As a sales negotiator, business owner and team leader, Brett White has spent more than two decades testing what truly drives success in real estate.
The REMAX Extreme veteran, who began his career in sales and marketing before building an award-winning mortgage brokerage, eventually turned his focus to property sales, where he found his stride.
Today, he heads the Brett White Team in Currambine, Western Australia, a consistently high-performing group regularly featured among the top ranks of both the Australian and global REMAX network.
His message to agents looking to emulate that success is simple but uncompromising: “Dream big, move fast.”
Brett’s career has been built on curiosity, education and a willingness to refine and reinvent his approach.
He believes there is no single formula for success in real estate, no universal playbook to follow.
Instead, achievement comes from a commitment to doing the work consistently, purposefully and with discipline.
“We need to look at where we are now, what our processes are and how are they’re serving us,” he says.
“We’re not given a blueprint on what we need to do to get to where we want to be. We need to be constantly tweaking our own best practices to ensure we are working the best we can be.”
The foundations of a high-performing week
Brett has seen countless agents chase the next big thing, whether that’s a new CRM, marketing platform or strategy, only to lose sight of the basics that underpin long-term success.
He says the best-performing agents are rarely those doing something radically different; rather, they are the ones who maintain a steady rhythm of effective activity and hold themselves accountable to it.
“What you do today is important, what you do tomorrow is important,” he says.
“Look beyond the ad hoc tasks that keep you ‘busy’ and focus on what will move you forward in your career, your business.
“Look at where you are now and where you want to be in three, six, 12 months’ time. What best practices can you implement now to get you there? Put the time and effort into that, and you’ll see rewards down the track.”
Brett is also a firm believer that there’s always room for improvement, regardless of how long someone has been in the industry.
“Wherever you are now, in terms of your career and your business, we can all improve and do it better,” he says.
For him, accountability begins with structure, and agents who rely on motivation alone, he says, will always struggle to build momentum.
“Having processes in place, and building a consistent structure to your working week automatically creates accountability ensuring tasks, especially those that build your database, your opportunities and your business, are being actioned.”
Discipline creates freedom
One of the paradoxes Brett talks about often is how discipline, something that sounds restrictive, actually enables freedom.
“Putting in the hard work and remaining consistent through being disciplined, that creates freedom in the long run,” he says.
“It sounds ironic, but the framework of discipline, if executed effectively, will allow you more freedom.”
For him, that freedom isn’t about working less; it’s about working with intention.
Discipline gives him the ability to switch off knowing that the important things are being handled; it also removes the stress and anxiety that can come from inconsistency.
“When you’ve built systems and habits that support your goals, you don’t have to rely on willpower every day,” he explains.
“You just follow the process. That’s where freedom lies.”
He encourages agents to think of discipline not as a short-term push, but as a framework that supports their entire career: “If you want predictable results, you need predictable behaviour,” he says.
The challenge and payoff of momentum
While consistency and accountability are essential, Brett says maintaining momentum is often where agents stumble.
Early enthusiasm can fade quickly when the workload builds, listings slow or personal motivation dips.
“The real test is staying in control of your schedule when the market gets tough or when life gets busy,” he says.
“That’s when your structure matters most.”
“Do the work, get the structure and do the not so sexy stuff first and do it right,” he says.
“Do it repeatedly, because we are what we do in repetition.
“If our results aren’t great enough, it just means we’ve been doing the wrong actions over and over. Go back, re-evaluate and start to change… and you’ll see more success.”
Of course, he also acknowledges that burnout is common in real estate, particularly when agents rely on adrenaline and urgency to carry them through.
The antidote, he says, is steady forward movement: “At the heart of it, keep moving, keep progressing, keep learning and surround yourself with other people who are passionate about what you’re doing.”
He adds that being part of a high-performing team helps maintain that momentum.
“When you’re surrounded by people who share your energy and drive, it lifts everyone. You hold each other accountable, you push each other to do better, and you celebrate the wins together.”
A career built on growth
After more than 20 years in the industry, Brett’s focus remains on evolution, both his own and that of the people around him.
He continues to study the market closely, invest in professional development and look for better ways to serve clients.
He believes that in an industry that never sits still, staying curious and adaptable is key.
“Success isn’t static,” he says.
“You can’t reach a level and think you’ve made it. You’ve got to keep learning, keep refining and keep improving. The moment you stop doing that, the market will move past you.”
