Alex began his career in real estate while attending the University of Texas at Austin.
While obtaining his bachelors degree in Geography/ Urban and Regional Analysis with minors in Government and Real Estate, he also began working toward obtaining his real estate license.

After receiving his license in 1999 he worked for Ely Properties, a UT area property management firm where he leased and sold residential property in the Central Austin area. During that time he began investing in real estate, buying and remodeling houses.

After graduation, Alex moved to Dallas and went to work for Mohr Partners, an international corporate tenant representation firm. During his time there he worked as a business development associate to generate new local and national accounts. He was also asked to focus his efforts on heading the group representing call center clientele in everything from site selection, demographics, economic development, and brokerage.

Alex moved to Denton in 2002 and joined Scott Brown Properties at a time of economic uncertainty following 9/11 and was able to make an immediate impact in the commercial division assisting in leasing and sales of the commercial property managed by the firm. In 2003, Alex and Scott made the decision to form Scott Brown Commercial, a full service commercial real estate brokerage firm based in the Denton area. In one year, the firm grew from 2 agents to over 10 agents and staff and quickly became the largest commercial real estate firm in the county. In addition to recruiting, Alex continued to work on leasing office, retail and industrial projects for the firm.
 
In 2007, Alex Payne decided to form Axis Realty Group. Their focus on project leasing and development consulting for professional office and medical office as well as industrial/flex projects has distinguished them from their competitors in the market.  

In 2005, Alex began focusing some of his time on small development/ redevelopment projects in the downtown Denton/ UNT area. Along with investment partners, he manages the design, construction, and leasing of mixed use projects in downtown Denton. The complete remodel of what was known as the Courtyard Café into what is now a multi-tenant mix of retail and restaurant space known as the Hickory Courtyard which includes Burgundy Steak and Seafood and D’Vine Wine, won an award for the Best Economic Development Project in the city of Denton in 2006. He was also involved in a project on the square which brought tenants Bath Junkie, The Boiler Room, and The Abbey Inn. His passion for downtown is evidenced in the quality projects of which he has been a part and will continue to be.  

Alex has focused on his business in addition to becoming an active member in the community. He is a member of the North Texas Commercial Association of REALTORS, The Denton Chamber of Commerce, Argyle Chamber of Commerce, the Aubrey Area Chamber of Commerce, Denton Economic Development Partnership, The Urban Land Institute, Class of 2004-2005 Leadership Denton, the Downtown Development Taskforce, chairs the Allies Committee for Denton Economic Development, and is involved with the Argyle EDC.