At 7:30 a.m. Oren Alexander's bed transforms into an office.

There the 25-year-old real estate broker for Prudential Douglas Elliman checks on new listings and recent closing, reads the Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, and fields emails and telephone calls that will determine his day.

Alexander, a young hotshot who recently sold the most expensive mansion in Miami, works purely off commission, so his day needs to start early and he must be productive.

He says he meets many of his wealthy clients — whom he likes to call "friends" — by living like they do.

What does that mean, exactly?

He does New Years in St. Barts, goes to the clubs his clients frequent, and dresses like them, too.

Alexander decided early on to focus on the luxury market and not rentals, a risky move that ultimately paid off.

"I knew who I wanted to be and to get there I had to be selling big product," he said. "It's the only way to get recognition. Otherwise, you're just another real estate broker. I didn't want to be another rental broker. It is almost a negative thing to be a broker, almost like being a club promoter. There are so many of them and it's hard to differentiate yourself. I wanted to bring a good reputation to the business and I felt I could only do that on the high end."

Alexander moved from Miami to New York City in 2008, only to be greeted by a dead real estate market.

He was nearly two months behind on rent before he closed his first major deal on a Midtown penthouse for $8.2 million. The deal made news because the market was so desolate at that time. When reporters found out his age, the sale became even more newsworthy.