TL;DR: Luke Saville transformed his real estate business by making one brutal decision – saying no to everything except apartments. In 12 months, this strategic focus combined with authentic social media storytelling generated 26 direct sales from social platforms with no advertising, proving that specialisation beats generalisation every time.
Meet Your Host: Claudio Encina
Stepping in as this weeks host, Claudio Encina is a former seven-figure real estate agent who built a thriving team before realising that success without fulfilment comes at a high cost. After transforming his approach with expert coaching, he now helps agents create businesses that deliver freedom, scale, and financial success.
In this episode, Claudio guides the conversation with Luke Saville, uncovering the strategies behind his property specialisation and social media success.
Luke Saville’s Journey To Specialisation
Luke Saville’s story isn’t your typical real estate success tale. Two and a half years ago, he made a decision that would make most agents physically ill – he started saying no to multi-million dollar house listings. Walking away from a $3 million listing to focus on a $450,000 apartment? Luke’s colleagues thought he’d lost his mind.
But here’s what they didn’t understand: Luke had discovered something powerful about human psychology and market positioning. Instead of being another face in the crowd of generalist agents, he chose to become the definitive apartment specialist in Melbourne’s inner east. The results speak volumes – 26 properties sold directly from social media in just 12 months, with buyers traveling from as far as New Zealand to purchase sight unseen based solely on his social media content.
Working for The Agency in areas like Hawthorn, Richmond, and Armadale, Luke operates in territory already dominated by major competitors. Rather than try to out-muscle them, he chose to out-position them.
The Power of Strategic Rejection
The hardest lesson Luke learned wasn’t about what to say yes to – it was mastering the art of strategic rejection.
“I’m a big believer in becoming known for being something, not trying to be everything to everyone,” Luke explains. “I’m at a point now where I’m numb to it, I know it’s the right decision.”
This wasn’t theoretical positioning. Luke regularly turns down substantial house listings, redirecting potential clients to competitors while maintaining his apartment focus. The psychological challenge was real – watching million-dollar opportunities walk away requires serious conviction in your strategy.
But the payoff validated his approach completely. Local homeowners began viewing Luke as “the guy that sells apartments and units,” creating a powerful mental association that cut through market noise. His specialisation became his differentiation in a crowded field.
Why this matters: In real estate’s attention economy, being known for something specific beats being forgotten for everything. Specialisation creates mental shortcuts for referrals and positions you as the expert rather than just another option.
Social Media as Sales Infrastructure
Luke’s social media journey began exactly 12 months and two days before this interview – marked by his first property sold directly from social platforms. What started as experimental content has evolved into a sophisticated sales infrastructure generating serious results.
His breakthrough came with a Collingwood property walkthrough that garnered nearly one million views.
“Most of them were abusive comments,” Luke laughs, “but that was when I realised this has got legs.”
The real validation came from buyers consistently saying they discovered properties through his TikTok or Instagram content.
The strategy isn’t about viral content – it’s about consistent, authentic property walkthroughs that showcase both the space and lifestyle.
“I’m just following where the attention is,” Luke explains, “and social media right now is where the most attention is.”
One recent sale exemplified the power of his approach: a New Zealand buyer purchased sight unseen after watching his walkthrough video. No physical inspection, no representative – just the compelling combination of visual storytelling and lifestyle narrative that convinced her to commit.
Why this matters: Social media isn’t supplemental marketing anymore – it’s core sales infrastructure. Agents not leveraging these platforms are doing a disservice to their vendors by limiting property exposure to traditional channels only.
Narrative-Driven Property Marketing
Luke’s listing descriptions read like lifestyle magazines, not property advertisements. Instead of sterile feature lists, he crafts immersive narratives that help buyers visualise their lives in the space.
“I would walk through the apartment and then I would think, who is the likely buyer going to be and what does their profile look like?”
His process involves identifying the target buyer persona and imagining their lifestyle in that specific location. He references local haunts like the “Bouzy Rouge”, morning coffee rituals, and weekend routines, creating an emotional connection before buyers even inspect the property.
Leveraging AI, Luke provides ChatGPT with his narrative vision, then uses it to refine structure and readability.
“I use ChatGPT to help me clean the copy up. I’ll give it the story of what I want it to tell.”
The validation came from an unexpected source – a 70-year-old vendor who rejected traditional property copy as “boring” and insisted on using Luke’s Instagram version for the official listing. The property sold to a buyer who said she “fell in love with it” through reading the description word for word.
Why this matters: Property marketing is evolving from feature-focused to emotion-driven. Buyers don’t just want to know what a property has – they want to envision how it feels to live there.
The Fundamentals Still Rule
Despite his social media success, Luke maintains a clear perspective on business fundamentals.
“There’s no doubt that still making phone calls and prospecting and getting in doors is the first step. And then you can use social media and that will absolutely complement your business.”
His daily structure reflects this philosophy. Luke schedules appointments in focused blocks rather than scattering them throughout the week. This disciplined approach to time management maximizes efficiency, allowing him to deliver better service and achieve stronger business results.
Why this matters: Social media success without foundational business discipline is unsustainable. The agents who thrive long-term combine digital innovation with time-tested relationship building and operational excellence.
Clarity as Your Competitive Advantage
Looking ahead, Luke’s trajectory demonstrates that the future of real estate belongs to specialists who combine strategic focus with authentic digital storytelling. His upcoming plans to livestream auctions on TikTok and Instagram represent the next evolution – bringing real-time property sales directly to social platforms where attention lives.
For agents feeling stuck in the generalist trap, Luke’s journey offers a clear roadmap: choose your niche, master your storytelling, and have the courage to say no to opportunities that don’t serve your positioning.
In a world of infinite choice, clarity becomes the ultimate competitive advantage.
Listen/Watch now
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Connect with Luke Saville
- Email: lukesaville@theagency.com.auÂ
- Phone: +61 437 720 806
- Instagram: lukesaville_
Connect with Claudio Encina
- Website
- Email: claudio@claudioencina.com
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