The ultimate insider: John Luschwitz, the Pymble agent about to celebrate 50 years in real estate

By
Stephen Lacey
August 24, 2018

At the end of the year, John Luschwitz will celebrate 50 years in real estate. That’s a long time in any industry, but a golden anniversary in real estate is an especially rare find.

Born in Hyderabad, India, John moved to Australia as a child and eventually worked with his father in the Luschwitz agency, selling property on the upper north shore.

A former archery champion, nowadays John’s target is keeping his vendors satisfied.

Almost 50 years is a long time in real estate!

I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m still kicking goals all over the field, only the ball is bigger and I see it moving in slow motion now.

Tell me about your childhood?

I was born in Hyderabad in India. I remember going on tiger hunts, and the palaces and the elephants.

My father, grandfather and great-grandfather worked for the Nizam; then the richest man on the planet. My father had a doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music in London and he ran the Nizam’s orchestra.

Charminar monument in hyderabad Charminar in Hyderabad, India.
John was born in Hyderabad, India, and came to Australia with his family at the age of five. Photo:
iStock

My mother was 19 when my father proposed to her and, when she accepted, he gave her a lion cub.

India gained independence in 1947. We moved to Australia in 1955, when I was five.

The Sydney suburb of Pymble. LOW RES.
His father opened a real estate office in Roseville in 1968. Photo: Supplied

How did you start in real estate?

My father knew a bloke called Albert Scheinberg, who ran a development company.

Scheinberg was a phrenologist and wouldn’t do business with you unless you let him feel the bumps in your head. He felt my dad’s head and said, ‘Henry, you should be in real estate’.

Dad opened an office in Roseville in 1968 and then moved to Pymble. I started working with my father. I enjoyed it. I love dealing with people.

What changes have you seen in real estate over the years?

We didn’t have open for inspections back then. You had an A5 book, and all your listings in there. You’d take the buyer out in your car, drive them around the district and point out homes that were for sale.

If they were interested in any, you’d make an appointment to look inside.

Peaceful, leafy streets in Wahroonga help to maintain its small-town feel.
John has lived in leafy Wahroonga for 25 years. Photo: Nic Walker

Where do you live these days?

In Wahroonga, in a nice Federation house. I’ve lived there for 25 years.

My bride loved the older-style houses. Most blokes would live in a cave, so long as their wives were happy.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

Losing my wife, Katie, to cancer was emotionally hard, because we’d been together for 43 years, four months and 21 days.

What do you do when you’re not at work?

I volunteer two days in a palliative care unit and oncology ward at the Sydney Adventist Hospital. I’m supporting people and families who are travelling the same journey.

John Luschwitz of Luschwitz Real Estate.
John has shot in the world titles for field archery. Photo: Jessica Hromas

What is your greatest achievement (outside of property)?

I started field archery in 1992 and shot in the state titles, national titles and world titles.

The secret? Being one with the arrow. It’s a Zen thing.

Most memorable sale and why?

I sold a house for $11 million in Bayview for a mate of mine, who built it next door to the one he already lived in. His wife refused to move in, because she liked where she was.

Your idea of happiness?

A nice sunrise, a walk on the beach. Grandchildren.

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