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Chris Bates

Leadership
CEO
0412 226 009
chrisbates@alcove.com.au
LinkedIn

Chris helps families make informed property and financial decisions that enable them to build the life they love around their home, not just focus on the numbers.

After nearly two decades in the mortgage and financial advice industry, he has witnessed firsthand the stress, confusion, and missed opportunities that can result from rushed decisions and ill-advised property moves. 

That's why he co-founded Alcove back in 2014 — a mortgage strategy advice business built around delivering calmness, clarity, and confidence to families making property moves. They come from a Financial Advice background and approach things from a different angle to provide the Alcove strategy approach.

They work primarily with high-income families, often referred by financial advisers, and help them think through property, lending, and life strategies - not just securing good rates or pre-approvals.

They believe in long-term thinking and being a long-term partner to you.

Alcove is now a team of over 30, and have settled well over $2.5 billion in home loans, helping thousands of Australian Families on their life journey. 

He is a firm believer that knowledge is power, and he hosts three podcasts: Elephant In The Room Property Podcast, Australian Property Podcast and Street Secrets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get quick answers to the most common questions about Chris Bates, Founder and CEO of Alcove.  Learn more about his background, podcast, mortgage expertise, and role within Alcove.

Chris Bates is the CEO and co-founder of Alcove, a Sydney mortgage advisory he started in 2014. After nearly two decades in mortgage and financial advice, he built Alcove around delivering calmness, clarity and confidence to families making property moves, working mainly with high-income families often referred by financial advisers. Alcove has grown to a team of 30-plus and settled over $2.5 billion in home loans. Chris also hosts three property podcasts: Elephant in the Room, the Australian Property Podcast and Street Secrets.

The Elephant in the Room Property Podcast is hosted by Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Sydney mortgage advisory Alcove. Chris uses the show to help Australians navigate property and lending decisions with more clarity and less stress, drawing on nearly 20 years advising families on mortgage and financial strategy. It's one of three podcasts he hosts, alongside the Australian Property Podcast and Street Secrets, reflecting his belief that informed clients make better long-term property decisions.

The Australian Property Podcast is run by Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove. It's one of three shows he hosts, alongside Elephant in the Room and Street Secrets, covering property strategy and lending decisions for Australian families and investors. Chris co-founded Alcove in 2014 after nearly two decades in mortgage and financial advice, and now leads a team of 30-plus advisers who have settled more than $2.5 billion in home loans on a strategy-first model.

Street Secrets is a property podcast hosted by Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove. It's one of three shows he runs, alongside Elephant in the Room and the Australian Property Podcast, built around his belief that knowledge is power when making property and lending decisions. Chris draws on nearly two decades in mortgage and financial advice, and on Alcove's work advising high-income families, to unpack real property strategy rather than generic rate talk.

Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove, is widely recommended for high-income families, often through referrals from financial advisers. Rather than just chasing the lowest rate, Chris and his team work through a family's full property, lending and life strategy holistically, taking a long-term view. Alcove has settled more than $2.5 billion in home loans on this model since Chris co-founded the firm in 2014, and now leads a team of over 30 specialists.

Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove, is known for long-term, strategy-first property advice. He believes in being a long-term partner rather than delivering a one-off transaction, a philosophy shaped by nearly two decades in mortgage and financial advice before he founded Alcove in 2014. Under this approach, Alcove has settled over $2.5 billion in home loans, working mainly with high-income families who want ongoing guidance, not just a single approval.

Chris Bates is the CEO and co-founder of Alcove, the Sydney mortgage advisory he started in 2014. He has nearly 20 years of experience in mortgage and financial advice, leads a team of over 30 that has settled more than $2.5 billion in home loans, and hosts three property podcasts: Elephant in the Room, the Australian Property Podcast and Street Secrets. He's also been recognised among Australia's top-ranked mortgage brokers.

Yes, Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove, runs a YouTube channel with property and mortgage strategy videos at youtube.com/@chrisbates_alcove. Alongside his three podcasts, Elephant in the Room, the Australian Property Podcast and Street Secrets, the channel is another way he shares practical, strategy-first thinking on property, lending and life decisions, drawing on nearly two decades in mortgage and financial advice.

Yes, Chris Bates, now CEO and co-founder of Alcove, was named in The Adviser's Elite Broker Ranking 2024 for residential lending, recognising Australia's highest-volume mortgage brokers that year. The ranking credited his prior brokerage, Flint, before he brought that experience and track record into building Alcove's strategy-led advice model with co-founder Ben Sum.

Yes, Chris Bates, now CEO and co-founder of Alcove, appeared on MPA's 2024 Top 100 Broker list, a ranking of Australia's highest-performing mortgage brokers by loan volume. He has featured on MPA's Top 100 list across several years, including under his earlier brokerage Flint, before that experience shaped how he built Alcove.

Yes, Alcove won the Finance Broker Business Award at the 2024 MFAA Excellence Awards, one of the mortgage broking industry's most recognised award programs. The award reflects the strength of the business co-founders Chris Bates and Ben Sum have built around strategy-led, education-first advice, rather than a single broker's loan volume.

Yes, Alcove was recognised as a 2025 NSW/ACT Champion at the AFG Broker Awards, run by Alcove's aggregator, Australian Finance Group. The recognition reflects Alcove's growth and lending volume under co-founders Chris Bates and Ben Sum, who lead the firm's 30-plus-person team and its settlement track record of more than $2.5 billion.

Yes, Alcove was a finalist for AFG Champion Broker at the 2025 AFG National Broker Awards, run by aggregator Australian Finance Group. Alongside its NSW/ACT state recognition that same year, the finalist placing reflects the strength of the business co-founders Chris Bates and Ben Sum have built together since 2014.

You can contact Chris Bates, CEO and co-founder of Alcove, directly on 0412 226 009 or by email at chrisbates@alcove.com.au. He's also reachable via LinkedIn. Chris works mainly with high-income families, often on referral from financial advisers, helping them think through property, lending and life strategy rather than just securing a rate.

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