Facilitating the great Australian dream

After achieving the great Australian dream of homeownership, boutique Sydney developer Shiral Alexander has created a business out of creating that same opportunity for others.

Following his arrival in Australia as an international student in 2006, Mr Alexander earned a Masters degree at the University of Wollongong and set about forging a career in management in large Sydney hospitals.

But in 2013, he realised that if he was to make a greater contribution to his community, and provide a more secure future for his family, he needed to shift his career.

Mr Alexander made the decision to get into property development, focusing on the vacant land sector in Sydney’s rapidly evolving western suburbs.

“I knew in the long-term if I wanted to be financially independent, I needed to step out of the safety net I created for myself,” Mr Alexander said.

“I had a real interest in property as I had already invested in a couple of investment properties.

“I knew I could upskill my knowledge and apply my management skills to property investment and development.”

In early 2014, Impressive Property Development’s launched several small land projects, but it was in mid-2016 that a 26-lot subdivision in the southwest Sydney suburb of Austral sent the company on a rapid growth trajectory.

As of today, Impressive Property Developments has done over $40 million worth of land projects, creating land subdivisions ranging from 25 to 50 lots, while its operations are still squarely focused on the harbour city’s most rapidly evolving areas with more projects coming in the pipeline.

Mr Alexander said his strategy was simple; provide affordable housing close to amenities such as shops, parks, job hubs and major transport routes.

“We aim to provide sustainable, affordable land in growth corridors,” Mr Alexander said.

“It is very important to us that we don’t target the high-end market, we target people who want to get into property, first homebuyers and people who want to invest in property to provide liveable houses for others.

“In the southwest, we sell our house and land packages for $600,000 to $680,000 single storey, which is a very good entry point to the Sydney residential market.

“Sydney’s median price is just over $1 million, so getting into a property at $600,000 to $680,000 is great value.”

Mr Alexander said he targeted Sydney’s western suburbs because of the vast amount of investment being made by the NSW state government to invigorate the area.

NSW’s state government has committed more than $50 billion on infrastructure projects in the city’s west, including the city’s second airport, which will be operational by 2026, the western sydney airport metro line and underground motorway projects such as WestConnex and NorthConnex, new roads designed to funnel heavy traffic away from densely populated suburban areas.

In recent weeks, the NSW government has also increased its commitment to affordable housing, unveiling more than $5 billion worth of additional projects that will result in thousands of new homes being built in Sydney’s western suburbs over the next few years.

Mr Alexander said the rapid evolution of Sydney’s west would facilitate Impressive Property Developments to carry out his vision of providing Australians with the ability to own their own home.

And in the country’s most expensive real estate market, with Sydney having a median land price of more than $450,000, helping others climb the property ladder is both challenging and rewarding.

“I create liveable communities, people build beautiful homes and when I drive past I feel like I am blessed, because I am creating something that families can enjoy and families can live in,” Mr Alexander said.

As well as a home to live in, Mr Alexander is also focused on providing a pathway to property prosperity for others, largely through the sales division of his business, known as Impressive Property Sales.

“Because I came from humble beginnings and I didn’t have much, I created something that I can give to others, so I want to educate buyers and help them build wealth through property.

“I want to create something so that people, when they want to buy a home or an investment property, can understand the things they need to look at, from the development process to the specific areas they need to look at.

“We look at the long-term as well, and find out what people’s plans are and where they want to be in 10 years’ time.

 “Basically, my passion is to increase the supply of affordable land, by targeting first homebuyers and the entry point for people to get into the property market and live in a nice environment, close to amenities in shops, jobs and transport.”