The Canberra real estate agent by day, hip hop dancer by night

Jason El-Khoury of Independent Our Team might have had an unconventional start in the real estate business, but it hasn’t stopped him from coming into the industry with a bang.

The real estate agent by day, hip hop dancer by night, has been working hard to make his mark in the industry since January 2020, and won the  ACT Trailblazer Award earlier this year. 

How did you get a start in real estate? 

Funnily enough, my now boss Mark Larmer attended a benefit show I was emceeing while fundraising for a trip to America with my dance crew. He had been a friend of my dad’s for a few years so he came along, and at the end of the show, he told me I would be a great real estate agent. At that point, it was like stars around my head – a whole new future I hadn’t considered. When I came back from the US, I reached out to him and here we are. 

When did you start dancing?

I started dancing when I was three years old and started taking it seriously at the age of 12 when I joined Project Beats dance studio. They shot my career up from there. I’ve been so lucky to be able to represent Australia at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship twice, but after I hurt my knee and had to have surgery, it was at that point I knew I needed something else to focus on – which is where real estate fits in perfectly. 

How do you find the balance between dance and real estate? 

Dance has always been my outlet, first from school and now from real estate. It’s become so much more important in the role I’m in now – where I am switched on constantly – to turn the phone off for three hours, go back to the studio and just dance. The community at Project Beats have been my family for eight or nine years now so it’s just that break for me. 

What is your career highlight so far? 

Firstly, it would have to be the 2022 ACT Trailblazer Award. I couldn’t believe it when I heard I was a finalist. I was setting up an open home and was calling my mum, dad, brother and girlfriend saying, “I’ve made it.” The second highlight would have to be helping my parents sell and buy. Family is so important to me and to be the person guiding them through that was a really nice feeling. 

What’s next for you?

I have been doing a lot of work in the listing agent space, so I am hoping to continue providing that service and thinking of new ways to do that. I am always trying to think of different things I can bring to the industry to help buyers and sellers – originality and authenticity is my goal. The end goal would be to be an auctioneer. It’s a performance – you’re on stage presenting a home, as you would present a dance.