'Definitely not nine-to-five': Nigel Mukhi on how he manages the hectic pace of property

Nigel Mukhi admits that he had some less than stellar school days on the lower north shore but today he’s selling multimillion dollar properties in the same patch.

A sucker for fundraisers, the partner at Di Jones Lower North Shore wants to teach his children the importance of helping others.

Tell us a bit about your background.

My mum is from Moruya on the NSW south coast. Her dad was a dairy farmer, a funeral director and a builder. She came from a big Catholic family. My dad grew up in the south of India. His parents were diplomats and sent him to Australia for university. He met my mum, who was nursing at the Mater Hospital, at a uni party.

Where did you grow up?

We lived on the north shore. I went to St Aloysuis’ College at Milsons Point. It’s kind of cool because that’s the area where I’m selling now. I still have a bit to do with the school. When I was a student, I spent more time in the headmaster’s office than the classroom. It was compulsory to play sport, too, but I wasn’t that good at it. I was into hanging out with my mates.

Why did you choose real estate?

I always had an interest in property. I thought being an architect or a property developer would be cool, until I figured out you needed a degree or loads of money to do that. To me, real estate was the next best thing.

What does it take to succeed in this industry?

A really good work ethic. It’s definitely not a nine-to-five job. You need to be prepared to put in up to seven days a week and be flexible with your time.

“You need to be prepared to put in up to seven days a week”

How do you manage that workload with young children?

My wife, Claire, and I have two children. Max is four and Milly is seven. It is hard. There are things I miss out on. As a family, we try to get out of town as much as possible to spend quality time together. Parents and grandparents always say this time goes so quickly, and it’s true.

What’s your most memorable sale?

It was a series of sales in October 2016. I sold a client’s waterfront apartment in Lavender Bay. They then bought a Milsons Point apartment off me on the same day. That owner bought a Kirribilli terrace off me. Those people bought a Kirribilli semi off me and then those clients bought a Kirribilli house off me.

What has this job taught you about people?

Everyone’s different and that’s OK. You’re not going to gel with everyone. Also, never judge a book by its cover. The wealthiest client I ever dealt with was probably one of the daggiest, least wealthy looking people you’d ever come across.

I hear you’ve been gearing up for quite an adventure.

I’m about to take part in the Shitbox Rally, the Cancer Council’s biggest fundraiser for the year. It’s not a race but a challenge to drive 5000 kilometres in 10 days in a car that costs less than $1000 and isn’t a 4WD. My best mate Marco Giacomazzi and I will start in Perth and drive to Sydney via Uluru and the Simpson Desert. We’ll be driving a 1991 Mercedes Benz 180E. Mechanically, it’s not that bad but cosmetically it’s horrible.

I bought some camo-print vinyl to wrap it. It was like covering a huge schoolbook with lots of curves.

Are you a big fundraiser?

I think it’s really important to give back where you can and appreciate how lucky you are when there are so many people who aren’t.