Meet Damian Steele, the eastern suburbs agent who swapped rock and roll for glamour homes

 In the 1980s and ’90s, McGrath Edgecliff’s Damian Steele was a bit of a rock god; a guitar-wielding frontman who had a following on the pub music scene. He even wrote his own songs. But Damian had his waist-length hair cut off, and started a career in real estate.

That was 19 years ago, and these days Damian is a rock-star agent, who still looks lovingly at his guitar and wonders what might have been. He is married with two children.

How did you discover music?

Dad played clarinet and flute. There was always music in our home. I was 12 when I got my first guitar and I didn’t put it down for the best part of 10 years. My favourite band was Guns N’ Roses.

Did you get a tattoo of a rose?

I came close, but could never take the plunge. I don’t think I’ve got the skin for it.

Where did the music take you?

I was a lead and rhythm guitarist and vocalist. I played in several hard-rock bands. My first was called Silent Thunder, when I was 16. We performed in pubs and at parties and then I moved up to Byron Bay and was in a band called Diversion. I’ve written more than 30 songs and recorded several albums.

Steele has recorded several studio albums. Photo: Jessica Hromas

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What did your parents think about your lifestyle?

Mum and dad had a quiet confidence that I was always going to be OK. I think they believed my street smartness would get me somewhere, it was just a question of where.

I wanted to monetise my interest in music and make a career out of it, so I worked for Polygram. I was in sales roles there and mum and dad suggested real estate might be an even better way to go.

Steele traded a career in music for one in real estate 19 years ago. Photo: Jessica Hromas

Was that an easy transition?

I had long hair down to my waist and a career in real estate would have meant cutting it. My cool aunty took me kicking and screaming to the hairdressers.

I knocked on the door of McGrath in 1999 and asked for job. They told me to go and cut my hair a little bit more, because it was like a woman’s bob. I went and got another haircut and returned two hours later and worked as an assistant with one of the agents for three years.

The first home Steele sold belonged to OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn. Photo: Jessica Hromas

The first house you ever sold?

It was a garden apartment for Ronni Kahn, who heads up Oz Harvest. I was very unapologetic that it was my first sale, I didn’t have any airs and graces and she gave me the gig and we got it sold. We’re still friends and she’s still a client, 19 years on.

Your most memorable sale?

The upstairs unit of a waterfront duplex in Tamarama. One of the interested buyers was the owner of the downstairs duplex and, to scare off any competition, he put on a party that went well into the next day when the auction was being held. He still had 30 or 40 people downstairs and loud music playing while the auction was on and the police eventually turned up.

His strategy worked and he bought the unit. I was quietly impressed, but unimpressed for the owners I was selling for.

Steele now calls Vaucluse home. Photo: Jessica Hromas

Where’s home nowadays?

In a 1960s bungalow in Vaucluse. It’s idyllic. Everything seems to wash away from me when I pull into my street. The landscape is beautiful, the beach is close by, and it’s just where I’m meant to be now.

What does success look like?

Success is inner peace, fulfilment and strong relationships.