Adele Oliver has secured $4.8 million for a two-bedroom apartment at 1903/140 Alice Street, Brisbane City, in an off-market sale that demonstrates how established buyer relationships drive premium results without public campaigns.
The two-bed, two-bath apartment with three car spaces never appeared on the market. Adele matched seller and buyer through targeted relationship work, delivering a cash deal with zero conditions and waived cooling-off period at the vendor’s asking price.
The six-year relationship that made it work
The buyer wasn’t a lucky find. Adele had worked with him for six years, selling properties both for him and to him during that period. When the Alice Street apartment became available, she knew immediately he was the right match.
“I had been working with the buyer for maybe six years, and I’ve sold for him, I’ve sold to him before,” Adele says.
“I knew that he was looking. Most of our work is done with buyers over years, and just staying in touch with them and knowing what they’re looking for.”
The buyer committed before inspecting the property. The only delay was waiting for the seller’s disclosure from lawyers. Once documentation arrived, the deal moved quickly to an unconditional cash settlement.
Why off-market worked for this property
Adele is frank about when off-market makes sense and when it doesn’t. Her approach works in a highly specific niche: premium CBD and New Farm apartments where she holds deep building knowledge and established buyer databases.
“What we do is very, very niche and specific. It’s one small area of the city, or New Farm, and it’s not for everyone. Off-market isn’t a lack of marketing. It’s just knowing the building and the buyer so well that you don’t need any marketing.”
She positions public campaigns as valuable for agents still building buyer relationships, but her business model relies on having already done that foundational work. For sellers in her niche who value privacy and speed, the off-market approach delivers results impossible through traditional methods.
The premium CBD market context
The Alice Street address sits in Brisbane City’s CBD core, metres from the City Botanic Gardens and the riverfront. The building forms part of a premium apartment precinct with strong connectivity to Queen Street Mall, Eagle Street Pier, South Bank, and Central station. Recent comparable sales in the same building range from $2.2 million to $4.8 million, reflecting the wide variation by floor level, view, and apartment configuration within the tower.
What sellers need to understand about off-market
Adele’s candour about her method’s limitations is part of what makes it credible. She doesn’t claim off-market works for every property or every agent. It works when the agent genuinely knows the building, holds the right buyer relationships, and operates in a defined niche.
“Open homes and VPA are for people who don’t know their buyers yet,” she says. “That does work, but there’s a time and place for an off-market deal.”
For this seller, the time and place aligned perfectly. They achieved asking price without public exposure, zero conditions, and a cash buyer who waived cooling-off because Adele had spent six years preparing for exactly this moment.
About the Agent
Adele Oliver founded Ethel + Florence, a boutique agency specialising in Brisbane CBD, New Farm, Teneriffe, and Newstead apartments. She built the business on intimate building knowledge, honest seller communication, and quiet off-market expertise, moving properties to the right buyers without public fanfare. Visit Adele’s website for more information or call Adele on 0439005705.