diff --git a/octodns/provider/route53.py b/octodns/provider/route53.py
index 5c942f6..7291a6b 100644
--- a/octodns/provider/route53.py
+++ b/octodns/provider/route53.py
@@ -235,6 +235,35 @@ class _Route53GeoRecord(_Route53Record):
                                                           self.values)
 
 
+_mod_keyer_action_order = {
+    'DELETE': '0',  # Delete things first
+    'CREATE': '1',  # Then Create things
+    'UPSERT': '2',  # Upsert things last
+}
+
+
+def _mod_keyer(mod):
+    rrset = mod['ResourceRecordSet']
+    action_order = _mod_keyer_action_order[mod['Action']]
+
+    # We're sorting by 3 "columns", the action, the rrset type, and finally the
+    # name/id of the rrset
+
+    if rrset.get('GeoLocation', False):
+        return '{}3{}'.format(action_order, rrset['SetIdentifier'])
+    elif rrset.get('AliasTarget', False):
+        # We use an alias
+        if rrset.get('Failover', False) == 'SECONDARY':
+            # We're a secondary we'll ref primaries
+            return '{}2{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+        else:
+            # We're a primary we'll ref values
+            return '{}1{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+
+    # We're just a plain value, these come first
+    return '{}0{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+
+
 class Route53Provider(BaseProvider):
     '''
     AWS Route53 Provider
@@ -827,6 +856,11 @@ class Route53Provider(BaseProvider):
             # Generate the mods for this change
             mod_type = getattr(self, '_mod_{}'.format(c.__class__.__name__))
             mods = mod_type(c, zone_id)
+
+            # Order our mods to make sure targets exist before alises point to
+            # them and we CRUD in the desired order
+            mods.sort(key=_mod_keyer)
+
             mods_rs_count = sum(
                 [len(m['ResourceRecordSet']['ResourceRecords']) for m in mods]
             )
diff --git a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
index 7fe8834..1d48891 100644
--- a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
+++ b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from mock import patch
 
 from octodns.record import Create, Delete, Record, Update
 from octodns.provider.route53 import Route53Provider, _Route53GeoDefault, \
-    _Route53GeoRecord, _Route53Record, _octal_replace
+    _Route53GeoRecord, _Route53Record, _mod_keyer, _octal_replace
 from octodns.zone import Zone
 
 from helpers import GeoProvider
@@ -529,23 +529,23 @@ class TestRoute53Provider(TestCase):
                 }, {
                     'Action': 'UPSERT',
                     'ResourceRecordSet': {
-                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': '*'},
+                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': 'US'},
+                        'HealthCheckId': u'43',
                         'Name': 'unit.tests.',
-                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '2.2.3.4'},
-                                            {'Value': '3.2.3.4'}],
-                        'SetIdentifier': 'default',
+                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '5.2.3.4'},
+                                            {'Value': '6.2.3.4'}],
+                        'SetIdentifier': 'NA-US',
                         'TTL': 61,
                         'Type': 'A'
                     }
                 }, {
                     'Action': 'UPSERT',
                     'ResourceRecordSet': {
-                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': 'US'},
-                        'HealthCheckId': u'43',
+                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': '*'},
                         'Name': 'unit.tests.',
-                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '5.2.3.4'},
-                                            {'Value': '6.2.3.4'}],
-                        'SetIdentifier': 'NA-US',
+                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '2.2.3.4'},
+                                            {'Value': '3.2.3.4'}],
+                        'SetIdentifier': 'default',
                         'TTL': 61,
                         'Type': 'A'
                     }
@@ -588,21 +588,21 @@ class TestRoute53Provider(TestCase):
                 'Changes': [{
                     'Action': 'DELETE',
                     'ResourceRecordSet': {
-                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': '*'},
+                        'GeoLocation': {'ContinentCode': 'OC'},
                         'Name': 'simple.unit.tests.',
-                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '1.2.3.4'},
-                                            {'Value': '2.2.3.4'}],
-                        'SetIdentifier': 'default',
+                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '3.2.3.4'},
+                                            {'Value': '4.2.3.4'}],
+                        'SetIdentifier': 'OC',
                         'TTL': 61,
                         'Type': 'A'}
                 }, {
                     'Action': 'DELETE',
                     'ResourceRecordSet': {
-                        'GeoLocation': {'ContinentCode': 'OC'},
+                        'GeoLocation': {'CountryCode': '*'},
                         'Name': 'simple.unit.tests.',
-                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '3.2.3.4'},
-                                            {'Value': '4.2.3.4'}],
-                        'SetIdentifier': 'OC',
+                        'ResourceRecords': [{'Value': '1.2.3.4'},
+                                            {'Value': '2.2.3.4'}],
+                        'SetIdentifier': 'default',
                         'TTL': 61,
                         'Type': 'A'}
                 }, {
@@ -1623,3 +1623,67 @@ class TestRoute53Records(TestCase):
         a.__repr__()
         e.__repr__()
         f.__repr__()
+
+
+class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
+
+    def test_mod_keyer(self):
+
+        # First "column"
+
+        # Deletes come first
+        self.assertEquals('00something', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'DELETE',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'Name': 'something',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # Creates come next
+        self.assertEquals('10another', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'CREATE',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'Name': 'another',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # Then upserts
+        self.assertEquals('20last', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'UPSERT',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'Name': 'last',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # Second "column" value records tested above
+
+        # AliasTarget primary second (to value)
+        self.assertEquals('01thing', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'DELETE',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'AliasTarget': 'some-target',
+                'Failover': 'PRIMARY',
+                'Name': 'thing',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # AliasTarget secondary third
+        self.assertEquals('02thing', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'DELETE',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'AliasTarget': 'some-target',
+                'Failover': 'SECONDARY',
+                'Name': 'thing',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # GeoLocation fourth
+        self.assertEquals('03some-id', _mod_keyer({
+            'Action': 'DELETE',
+            'ResourceRecordSet': {
+                'GeoLocation': 'some-target',
+                'SetIdentifier': 'some-id',
+            }
+        }))
+
+        # The third "column" has already been tested above, Name/SetIdentifier