‘Haters’: Agent to AFL stars addresses scuttlebutt on why he walked away from firm

Real estate agent to AFL stars Matthew Pillios has addressed rumours he says are spread by “haters” about why he left Marshall White Bayside, when he was at the top of his game.

Matthew Pillios has sold homes for some of the biggest names in AFL. Picture: Tony Gough

Six months ago, Matthew Pillios was the toast of the real estate world, named Victoria’s No.1 agent.

The flashy Brighton agent with the cha-ching touch had leapt from No.9 to No.1 on the Real Estate Business Top Agents list, due to an impressive sell of 134 homes last year for a $370.5m total.

When asked the secret to his success, the Marshall White Bayside director said, “If you do a good job people will talk about you. Similarly, they’ll talk about you if you do a bad job.”

Pillios has been proved right because this real estate agent to the stars has been the talk of Bayside – but for all the wrong reasons.

His shock resignation from Marshall White Brighton three weeks ago had tongues wagging but it’s nothing compared with the amount of lip-curling scuttlebutt about why Victoria’s most successful agent suddenly quit.

Matthew Pillios was a top-selling Melbourne agent before he suddenly quit his firm. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Pillios claimed he had “resigned” and was now “looking at some really, great big options.”

But no-one is buying that one.

“A change of direction, that direction was the front door,” scoffed one rival. “Let’s just say no-one is crying their eyes out.”

Pillios became a big name in a short time after joining Marshall White six years ago. He was quickly the go-to agent for AFL stars, with the likes of Jordan De Goey, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt and Anthony Koutoufides among his high-profile clientele.

Usually, you can’t get real estate agents to stop talking about themselves and their successes but when Page 13 came calling this week, the answers were surprisingly curt.

“I can’t discuss that,” was the short stock-standard response from Marshall White agents when asked to say why Pillios had left.

Others under the condition of anonymity pointed to questions about his fees and commissions.

But credit where it’s due.

Rather than shy away from the whispers, Pillios delivered the same front we hear he has in selling houses.

“Last year I did 42 per cent of the entire office’s commission and there are about 20 agents there,” Pillios said of his former Marshall White Brighton colleagues.

“Any scuttlebutt is all false rumours being made up by haters or competitors and it’s laughable,” he said, insisting he left at the top of his game because he wanted to.

“I’ve been told by mentors that the bigger you get the more negativity and fabrication that people will make up about you and, unfortunately, they weren’t wrong.”

Pillios says he has big plans for next year and one thing is certain, the hammer is yet to fall on this self-described super seller.