Six years in, Matt Spooner has built Buyers Market into one of the country's most respected buyer's agencies, and he's only just getting started. With a background in mortgage broking and a career shaped by high-pressure leadership, including a senior role as Director of Lifesaving & Education for Surf Life Saving Sydney, Matt founded the business on a simple conviction: consumers deserved better. Those formative years running large teams under real-world stakes now underpin the culture he's built: a business grounded in extreme ownership, fierce loyalty, and a deep belief in developing people.
A finalist at this year's Australian Buyers Agent Awards, Matt is as passionate about lifting the standard of the profession as he is about winning for his clients, and few things give him more satisfaction than watching his agents grow into industry leaders in their own right. In this Q&A, he shares the journey that shaped him, the principles driving his team, and where he's taking Buyers Market next.
1. How did you start down this career path?
I worked as a Mortgage Broker for around five years before starting Buyers Market, with a background in sales before that. Like most people early in their career, I had a few different iterations of what I wanted professionally. I actually tried to complete a Law degree at one point, with ambitions of being a barrister, but I wasn't ready for university at the time.
During my brokering years, I was heavily involved at a senior level in Surf Life Saving, finishing my time with the organisation as the Director of Lifesaving & Education for Sydney Branch. My most enjoyable role was leading the Support Operations group, a highly trained, specialised team that handles complex rescue scenarios and large-scale public safety operations. I was involved in the policy management and implementation of COVID-19 strategies across Sydney's beaches, and dealt with everything from shark attacks, mass rescues & to the response to the 2019 bushfires. That gave me very early, very real experience in managing large teams, significant budgets, and high-pressure scenarios under time constraints. I also had the privilege of training at least 15 bronze medallion cohorts, and assessing many more. I loved it, and only stepped back as work got busier.
I think all of those experiences shaped who I am today, and they equipped me extremely well for what I do now.
2. What inspires you in your role and industry?
Initially, I was inspired to become a Buyers Agent because I genuinely believed consumers deserved better. That belief has never left me, and six years in, I can say the learning curve has been steep in the best possible way.
I'm driven to demonstrate what best-in-class actually looks like in this industry. Not in a way that's self-serving, but in a way that raises the standard for everyone, better outcomes for consumers and a higher baseline for Buyers Agents across the board.
I'm also privileged to lead a large team now, and my belief in the power of people is one of my strongest principles. I love the competitive side of this work, and few things energise me more than a complex negotiation, but nothing comes close to watching my team develop, win, and deliver a great outcome for a client using skills I've had a hand in building. That never gets old.
3. What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?
I'll acknowledge the bias upfront, but I genuinely believe our approach, standards, and commitment are without peer. It has taken time to build and refine, and like any business, we make mistakes. But we believe in extreme ownership, and every single one of my agents will go the extra mile for a client. That's not rhetoric, it's the baseline we hold ourselves to.
I also think a large part of what separates us is how we negotiate. I see clients regularly who have met with other agencies, and there's often some re-education required around what actually matters in a Buyers Agent. It isn't just about off-market access, though that matters, It's about fighting hard for your client at every step of the process. When you do that consistently, clients notice. And they come back.
4. How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?
I'm unashamedly obsessed with this craft. I don't clock in and out, it's a lifestyle, and with that comes a responsibility to keep moving forward.
I'm a continuous student. I consume educational content constantly, I'm currently deep in AI study and working through detailed implementation plans for the business, and I'm always reviewing and refining our processes internally. The discipline isn't finding new things to learn, it's making sure that what worked six months ago is still the right approach today.
Something that genuinely surprises and concerns me is how little the broader industry caters specifically to Buyers Agents, particularly from a training and development perspective. Our CPD requirements and ongoing obligations are largely irrelevant to what we actually do, or worse, they're focused entirely on the selling side of the industry or even property management. Even the coaching and training content available through external providers follows the same pattern, it's all sales-oriented. There is a real gap, and it's not a small one.
That's part of why we're building an internal AI-powered training platform to upskill and develop our agents, with content and tools built specifically for buyers agency practice, not repurposed from the sales world. I think that's where the real edge is, and frankly, I'm surprised more businesses in our space aren't talking about it.
In this industry, knowledge is power. And those who innovate will be well ahead of those who don't. The difference is, where that gap might have been manageable a few years ago, the pace of change means it won't be survivable for much longer. That keeps me focused.
5. What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
I'd consider myself an all-rounder as a business owner, but my strong suit has always been being an agent, the sales side, the negotiation, the deal. I enjoy it, I'm good at it, and it energises me.
The challenge that came with that is one many founders with similar traits will recognise. When you decide to grow a business, letting go is hard. For too long, I held on to too much. It created inefficiencies and put me at genuine risk of burnout.
I also made some of the classic expansion mistakes. Big office, high overheads, a pressure to fill seats. That last one is a dangerous path. One of the things I'm most grateful for is the fiercely loyal team members who have been with me from the beginning. When I pushed for growth at the wrong time, they counselled caution. When I moved to fill roles, they quickly rejected anyone who didn't align with our values. That instinct has protected us on a few occasions. I'm grateful to my team for having my back.
The honest answer is this: balancing the growing pains of a scaling business with the drive to still be a top agent, while building the systems to deliver on both. We've come a long way. I'm proud of everyone on this team, and without them we wouldn't be here.
6. What are some of your goals for the next five years?
I make no secret of the fact that I'm focused on growth, and that being the top agent in the country is a goal. But there's no artificial urgency on it. Right now, my focus is simple, doing the best possible job for my clients, and training, mentoring and coaching my agents to be the best in the industry. I think we're already producing some of the best agents out there.
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting on the sidelines and watching my longest-serving team member, who is also one of my closest mates, buy his first home three years after joining Buyers Market from a standing start. To see someone build a life for himself through skills developed here is worth more than any personal accolade.
So for the next five years, more of that. That's the goal.