Piers van Hamburg: on odd jobs, his first property deal, and the house he's 'not allowed' to sell

A go-getter from way back, Piers van Hamburg has worked as a milkman, lawn-mower, delivery boy, chook shop assistant, newspaper cadet and – most recently – real-estate agent.

All that hard work has paid off, as the director of the Mosman, Neutral Bay and Chatswood offices of Di Jones explains.

Tell us about your early life.4

I grew up in Roseville. Dad was an air traffic controller and my mum worked as a leasing manager. I’m the eldest of three siblings. Mum tried to talk us out of a career in real estate. She said we’d miss out on watching our children play sport on Saturdays.

I have three children of my own now – Zara, 12, Jai, 10 and Ari, 5 – and I do manage to watch most of their sport, even if it’s just the first half.

What did you do for work before real estate?

At 13, I was the milkman on the back of the truck. Sometimes it would fly around the corner and I’d come tumbling off into the bushes. I made $13 and a carton of chocolate Moove. I also mowed lawns, delivered papers and worked in my uncle’s chicken shop. I was always saving up and gave myself something to work towards.

How did you get your start in this industry?

When I left school, I got a newspaper cadetship. I had stints running the motoring and real-estate sections of the local papers. I always noticed the real estate agents drove nice cars. At a wedding, I met Gareth Axtens, who owned Raine & Horne at Neutral Bay. He said I should come work for him.

Can you remember your first sale?

On my first day, I started ringing all the private ads in the property section of The Sydney Morning Herald. Most said “no” but eventually I spoke to a woman who wanted to sell her townhouse in Cremorne for $500,000. The next day, I had a call from a guy who had sold his house and wanted to buy something smaller for $500,000. I had my first sale within 24 hours.

And your most memorable sale?

I sold a house owned by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove. I got to drive up the driveway of Admiralty House in Kirribilli and had high tea in a room where presidents and royalty have sat. That was a highlight.

Tell us about your family life.

When I was in my early 30s, I walked the Inca Trail. As I watched the sun rise over Machu Picchu, I thought to myself, “the next time I do something like this, I want it to be with someone special”. When I got back to Sydney, I decided speed dating was the way to go. That’s how I met Nirmal. I proposed after eight weeks. Six months later we were married.

What drew you together?

Nirmal spent her early years in a poor village in northern India. Her father got a scholarship with Philips and the family immigrated to Adelaide when she was eight. They lived in a rough suburb. Nirmal was the only kid in her year to go on to university.

Her family weren’t very happy about her marrying me initially but I wanted to have a traditional Indian wedding. I grew a beard for five weeks and wore the full attire. The celebration lasted for four days. Nirmal now works in the office with me one day a week.

Where do you live now?

We live in Mosman. In 13 years of marriage, we’ve lived in six houses. We’ve renovated, added value and resold the homes – mostly at a profit.

After living in a series of Federation-era homes, we now live in an ultra-contemporary home designed by my favourite architect, Alex Popov. Nirmal says I’m not allowed to sell it.