Sydney’s Inner West’s top real estate rookies: the best agents with less than five years experience

From a former professional soccer player to a young agent who set a suburb’s record sale price, these are the up-and-coming superstars of the Inner West’s competitive real estate world. Meet the 10 top rookies.

These are the ambitious young real estate agents — all with less than five years experience — who are quickly making their mark in the Inner West’s competitive real estate market.

From a young agent who managed to set a record sale price in Tempe to a former professional soccer player who has just entered the world of real estate, each of these real estate pros have a different reason why the love their job.

Find out how ten of the Inner West’s most successful real estate upstarts are already shaking up Sydney’s property market.

Michael Pizzata – Raine & Horne

Michael Pizzata.

Michael Pizzata has been working in real estate for just under three years — his first job was as a receptionist but he soon became hooked on sales.

“For me, putting a deal together is more exciting than receiving a pay cheque,” Mr Pizzata said.

“I absolutely love the art of negotiating and the fact that every single deal has its hurdles and fulfilment. I also love being able to achieve my goals. Real estate is all about mentality, which translates into success.”

Last year, Mr Pizzata was the lead agent at Raine & Horne Marrickville, having secured 35 separate sales.

One of his most rewarding sales was a heritage home in Tempe — he managed to secure a three million dollar sale price which set a record for the suburb.

Nicholas Aster – Hudson McHugh

Nicholas Aster.

Nicholas Aster has been working as a real estate agent in the Inner West for just over two years.

He chose the profession because he loves meeting people and getting to know a local community.

“I love how no two days are ever the same … (and) I love building a presence in the local community,” he said about his career.

“I love that I have an opportunity to represent people in their campaigns and strive to achieve the best outcome for them.”

Mr Aster said the sale he was most proud of was a Marrickville Rd property, which was his first self sourced and self run campaign.

“(The) whole process was so exciting,” he said. “It gave me a real buzz to represent my vendor and lead the campaign to a successful outcome.”

Antony Golec – Richard Matthews Strathfield

Antony Golec.

Once a professional soccer player, Antony Golec started working as a real estate agent only eight months ago.

Mr Golec, who works primarily in Leichhardt and Haberfield, said he loved the people-orientated nature of his new career.

“(I love) meeting new people,” he said. “The people we meet come from all walks of life and different parts of the world — each of them has a unique and fascinating story to tell.”

He told The Inner West Courier there wasn’t one particular deal or sale which stood out for him.

“I’m proud of all my sales,” he said. “Irrespective of the outcome whether it sold prior, at auction or after auction, I gave everything and went above and beyond for my clients to achieve the best possible result.”

Jordan Dias — Harris Tripp

Jordan Dias.

Real estate is in Jordan Dias’ blood. His uncle, Ric Serrao, was a real estate agent who mentored him at a young age.

He followed in his uncle’s footsteps and started his career with Harris Tripp three years ago.

In the last 12 months, Mr Dias has completed 30 sales as the lead agent and 44 sales as the secondary agent. He has also closed 16 off-market transactions.

His highest sale was a property on Australia St, Camperdown, which sold for $6.3 million.

Henry Archee – Hudson McHugh

Henry Archee.

Henry Archee has worked as a real estate agent in the Inner West for just over 18 months, covering the suburbs of Petersham, Lewisham, Marrickville and Dulwich Hill.

“I decided to work in real estate to build a career for myself,” he said. “Coming from the hospitality and arts industry, the transition felt seamless as a lot of the skills are transferable.”

Mr Archee said he loved working in the area where he grew up because he was always seeing familiar faces while out on the job.

“(I also) love that everyday can be different, whether it may be the people you speak with, the properties you visit or the tasks you may be given on any given day of the week,” he said.

Norman Tran — Adrian William Real Estate

Norman Tran.

Norman Tran has been working as a real estate agent for just over a year, mainly covering Newtown, Marrickville and Dulwich Hill.

One of his proudest sales was a Summer Hill home which failed to sell the first time, but after he took over as its agent sold for $1.86 million after 21 days on the market.

“I enjoy the daily challenges, whether it’s negotiating the best price for my vendors or assisting buyers with how to best approach a purchase,” he said about his job.

“It’s a really gratifying feeling when you facilitate a purchase or sale for a buyer or seller and you can see how much it means to them for the next stage of their life. The purchase or sale of property carries huge weight and is not something that happens frequently for most people, so it’s always a special feeling to be able to guide someone through it all.”

Jessica Loh – Devine Real Estate

Jessica Loh.

Jessica Loh sells property throughout the Inner West but specialises in Concord and its surrounding suburbs.

Despite having only worked as a real estate agent for three years, Ms Loh said she was exposed to it from a young age because her parents were always keeping an eye on the property market and took her to many open home inspections as a child.

One sale which stood out for her was a house on Regatta Way, Cabarita.

“When I first started as a sales agent three years ago, I doorknocked this house and … kept in touch with the owner,” she said.

“When they were ready to sell they came to me and I managed to sell it off-market after one inspection. It ended up being one of my biggest sales to date.”

Johnny Botsis – Hudson McHugh

Johnny Botsis.

For Johnny Botsis, a love of real estate runs in the blood. Even though he has only been working at Hudson McHugh for two and a half years, his mother has been working in real estate for around two decades.

Mr Botsis said he loved working in real estate because it was a career where you are rewarded for your hard work and effort.

“I’ve always been a people person and I love being able to speak and meet new people on a day-to-day basis whilst helping them at the same time,” he said. “I also love that this role is constantly changing — no two days are the same.”

One of his most memorable sales was 85 Prospect Rd, Summer Hill.

“We had over 500 people through this property over the four-week campaign,” he said.

“This was one of those homes where if it came up for sale, you would want to go through and view it. The history behind it and overall grandness of it was amazing. We had people come from all over Sydney to inspect the home. We even had people come and inspect to know more about the man who built and designed it. It was that historic and I feel really honoured to be a part of that sale.”

Marcelo Araujo — Ray White

Marcelo Araujo.

Marcelo Araujo grew up in the Sao Paulo countryside and spent several years travelling to over 70 different countries, before finally putting down roots in Sydney.

For three years now he has worked as real estate agent for Ray White Inner West, specialising in Newtown.

Mr Araujo said he was drawn to the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the real estate industry.

“I take pride in all successful transactions, whether they involve helping a first-time homebuyer find their perfect starter home, negotiating a favourable deal for a client, or successfully marketing and selling a challenging property,” he said.

“The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from successfully helping clients achieve their real estate goals is often one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.”

Joseph Fenech – Hudson McHugh

Joseph Fenech.

After first working as a cleaner for his father’s company, Joseph Fenech decided to make the switch to real estate and hasn’t looked back.

He grew up in Leichhardt and now specialises in selling units there.

“Working mainly with units nothing beats the feeling of helping a young couple find their first ever home,” he said.

“Being a part of one of their biggest milestones in the property ladder puts a smile on my face.”