so he had a taste for the life of a real estate agent from a young age.

“I was at uni and reached out to Dad to see if I could do (real estate) as a side gig, and here I am 19 years later,” he said.

Philip Resnikoff of Crafted Property Agents has sold the highest number of properties in Queensland in the past year, according to realestate.com.au. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

He grew up on acreage in Regents Park, which was seen as a blue collar suburb until recently.

“We sold four properties in Regents Park for over $1m in the last year and a half,” he said.

“I went to the local primary school there, then high school at St Lawrence’s.

“You don’t realise until you’re older, but it’s literally the space (you get with acreage). You get to be very active. There was always something to do, instead of sitting in front of the TV.

“It takes years of understanding to understand how it works out here. Acreage is not the same as residential. You need experience on land to understand acreage property, and the difference between a hilly block, a bushy block and a flat, usable block.”

Originally published as $300k over reserve: The agent bringing the boom to the ‘burbs