Tony O’Doherty made an admission at AREC 2025 that hit home for most.
“I was absolutely obsessed. Obsessed,” he told delegates, reflecting on the early years of building one of Australia’s most successful real estate businesses from scratch.
“The way I was working, what I expected of myself and my team — it wasn’t sustainable. I was willing to sacrifice absolutely everything to get to where I am.”
But that obsession taught him something most agents never figure out: the maths behind buyer relationships.
A simple 30:1 ratio that transforms every property viewing into a future business opportunity — and flips the typical listing-first mindset on its head.
The 30-to-1 Formula
While most agents chase listings, Tony discovered he was sitting on a goldmine every time he opened a property door.
“If you have a listing, that’s a vendor. If you’re in a market like mine, you need 30 buyers for that property. That’s 30 future potential vendors and most likely two or three current vendors,” he explained.
This wasn’t theoretical. The strategy delivered concrete results during his obsessive early years.
“Half of my listings at the start, most of my listings at the start, in the first couple of years, were people I had positive impact on as their own buyers,” Tony revealed.
The approach requires a fundamental shift from transaction thinking to relationship investment. Instead of viewing buyers as obstacles to finding the “right” purchaser, Tony treats each buyer as a future listing opportunity.
The Service Revolution
Tony’s buyer-centric philosophy challenges everything agents are taught about closing deals.
“I don’t believe our job is to sell something to somebody that doesn’t want to buy it. Our job is to find multiple people that want to buy it and make them compete to pay the most,” he said.
When a property doesn’t suit a buyer, Tony leverages his product knowledge to suggest alternatives. The approach demonstrates expertise while building trust for future opportunities.
“I just want to help and if you just want to help people they’ll feel as though you can help them,” he explained, referencing his goal of having clients speak positively about him at neighbourhood barbecues.
The Authenticity Advantage
Tony’s success stems from understanding that energy trumps experience in buyer relationships.
“Energy is infectious. So if you can get in front of a client, a potential client, you can out-energise that. You don’t need to have a hundred sales behind you, you just need one, and you need that one to turn into another.”
This philosophy served him well as an immigrant with no real estate background entering established markets. His competitive advantage wasn’t connections or qualifications—it was outworking everyone else through genuine service.
His obsessive approach came with costs he’s now honest about. His early success required sacrificing “absolutely everything” and expecting the same from his team.
The realisation that his approach “wasn’t sustainable over time” led to conscious changes. He now limits listing presentations to three days per week instead of six, focusing on working smarter rather than longer.
“I want longevity and I want to live and I want to enjoy the journey as well,” he admitted. “When I was at my very best I wasn’t enjoying it as much because I was obsessed.”
As Tony’s business grew, maintaining buyer relationships required systematic approaches. His team uses WhatsApp extensively and follows a principle of providing information before clients need it.
“We have this kind of belief that if we can give them the information before they need it, they’ll always assume that we’re going to cross everything,” he explained.
Tony’s buyer relationship formula offers practical lessons for sustainable success. Think long-term, viewing every buyer interaction as potential future business.
Provide genuine service focused on helping buyers find suitable properties rather than forcing inappropriate sales. Leverage product knowledge to suggest alternatives when properties don’t suit buyers, demonstrating ongoing value.
Most importantly, develop systematic communication approaches that keep you connected with buyers who become part of your market area.
The warning embedded in Tony’s success story is clear: obsession might build a business, but sustainability requires balance. His buyer-focused approach offers a path to both—creating compound growth through genuine relationships while maintaining the energy needed for long-term success.
“If you’re not looking after your buyers,” Tony warned delegates, “somebody else will be.”
