Despite Melbourne’s rolling series of lockdowns, Rohullah Paykari has led his team at LJ Hooker Dandenong to an impressive 205 sales worth $150m during the past year.
Of those sales, 127 transactions, or around $100m, was achieved by Mr Paykari himself.
Even more remarkable is the office has been in operation for just 12 months after opening mid-pandemic in June last year, in the city’s south-east. During this time staff numbers have grown from seven to 13.
“I was a bit nervous, but this is something that I wanted to do and I really believed in myself and thought I’m just going to do it,” Mr Paykari said.
“Despite the pandemic, I knew that people still need to buy and sell houses.
“We just had to adopt a mindset of it being business as usual, we just couldn’t stop because of COVID19. Even though we couldn’t operate as normal, we could still operate, and we just had to keep moving forward.”
Stephen Mutton, Head of Network Performance for LJ Hooker, said it was a phenomenal result for the new office, particularly in light of Melbourne’s successive lockdowns.
“Real estate is in Rohullah’s DNA - he is dedicated, enthusiastic and has really united his team together,” he said.
“Depending on the market, you might expect a new office to achieve between 60 to 80 sales during a normal non-lockdown period. Achieving the sales figures, they have reached after starting from scratch and opening right at the start of lockdown, is amazing.”
With more than 10 years’ experience in real estate, Mr Paykari previously worked at LJ Hooker Hampton Park as a sales agent for seven years before deciding to open his own real estate office under the iconic LJ Hooker banner in his local area.
Most of the new business has been achieved through word-of mouth as well as utilising LJ Hooker’s tools and strategies including digital marketing and social media.
Among his highlights during the past year was the sale of eight townhouses at 72 – 74 Herbert Street, Dandenong, which were snapped up within a month of being launched onto the market.
“LJ Hooker is a strong, family-orientated brand with innovative systems. It’s a well-known and, importantly, trusted brand that is backed by an extensive international network, which will help us provide even greater customer experiences,” Mr Paykari said.
“There are a lot of developments in our area, but the majority of house-hunters are first time buyers, as well as a few upgraders and downsizers. It is really rewarding being able to help people buy their first property.”
