Youth can be seen by some companies as a barrier to progression, so I feel lucky to have never worked for an organisation like that and proud, as a result, to have recently been promoted to be GHE’s youngest ever lettings manager.
My first job as a seventeen-year-old was work experience at GHE. I must have done something right because they asked me to join them on a year-long apprenticeship programme after that, so I jumped at the chance. I loved the job and I was keen to learn as much as I could, soaking up all the wisdom my mentors had to share with me, no matter which department I was in that month. I started at the bottom, so I got to see how every part of the job worked, and years later I know this has made me a better consultant, seeing how every piece of the puzzle fits together to service our landlords and investors.
In case you’re not lucky enough to have visited my hometown, Patras is a beautiful seaside city in western Greece. We’ve got our own castle overlooking the Gulf of Patras, a busy university, which is why the place is always so lively and because it’s traditional (yes I’m sticking to that reason) we love to eat ice cream all year round. Seriously, it’s a weird city-wide tradition, not just in my home. I also blame my obsession with coffee on the silly number of cafes and coffee shops we have on every street and this could also explain my non-stop high energy levels.
The job is something I love, but the journey has not been without its challenges. One recent example of this was when a brand-new client gave us a chance to prove ourselves by giving us an entire block to let for him and we nearly missed out on the opportunity to another agent.
The block was a four-storey, modern, building containing eight apartments – seven two-beds and a penthouse – all finished to a high specification with beautiful solid oak floors and several sporting balconies or terraces. Within just a few days I’d personally found a tenant for one of the flats, but when I called our client he informed me that he’d also had a similar offer from another agent he’d instructed on the same block, for the same apartment. Well, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity to impress fall by the wayside without a fight (professionally speaking), so I persuaded him to give me the day to see what I could do. What I was able to do was to find an additional tenant for a second apartment in the same block, so now we had two offers on the table to counter the other agent’s one. This was enough to tip the balance in our favour. Both of my tenants were given the go-ahead for their respective properties and our client was so happy at our efficiency that he gave me another block on sole agency. The cherry on the cake of this story was that I was able to get one of those apartments under offer within a few days of our being instructed as well. As agents we face challenges each day. Some are small and some could cost you a new client, but my approach is to always look to find a solution that leaves everyone better off (well, maybe not the competition!)
Today I live in Crystal Palace, one of the areas we cover here at GHE, just close enough to the office to be convenient, just far enough out from the centre to be that little bit greener, with its parks and artisan bakeries chock full of sourdough bread and pastries (yum).
I’m a young guy with a passion for the classics. My love of cars led me to my pride and joy, a 1976 left-hand drive Porsche 911 S, which I can’t wait to drive around Europe, along the winding roads of Italy, France and Monaco. I’ve recently rekindled an appetite for Formula One as a client revealed that they work for one of the world’s leading F1 teams. But it’s not all about the road, I also love spending time in the open air – surfing and body boarding off the coast of Portugal and the Algarve, ripping through the woods on my dirt bike or camping on the beach at a music festival, watching the sinking sun turn the sky orange.
Whether at work or play I do what I can to live life to the full, giving my all and, of course, making sure that my clients get my very best every day. So, if you’re a landlord looking for the right team to look after your property assets call me directly or speak to a member of my team. We’re here to get the job done.