There are just three stars in Amazon Prime Video’s new Luxe Listings Sydney. And the one-hour episodes are barely big enough to contain them.
When it comes to Sydney property, eastern suburbs agent Gavin Rubinstein was a must-have for the producers Kentel and Eureka. He is arguably the highest-profile personality on a show that also boasts the star power of agent D’Leanne Lewis and buyer’s agent Simon Cohen.
Rubinstein was awarded the number one salesperson across NSW for seven consecutive years (2013-2019) based on commission.
After opening his boutique agency TRG Group in partnership with Ray White, Rubinstein gained the number one spot as a selling principal in NSW in 2020 in his first year of business ownership. He was also awarded the number one principal award internationally.
TRG sold more than $350 million worth of property in only its first year of operation.
Ahead of the series launch on July 9, Rubinstein told Mediaweek:
“This is my first time on TV where I am creating my own content and building my personal brand. I always say that the more people that know your name in real estate then the more opportunities will come your way. Although I haven’t done it before I feel very comfortable in front of camera.
“I have been approached multiple times over the years about various opportunities to do a show. This is the first one that really attracted me. The ingredients on every level were there.”
Luxe Listings property gurus Lewis, Cohen and Rubinstein
Auctions are central to the success of a real estate show. Getting people to appear on camera is another layer of conversations agents need to have on auction day.
“Some people don’t want to do it, but others do not mind being part of the series,” said Rubinstein. “For example, we had the highest bidder on for the first auction of the series. Even though it was passed in at auction she ended up buying it and she is a personal friend of mine. You can leverage off the relationships that you build through the industry.
“What I have found after finishing filming this season is people saying, ‘If you ever do a season two I would love to be a part of it.’
“The longer we filmed the easier it was to show people what we are doing and then they wanted to be part of it. It has been challenging, but most things worth doing often are.”
Rubinstein explained they had to forget about filming some great homes because the people involved in the buying and selling didn’t want to appear on camera.
“In Australia a lot of successful people want to be under the radar. Luckily there are also many who want to be involved and a number who were keen to have their property featured. There were more people who were positive about the series than what I had anticipated.”
Rubinstein admitted that he actually had some apprehension about getting involved when Luxe Listings was first pitched to him.
“Having seen what the guys at Eureka have produced, and knowing that James [Kennedy – Kentel founder] and Kyle were involved, we are proud about the finished product. It is frickin’ unbelievable. Sydney has never been portrayed like this before. This will do nothing but good for this city.”
Being able to find fresh housing stock is one of the challenges facing eastern suburbs agents during a period of high demand.
Rubinstein: “I am not here to convince someone they should have to sell if they don’t really want to. I have sacrificed everything over the past 13 to 14 years to build a profile and a reputation to be in a position where I can capitalise on whatever stage the market is at.
“The housing situation is tight. We carry a lot of the stock because we just work harder.”
Finding a house for Luxe Listings co-creator Kyle Sandilands could be Rubinstein’s next challenge. But he has been working with Kyle’s KIIS FM co-host.
“I have worked with Jackie Henderson on her most recent sale and I also represented her on what she purchased. She bought a cracking property. We both questioned the value of the property at the time, but already she has probably made maybe $3m tax free on her new house.”
Rubinstein on the job
Rubinstein said the eastern suburbs real estate industry is riddled with ego. “I compete every day with those people. There are no agents that stick out as significant competitors or people I would spend any time thinking about even briefly during the day.”
As to the chances for a second season of Luxe Listings Sydney, Rubinstein told Mediaweek: “I hope there is one. And a third and a fourth and a fifth.”
Rubinstein’s TRG business has recently acquired a commercial site in Rose Bay and is about to open up its second office.
He has plans for expanding the brand. When asked if it could expand beyond Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Rubinstein told us: “I have major ambitions and there is lots of work to do.”
See also: Inside Luxe Listings Sydney: Amazon Prime Video’s latest Australian Original
Sydney real estate goes global: Kentel and Kyle work with Eureka and property gurus