After almost two decades proudly representing Richardson & Wrench Strathfield, Anthony Sirianni and Fotios “Frank” Macras have accepted the keys to the office.

In a historic changing of the guard for the longstanding Inner West office, former franchise owner Chris Virgona has handed over the reins to Frank and Anthony; two integral members of the successful business for close to 20 years. The succession comes at a significant time for the thriving agency, which opened in Strathfield in early 1986.

Both Frank and Anthony have grand ambitions to grow their existing sales team to reflect the evolving local marketplace.

“Our office covers a huge footprint that incorporates some very large residential markets all the way from Strathfield through to Concord – and beyond. We have plans to expand into these surrounding areas alongside talented people who are looking to join a dynamic team where they can grow with us,” Frank says.

Sirianni and Macras bring a unique perspective to the co-principal roles, given their significant experience in real estate. It’s an approach that allows the business partners to have a thorough understanding of all their clients’ needs.

“When it was time for Chris to make his decision, it had always been his desire that the business would go to someone internally and keep the Richardson & Wrench name going. For both of us, it was really the next natural progression,” Sirianni says. “We've worked together so long that we know how each other operates, and that's just made it a lot easier to make this most recent transition.”

A career-long agent and a life-long inner west resident, Sirianni has been dedicated to real estate throughout his career.

“Straight out of school I got straight into it. In 2001, I began working in property management and I love it,” he says.

Macras began his post-school professional life in real estate and, after trying his hand at several other jobs, landed back in the role he says he was always meant to fill. “My first real estate job was in 2002, also straight out of school. I used to go door knocking, but thought the industry wasn’t for me. I left for a few years and pursued other things, but real estate pulled me back in and the rest is history.”

Their specialised experience means the dynamic duo understands the value of a property management team and just what a vital role both landlords and tenants play in the success of an agency.

“After such a long time in this together, we’ve seen the rent roll grow significantly; it would have been difficult to see it go to anyone else,” Macras adds.

Keeping it in the R&W “family” was also important to the pair, with Sirianni saying that joining another franchise group or branching out independently wasn’t an option.

“For us, it really comes down to the reputation. R&W has been around for more than 160 years and it feels like a special community” he says.

“They work with you, they don’t try to work you. They’re there to help you grow at your own pace as a business and that was really important to us,” Macras adds.

Andrew Cocks, Group Managing Director of Richardson & Wrench, says the handover of the Strathfield office to both Sirianni and Macras is testament to the team’s bond, which Virgona had built up over the decades. “It’s fantastic to see Anthony and Frank step up as co-principals and continue to build on the amazing team Chris has created over the years. I’m excited to see how the pair will grow R&W’s presence in Sydney’s Inner West in years to come,” he says.

Richardson & Wrench Strathfield is located at 30-34 Churchill Ave and services the suburbs of Strathfield, Homebush, Homebush West, Concord West, North Strathfield, Homebush South, Strathfield West and surrounds.

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