Victoria’s top 50 real estate agents
The slickest operators in the biz inked more than $100,000,000 worth of deals apiece last year — with one doing a staggering ¾ $1bn of sales. SEE VICTORIA’S TOP 50.
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Victoria’s top real estate agents have been revealed as the state’s high flyers continue to ride a property frenzy despite ominous conditions taking hold.
Jellis Craig Northcote director Sam Rigopoulos has been crowned the number one agent of 2021 in the Real Estate Business Top 50 Victorian Agents report.
The inner-north property don also took out 2020’s top spot in the rankings, which require agents to declare their sales and use number of properties sold, the total dollar volume of properties sold and the average sale value across a 12-month period to determine the best.
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Despite having the biggest years of their careers, real estate’s slickest operators say 2022 will be even larger — despite stalling prices and rising interest rates.
Mr Rigopoulos is Victoria’s deal-making king, selling a chart-topping 182 homes last year with an average sale price of $1.7m to combine for a mega $310,411,350 worth of sales.
Marshall White Stonnington director Marcus Chiminello, ranked No. 3, had by far the highest average sale price at $6.92m and total value — $747,548,349 — from 108 deals done.
MORE: Marshall White Stonnington director Marcus Chiminello is Melbourne’s $200m agent
And Ray White Balwyn director Helen Yan had the second highest total value — at $326,184,288 — with 128 properties sold and an average price of about $2.55m.
Mr Rigopoulos works “every day” when he’s on — but makes sure he’s always got a holiday booked in, having just gotten back from Fiji and planning a European trip for mid-year.
“When I’m on, I’m on. I work seven days a week, and give it 110 per cent when I’m working, but I try to holiday and break every kind of 10 weeks, and have a rest period; reset, recuperate and then go back at it again,” Mr Rigopoulos said.
“Because when you’re on, your clients expect you to be there and available and getting things done for them, so if that means booking Sunday opens on houses, and if that means doing extra appointments during the week, if that means they want me running private inspections, whatever it is, then I’ll do that for them — but then I know I’ve got to rest.”
There are no days off for Ms Yan, either — and she hasn’t had a holiday in a while.
“There’s no secret. Only working hard, and honest, that’s it,” she said.
“It’s very simple. But working very hard. Seven days a week.”
Speaking fluent Mandarin and Cantonese has helped Ms Yan foster relationships and broker deals as her patch of the inner to middle east became a hotspot for Asian migration over the past 12 years since her career in real estate began.
“The language helps a lot because most of the buyers are Asian buyers. The vendors are mostly local but the buyers are 80 per cent Asian, from places like Hong Kong and Malaysia. But for the last year it’s mostly been those living here because borders have been closed.”
She sells everything from units to houses and mega mansions with sale prices topping $7m.
Working seven days a week doesn’t leave much time for family, but Ms Yan says she’s lucky her son and daughter-in-law are understanding and “a big support".
Melbourne’s agent to some of the AFL’s biggest stars, Marshall White Bayside director Matthew Pillios, ranked 9, can see the parallels and is up early training each morning.
“Being in real estate is like being a professional athlete in your industry: it’s about being disciplined, consistent and importantly reliable for your clients and also buyers,” he said.
“The recipe is a really good mix of being authentic, honest and real, combined with knowing the local product and also being able to sell the dream — because ultimately we’re hired by our clients to get the best money possible and I always say to my clients ‘there will be no one else who will sell for a better price’, due to hardwork and salesmanship”.
Mr Rigopoulos sees the sporting nature of the industry, too: “always trying to refine the craft and get better at the game … and I just love that”.
Buxton Ballarat director Mark Nunn and Buxton Highton director Tony Moorfoot were regional Victoria’s entrants.
Mr Nunn credited his team, as all did, but noted it helped he’d “been around for a while”.
Jellis Craig Stonnington director Carla Fetter said condensing campaigns to two weeks helped her agency turnover a huge amount of deals amid the rapid Covid-driven market last year.
Bigger 2022s than the monumental 2021 are shaping up as sellers rush to lock in their share of the massive surge in prices over the past two years as the market stalls.
Victorian top 50 agents achieved an average sale price of $1,580,310 throughout 2021, up from the previous year’s average of $1,079,214.
Each agent in the top 50 inked more than $100,000,000 worth of deals last year.
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