Award-winning real estate professional Sam Rigopoulos is Director and Auctioneer for Jellis Craig Northcote, one of the fastest growing agencies in the local area.

Sam’s genuine, hard-working approach and outstanding record of sales success have played a pivotal role in positioning Jellis Craig Northcote as unrivalled property leaders.

Sam is known for consistently providing a world-class property sales experience, complemented by expert negotiation and auction skills. 

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Sam Rigopoulos won REIV’s 2018 Residential Salesperson of the Year (Executives) award. Source: Sam Rigopoulos

WILLIAMS MEDIA spoke to Sam Rigopoulos about the impact of COVID-19 and the outlook for prestige property during the remainder of 2020.

What are your predictions for the 2020 luxury market in your area?

Just before the COVID pandemic announcement we saw a major spike in activity and interest from buyers and sellers alike, eager to transact at the premium end of the inner northern market. COVID has led to many holding off on speculative plays, however buyer demand has remained consistent. A lack of supply is driving strong demand and I feel very confident that once we see stock flowing again some extraordinary results will follow.

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What changes have you noticed with the easing of restrictions in the last few weeks?

Not a lot to be fair, it’s winter so very little seasonal sales activity compounds the COVID restrictions and stock levels remain an issue for buyers. The buyer pool has remained consistent and our ability to sell homes with or without restrictions hasn’t really impacted the outcome of the sale price for vendors.

What advice you would give to vendors for the best outcome?

Supply and demand are in your favour, consider or seek advice as to how your home would perform in this environment. In my view, the advice would/should alter based on whether clients were upsizing, downsizing or needing to buy another home etc, versus working on a single transaction of a sale-only scenario.

Further to this, price your home to today’s buyers, not yesterday’s, and be open to early offers as the media can swing the stable sentiment in a flash. We could very well have some interesting months ahead to navigate and today’s offer may seem a blessing in retrospect.

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What advice do you give buyers?

Don’t wait to pick the bottom of the market, you will most likely only recognise it when it is too late. If you are buying a family home, buy it based on your life’s plans and requirements, not purely based on price.

That said, it’s the best time to stretch to possibly get more by way of home or suburb/location than you thought possible.

The gap for upsizing is about as narrow as we have seen - these windows don’t stay open for long.

What are your vendors saying?

Can we sell off market? Do you have a buyer now? What price can I expect?

I think in the main they want to know that we can secure a result for them before the market is impacted further by the current pandemic. In most cases we have been able to help.

Are the buyers changing?

Demand from expats, particularly from NY, London, and the UAE, looking to buy family homes is steadily increasing and we are adapting our marketing strategies to tap into this buyer segment.

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Team dinner. Source: Sam Rigopoulos

What are your hobbies/interests outside of real estate?

If wining and dining is a hobby, consider it mine... My greatest passion outside of work is entertaining family and friends. I love good food and good wine - nothing makes me happier than seeing those closest to me laughing and living it up over a meal... enjoying a long lunch or dinner at home or in any one of the many lovely settings this country offers us is what it’s about for me. 

What is one thing you have learned over your years as a luxury agent?

People don’t buy the bricks and mortar, they buy how it makes them feel. Taking time to build quality relationships and really understand your clients will help you create the environment for the best deals to come together. It’s always all about people and emotions.

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