Jamie Giokaris is a familiar face to locals, especially those who have bought, sold or leased homes in the region over the last 30 years.
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Mr Giokaris; who grew up locally, joined the Lithgow 'LJ Hooker' branch in 1993 after graduating from the University of Western Sydney.
In the decades spanning his career, Mr Giokaris has surpassed more than 3,000 home sales, been a partner of LJ Hooker and become sole Principal of the business.
According to Mr Giokaris, he "fell into" real estate while studying at university, and started his long career with LJ Hooker.
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"I did a Bachelor of Business in Land economy, then I found myself back home," Mr Giokaris said.
"I came back after I finished uni and was fortunate enough to have a job offer with LJ Hooker and been here ever since."
According to Mr Giokaris, Lithgow's housing value and the technology real estate agents use look completely different compared to when he first started his career.
"Back then [1993], the values were more like 30 or 40,000 [dollars], rather than 300 or 400,000 [dollars]. So, the values have changed by about 10 times in that time," Mr Giokaris said.
"One of the biggest changes have been technological changes. Anyone that's been in the same job for 30 years will tell you all about computers and emails, as well as faxes being phased out."
Mr Giokaris said that during the early days of his career, he would use a citizens band (CB) radio to communicate with agents outside of the office.
According to Mr Giokaris, It has come as a surprise to that he has reached the milestone of selling over 3,000 homes during his time, but he couldn't have done it without those closest to him.
"The sales you make are not something you sit back and count. That milestone crept up on me a little bit when I was contacted by the office," Mr Giokaris said.
"It really comes back to support of my family, friends, loyal clients and my team that I have behind me,because we're not a one man team.
"It's the loyal staff and people who've been in a support role through the business over the years."
Mr Giokaris said one of the things he finds special about being in real estate for 30 years is meeting mutiple generations of local families who are purchasing homes.
"There's locals that in some cases on you know, selling their property for them for the fourth, fifth or sixth time or rather, I've begun selling homes to their children or their grandchildren in some cases now," Mr Giokaris said.
"Their children were in their arms and now their children are out buying their own home.
"It's pretty satisfying when you can see the whole generational cycle, come back to a real estate."
Mr Giokaris said he is grateful to be able to still call himself a real estate agent after 30 years and is appreciative of the support he has received.
"It feels like a short ride, but 30 years is a long time in any job and i'm certainly still enjoying it," Mr Giokaris said.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
