Three years ago, real estate agent Matthew Doyle went on a listing appointment for a loft overlooking Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta.
Doyle immediately felt at home. And he had an idea.
"I made the seller an offer," he told Homes.com. "I ended up buying it and not listing it."
Doyle, a South Florida native and co-founder and principal of the Doyle Goodrowe team at Compass, still owns the two-bedroom "industrial chic" condo after immediately taking to the lifestyle it provided.
"It's turnkey living," he said. "In South Florida, there's not too many places you can walk to, but I love the walkability of Midtown. I fell in love with how easy it is to drop my dog off at daycare and walk to the office."
Doyle Goodrowe focuses on luxury lifestyle clients in Atlanta and South Florida. Doyle is also part of Compass' Sports and Entertainment division that works with musicians, athletes and other celebrities. His clients include New York Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who sold his seven-bedroom mansion in Roswell, Georgia, for $4.5 million in March.
Real estate beckoned
Doyle went to the University of Florida to study architecture and design but changed his mind after finding out how much schooling it would require. So he switched to marketing and business, thinking he might go back to architecture at some point. He never did.
"I've always had a passion for real estate from a design angle," he said.
His first job out of college was marketing and selling luxury golf courses, marinas and condos in Florida for luxury homebuilder WCI Communities. After the Bonita Springs, Florida-based builder filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 during the nation's housing crisis, Doyle went back to school for a master's degree and later moved to Atlanta for a job as vice president of marketing for the AmericasMart design center.
In 2016, he broke into real estate with business partner David Goodrowe. Originally with Berkshire Hathaway, the team moved to Compass in 2020.
An established Realtor friend, Noel Axton, helped persuade Doyle to make the transition to residential sales.
"He pushed me into real estate and said I have every skill to be successful," Doyle recalled. "Unfortunately, he passed away four or five years ago. I'm very spiritual, and every time there's a big moment in my career, I definitely feel him there with me."
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are your hobbies?
I have a 12-year-old Goldendoodle, Griffin. He's a big boy. He's my right-hand man. He likes going to get coffee with me in the mornings. I'm also a pickleball player. It's addictive.
What's your favorite part of your home and why?
On my couch with my dog after work, watching TV. I have an exposed brick wall where my TV is. When the light hits the bricks, it has a soothing effect.
What would you change about your home and why?
I would love a two-story loft overlooking Piedmont Park, but those don't exist.
What's the most bizarre thing that has happened to you on the job?
We show a lot of new construction, and sometimes the plumbing is not turned on. When people go to the bathroom, they have to figure out what to do with what's in the toilet. I am a roll-up-my-sleeves kind of guy, but that's not one of those times.
