Meet Peter and Jacqueline Blacket, the father-daughter team tackling the property game together

Peter Blacket has been a name in eastern suburbs real estate since he had a young family. Today Jacqueline, the daughter who saw him head off to open homes rather than Saturday morning sports in her childhood, has joined him in the property game.

Despite the principals at The Blacket Agency in Double Bay having racked up years of experience, they still get nervous before an auction.

How did you get into real estate?

Peter: I started in property management with a firm at Edgecliff and ended up at LJ Hooker Double Bay. I ran that office for five years before I went out by myself in 1985.

Why did you decide to go it alone?

P: I had two screaming kids and a wife wanting more money! You can’t make enough money unless you’re the boss. When you employ people, you send them out to chase up a lead if you don’t have time. I once had a guy ring me back and say, “Your salesman’s been here and I’m not giving you the house to sell. He asked my wife when she’s having a baby. She’s not having a baby.” I wouldn’t have made that mistake.

But working with your daughter, Jacqueline, is different?

P: Jacqui doesn’t make mistakes. She’s very clever, good with people and susses things out immediately.

What was it like growing up with a real estate agent for a father?

Jacqueline: I remember him working every weekend. He had a rule that he had Sundays off. I think Dad was pretty devastated that he missed out on my Saturday morning sport.

Jacqueline, you didn’t go into real estate straight out of school – what took you so long?

J: I chose a finance degree and worked for Commsec, Macquarie Bank in Sydney and then Barclays in London. I also won a Green Card and ended up in Austin, Texas for a gap year before I moved back to Australia.

Any similarities between stockbroking and real estate?

J: Stockbroking is a bit like real estate in that it’s sales but it’s not as meaningful as real estate for me, because in real estate you’re selling someone’s home versus dealing in something that’s an added bonus for people who have money to spend.

Selling properties is a high-stakes pursuit. How do you deal with the tension?

J: Dad often says if he’s ever not nervous before an auction, he’ll know he’s lost the passion.

P: That’s why you perform well, I think. I’m still nervous when I walk into an auction. If you’re not, then you’re not really nervous for your vendor.

Your most memorable sales?

P: We sold Rockwall, an 1830s house and former school in Potts Point. That was very complex with a lot of heritage aspects, including a secret tunnel down to Woolloomooloo.

I sold Boomerang, the interwar Spanish mission-style home in Elizabeth Bay, three times. And I’ve sold the Italianate mansion Iona in Darlinghurst twice, the second time to Baz Luhrmann.

Any unforgettable opens?

P: When we opened Boomerang, one of Australia’s most famous citizens – who I won’t name – who was inspecting the place, came out of the home with this yachting pennant hanging out of his shirt. I said, “Excuse me, can I have that back?”