From football to real estate, Mathew Kocic is kicking goals

He once kicked goals all over the world – in Australia, in France and in Singapore. But today, Mathew Kocic is scoring handsomely in his chosen profession of real estate instead.

After being cornered by a devastating bout of rheumatoid arthritis that finished his promising football career, he leapt instead straight into the property game, where he’s now chalking up a number of handsome wins.

“I was a semi-professional footballer until I had to give up,” said Kocic.

“I had a great time, and it was a fantastic experience. I don’t regret it for a minute. Afterwards, I didn’t know what to do next, but my dad suggested real estate as he thought my personality and my attitude, and the way I like talking to people would suit it. And he was right!

“Real estate is a lot like football. You can never afford to get ahead of yourself and you’re part of a team, and you talk to your team, both colleagues and clients, and tell them how much you value them. Then you do all the preparation before a game, all the research and collecting data about the market and analysing it, and then the actual auction is like the grand final.”

So, Kocic, now 32 and part of the team at Carter and Co Agents in the ACT, started out in property management in Wollongong, NSW, and then moved back to his hometown of Canberra, where he moved into sales.

Immediately, he found he loved it. He enjoyed meeting clients, chatting to them, and, often, being treated like a mate. Then, there was the thrill of a good sale.

“Sometimes, you see people getting emotional and breaking down in tears – of happiness – as a good sale for a better price than they’d expected is going to make a big difference to their lives,” Kocic said. “They often don’t realise until later what a big impact it’s going to have.”

That kind of jubilation needs to be managed, however. He remembers one time when his vendor was so delighted during an auction he looked as if he was about to start shrieking with joy. Kocic urged him to hold his emotions in check until the final paperwork had been signed.

“He was so happy and so excited, I had to make sure he held it in,” Kocic said. “He almost passed out with the effort of keeping quiet! But that wouldn’t be good for the buyer to see and he had to wait till later to shout and scream. That’s an amazing part of this job.”

Kocic’s empathy with his clients and strong work ethic have earned him good results year after year. In 2022, he was a nominee for the Real Estate Institute of ACT’s Property Marketer of the Year and Auctioneer of the Year.

Last year, he was again the Moncrieff suburb’s Sales Agent of the Year, as well as Sales Agent of the Year for Throsby. In addition, he ended up at number four in the Top 10 Sales Agents of the Year in the ACT.

In the past 12 months, he’s sold 34 properties – 31 by private treaty and three by auction – with an average sales price of $732,000 and total sales valued at $24.2 million. His highest recorded sale was $1.3 million for a four-bedroom house at 250 Glenrock Drive, Googong.

His proudest moment, however, was when he sold his grandmother’s property, acting under her power of attorney.

“I’ve always looked up to my dad, so doing that for him meant a lot,” he said. “We got a good result and I wanted to do him proud. It’s important to me that every time I make someone a promise about selling their property, I deliver on it. That’s critical.”

Kocic’s clients regularly praise him for his personable and friendly manner and communication skills. He loves to give people his professional advice on the ever-changing property market and is always ready to go the extra mile for them. It probably doesn’t hurt that he can talk sport with the best of them, either.

One of his clients is so fond of him that he brings out a cold beer as soon as he sees him approach. Kocic thanks him but says that it will always have to wait until after they’ve done their business.

“I tell him I have a job to do,” Kocic said. “Then, when that’s done, I say we can relax afterwards. But it’s lovely that he sees me as more of a friend than an agent.”