Andrew Lutze: Going from rugby and rap to real estate, and why it pays to be bold when bidding

Growing up in a sports-mad family left its mark on Cunninghams director and chief auctioneer Andrew Lutze. Though one too many on-field black eyes led him to hang up his rugby boots, he still loves barracking for his beloved Waratahs – especially when they go up against his brothers’ team.

Were you born and bred on the northern beaches?

I was actually born in the United States. I moved to Australia when I was one. My father was in the navy and my mother is from the States. She’s a classic southern woman. She was head cheerleader on the university team in Pensacola, Florida, where my dad was stationed.

So they flitted between Australia and the US?

They had my older brothers and sister in Australia, then moved back to the States, where they had me. When they returned to Australia again, dad got out of the navy and started up his own aeronautical engineering business in Canberra with his best friend. We moved to the northern beaches early-1990s.

Tell us more about your early years

We were always a big sporting family – tennis, cricket, golf. Rugby is a huge passion of mine. My two brothers support the Brumbies. I barrack for the Waratahs.

After I finished year 12 at St Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill, I did a gap year in Ireland, playing rugby for a local county team.

How did you end up in real estate?

When I came back to Australia a mate was working in real estate. I thought it sounded awesome. The only catch was I would have to give away Saturday rugby. I started playing night games but gave it up because of the injuries. You don’t look like a trustworthy real estate agent with black eyes.

I started at Cunninghams in 2002. Back then there were only 12 staff, now there are nearly 90.

What’s your most memorable sale?

We sold 4 Castle Circuit Close, Seaforth just as the market was cooling in late 2017. We spent about $80,000 on renovations. You don’t want to overcapitalise but I wanted it to appeal to the most amount of people. It was valued at about $2.7 million and it sold for over $3.2 million.

How did you come to do auctioneering too?

(Managing director) John Cunningham threw me into auctioneering when I was about 21 because he’d heard about my music background. I played the drums for 15 years and I was MC’ing in nightclubs, rapping over DJ music. It was a scene at the time.

Any advice for bidders at auction?

I find that people who are bolder, who can intimidate other bidders, can make them stop sooner.

Coming in at the 11th hour and not stopping once you do start is a good trick but when we’re in a shifting market, sometimes these strategies can work against you because you might end up paying more than you need to.

Where can we find you when you’re not at work?

My wife, Shae, and I have been married for seven years. Our son Jake is in his final year of preschool. He’s a little terror at the moment. Shae is a big surfer. We’ve got a little beach house at Culburra on the south coast. We get down there at least once a month.

I love snowboarding, too. We go to Thredbo and try to get an overseas snow trip once a year. I’ve still got that travel bug.