‘I saw it as a long game’: Sydney real estate agent reveals what it takes to make billions in sales
When most of Australia is asleep, one of Sydney’s top real estate agents, Alexander Phillips, is already working.
At 4am, when most of Australia is asleep, one of Sydney’s top real estate agents, Alexander Phillips, is already checking emails.
Mr Phillips, 45, is a partner at PPD Real Estate in Edgecliff. He was the number one sales agent in Australia for nine consecutive years between 2016 and 2024, and there’s no one quite like him in the industry.
Forbes has previously reported that Mr Phillips was the first agent in Australia to reach billions in sales in a single year.
That might make you think Mr Phillips would be your standard flashy agent but, according to one of his elite clients, who wishes to remain anonymous, the agent operates differently.
Yes, he has a nice car and house, but he is far more obsessed with his work than anything else. In fact, she went as far as to call him a “quiet achiever”, an agent who puts the results first.
This makes sense when you consider Mr Phillips starts his day before anyone is awake to even see him working hard.
Monday through Friday, the 45-year-old wakes up at 4am, has a hot bath, and starts planning his day while most people haven’t even had time to ignore their first alarm.
The top agent looks through his calendar, fires off emails and manifests his intentions for the day.
He then trains for around 45 minutes, leaves his waterside mansion in Vaucluse, and heads into Darlinghurst. He’ll grab a coffee and get to the office by 6am at the latest.
Mr Phillips said he doesn’t “demand” all his staff wake up at 4am like he does but, of course, he wants them to.
“I expect them to but I don’t demand it. I want them up at 6am, and the reason I get up so early is that my phone can start ringing at 6am,” he told news.com.au.
Waking up before the crack of dawn means he has two hours to himself without disruptions before the day starts.
Mr Phillips leads by example, no matter how many sales he has done, he’ll still be at open houses on Saturday greeting potential buyers and spending his morning hustling to jam in as many inspections as possible.
There’s no part of the process that is beneath him, in fact he is a big believer, in making sure every step is done correctly, he doesn’t ever want standards to drop.
The 45-year-old agent is also an expert at human connection.
He gets frustrated with other agents who chase sales, whereas his focus has always been on relationships.
You don’t become the man that sold Jackie O Henderson her $13 million dollar mansion in Clovelly by accident.
The most important rule in real estate, according to Mr Phillips, is having a “good name” and not burning relationships.
“You need to have good relationships and good processes so you don’t burn people and disappoint people,” he said.
“Every single person is different, and you’ve got to get to know that person.”
Mr Phillips said selling homes to wealthy people can be “complicated” because they’re usually used to being in charge, and he has to work hard to build a relationship where they’ll trust him to take control.
You don’t want to be “arrogant” in your approach, but he has learned how to politely get his clients to let him take the lead.
Mr Phillips, who lives across the road from Kyle Sandilands and has spent years building relationships with some of Australia’s most affluent individuals, has never been after a quick fix when it comes to real estate.
He started in the industry over twenty years ago and, for the first three years, his base wage was $20,000.
It wasn’t until he entered his thirties that he started making serious money.
“I took my time and I saw it as a long game and I didn’t start making any money until I was 10 years into it,” he said.
“I didn’t think about the dollars. I was building a database and that was how things snowballed, and I was able to build and build,” he said.
A database refers to the people he has direct contact with, the customers on his email chains and who receive his text messages.
He isn’t the kind of agent that will bother trying to make someone sell that is sitting on a multimillion-dollar property but he does make it his mission to keep them informed about the market.
“My trick is different. Most real estate agents go in for the kill, whereas I build a database and give them relevant information,” he said.
“They see me as an adviser and I’m there when they are ready.”
Mr Phillips aims to give potential sellers relevant information so that they are the first to know when their neighbour sells their home for $4 million.
At this point in his career, he has done billions in sales, and he admits he has become a “deal junkie”. It has become less about the money and far more about the thrill of closing a deal.
“There are only so many holidays you can take a year,” he pointed out.
The 45-year-old is very married to his work and routine and aims to deliver the best service he can, but has he ever thought about slowing down?
“I don’t see it as work. If I wasn’t working what would I do?” he asked.
Mr Phillips owns over eight properties in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and owes millions in mortgages, but he doesn’t mind.
“It keeps me motivated,” he said.
The real estate agent hasn’t checked his mortgage debt recently, but admitted it keeps him “working hard”, which he likes.
Even though there has been a recent trend in agents advising Aussies to invest somewhere they can afford and rent somewhere they want to live, Mr Phillips doesn’t agree.
He also doesn’t believe in buying somewhere cheaper. He wants all his properties to be where he wants to live.
“I’d only ever buy where I’d be happy to live, even if it is an investment,” he said.
This means he isn’t snapping up over 20 properties in different states for $500,000; when he buys, he buys big.
The median house price in Sydney might be just over $1.6 million, but in Paddington, it is over $3 million, and in Vaucluse it is over $7 million, and Mr Phillips owns all his investment properties in these two swanky suburbs.
He said that, even though he has tenants in his properties who are paying market-value rent, if you buy really expensive houses, you get stung with high land taxes.
Some of the properties are negatively geared, but having an impressive portfolio in one of the world’s most expensive cities and some of the most affluent suburbs is a huge feat.
Once again, though, it comes back to motivation. He wants to always feel like he needs to push himself to succeed.
Even when he pulls off a big sale, where he sets a price record and pockets a hefty commission, he doesn’t dwell.
“You can’t go out celebrating for a week,” he said.
Instead, Mr Phillips is back making calls, answering inquires, adding people to his database, hosting open inspections and answering emails at 4am.
Artist builds Aus first aircrete dome home
An Aussie artist who grew up in unusual homes, has designed and built her own quirky aircrete dome home - the first of its kind approved by council.
Rolling Stone boss’ Melbourne pad is rockin’ the suburbs
Alt rocker and Vinyl Group chief executive Josh Simons is selling the Patterson Lakes he was living in while on tour with Coldplay last year. See the changes he’s made after buying it sight unseen.
Architect couple’s cottage flip puts ‘secret suburb’ on the map
A rare listing in a community of fewer than 80 people has shone a spotlight on a hidden Hinterland gem.