How the advice of a Taoist monk helped agent Giorgio Koula find his career zen

The son of Greek immigrants, Giorgio Koula wasn’t planning on a real estate career – until a shift as a waiter took an unexpected twist. Now director at Stone Inner West, Koula credits his outlook on life to lessons he learnt from a Taoist monk.

Can you paint a picture of your early life for us.

I grew up in the ‘burbs in Rockdale. My parents were Greek immigrants. They were both from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. They didn’t know each other before they came to Australia but they met through mutual friends. It was a very traditional upbringing. My parents were extremely hard-working, like many immigrant families. Mum worked at the HPM power point factory. Dad was a plumber at the Sydney Water Board. My older sister and I needed to understand Greek. We used to spend every Sunday having picnics at Ramsgate beach. 

What was your big break in real estate?

I always wanted to study psychology. When I was in Year 12, I had a casual job working as a waiter at Doltone House at Sylvania Waters. I was called in to work one shift for a Liberal Party meeting. I remember John Howard was prime minister at the time and he was there that night. At one stage, I could hear noise coming from one of the other rooms, so I went to investigate. There were auctions taking place. It seemed really exciting, with people bidding against each other. At the time, I didn’t realise that the auction was only the final part of the process. I spoke to the auctioneer, Kevin Clay, and he offered me a job. I worked for him for nearly four years. After he sold the business, I did my time working in property management and sales before I ended up in Double Bay, working at Sotheby’s for six years.

You must have worked on some magnificent homes in our time at Sotheby’s International Real Estate. Tell us about the most memorable.

I was lucky enough to sell The Invisible House in Oberon. It was designed by Peter Stutchbury and it was such a unique home, overlooking the Megalong Valley. The vendor had built it for his family. He was leasing it out to clients who wanted a high-end retreat. We had enquiries from all over the world. Some people were interested in turning it into a private art gallery for their personal collections. Others wanted to continue leasing it. There were also people who wanted to live in it for a few months a year. In the end, it was bought by a consortium. It’s still available to rent at certain times of the year. 

What prompted your move to Stone Inner West? 

I’ve been here just over 12 months now. The brand is really innovative in terms of marketing, styling and the digital property component. Coming from Sotheby’s, which is a very traditional, conservative brand, I thought with my age it would be better to get into a different demographic of marketing. Even though we’re based in Newtown, we have clients across Sydney. I follow people more than property. It’s all about relationships. 

We’ve discussed your Sotheby’s highlight. What about with Stone – is there a sale you’re particularly proud of?

We sold a property in a really good pocket of the Glebe peninsula where the vendors, who were going back to the US, left us in charge of the entire process, from painting to styling. We had 91 people come through on the first Saturday. I’ve never seen a street that busy. We sold it for $250,000 over the vendor’s expectations after the first open home. We had a happy buyer and a happy vendor. Both parties were glad to get it done so quickly.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

I spend a lot of time at work! When I do get time to myself, I like to read and do yoga to try to keep my mind not as active. Spending time with family and friends is also really important to me. A lot of my friends’ lives have changed recently. They’ve had children or married. Being a single guy, it’s nice to see their lives evolve. I’ve worked Saturdays for as long as I can remember. I’m always at a bit of a loss when Christmas rolls around and I don’t have to work on the weekend.

Any yoga poses you’re trying to master? 

Many years ago, I met a Taoist monk. I asked him for some advice, and he told me to look up exercises called “the five rights”. I do these religiously every day. He really helped my career by encouraging me to understand life and understand my body. It’s about being the best person you can be. It’s not about others.