Anton Zhouk: A journey from public housing to selling luxury homes

Anton Zhouk, is a director at Buxton Balwyn

Anton Zhouk was born in the Ukraine, but says he hardly ever touches a drop of vodka and doesn’t dress in folk clothes. He moved to Melbourne with his mother and sister and worked for a local locksmith when he was under age. Anton loves motorsport and can be found piloting his Audi TT around the track at Phillip Island. He specialises in prestige homes and luxury developments.

Why motorsport?

I’ve always loved cars. Even as a little kid, when I watched the original The Fast and the Furious; it’s still my favourite movie. My first car was a Nissan Pulsar. I fitted it with a sports exhaust, a big sub-woofer and a green neon light underneath. I thought it looked great, but in hindsight it was a bit much.

You were born in the Ukraine?

Yes, I moved to Melbourne in 1998, with my mother and sister when I was nine. We initially lived with friends in Footscray, before moving into housing commission in Airlie Street, Elsternwick. It was a five-storey apartment block and we lived on level three. I didn’t think anything about it. It was just a normal childhood for me. I had a lot of friends there. Ruslan Kogan [CEO of kogan.com] lived in the same complex, but in a different building. He was a bit older than me.

Did growing up in public housing influence your life?

It taught me resilience and humility. I don’t treat people differently because of their income, or their job. We come from the same place and we end up in the same place. My background has allowed me to have a lot more empathy.

In Australia there’s a social stigma to public housing. Did you ever feel that?

Yes, at times, but I just pushed through it. When we first moved here, I’d also get teased because I didn’t speak a word of English.

What was your first job?

I probably shouldn’t have even been working in year 7  (age 12) but I got a job at a locksmith. They paid me $5 for a couple of hours work after school. I’d assemble locks, and help with stocktaking.

After I finished school, I decided to get into sales. I’d always enjoyed selling. Even when I was younger and living in the flats, my sister and I would make greetings cards and we’d go door knocking and sell them. I sold phones for a few months, and then cars for about two years before getting into real estate.

I loved selling cars, because of my passion for them, but you don’t build up those same long-term relationships with people that you do with selling homes. Plus, you are stuck in a dealership all day.

Where did your real estate career begin?

I was advised by a well-known person in the industry to start off in an area where there’s a lot of turn over, that way you get to know the sales process quickly. I ended up landing a job at Hocking  Stuart in Bentleigh. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was one of the top offices in the whole Victorian network, so a perfect place to start my new career.

What was the first home you sold?

It took me eight months to get my first listing. As soon as I got into sales, the market in our area dropped 20 per cent. I eventually listed and sold a $315,000 unit in Cheltenham.

The most expensive home you ever sold?

Just under $6 million, but I’m currently working on getting a sale that’s close to $10 million.