Two of a kind KAREN AND ANDREW LIGDOPOULOS TWO OF A KIND: LJ HOOKER CANBERRA CITY 4 FIRE MAGAZINE // MAR – MAY <strong>2017</strong>
Two of a kind FROM KAREN I never thought I would work in real estate specifically, but I always knew I would be interested in something creative and property related. Being a market manager at LJ Hooker Canberra City is the perfect fusion of everything I was looking for. What drove me to this role initially was an opportunity created by my husband after expressing a desire to change careers about five years ago. I definitely didn’t see myself working alongside Andrew. His parents worked together for 32 years and often expressed how challenging working together was for them. I am pleased to say they are still happily married after 49 years. Although they warned us, we didn’t really take their advice. Joining the team was actually our business partner’s suggestion. I joined the group of eight ACT offices as a group marketing manager in 2012 working in the Dickson office, but towards the end of 2014, a restructure meant I was needed most in Canberra City and project marketing ACT offices headed up by Andrew. I will admit, I was very apprehensive. It was challenging in the beginning because we didn’t clearly define our roles and I found it hard to identify what my responsibilities were. The office has never had its own marketing manager, so I didn’t really have a job description. It was also difficult to get people to see me for who I was, not just the boss’s wife. Andrew and I can both be pretty stubborn and focused on the big picture, and we did eventually find our way, but we still have those challenging days. We have two teenage sons; Vas is 18 and Michael is 16, and we don’t really have a work/life balance. We are both very much workaholics which is a challenge also. I could write a book about Andrew’s strengths and what he brings to the team. His primary focus is listing developments in Canberra. He then passes those individual apartment listings to agents in our group which is a greater earning capacity. But honestly, he brings so much more to that to the teams. He is successful, yet humble and doesn’t view himself as above anyone else. He doesn’t make the team do anything he wouldn’t do, and I love watching him interact with them, often admiring the support and encouragement he provides. Andrew makes me proud every day; he has achieved so much in his 25-year career. It really warms my heart when I hear people tell me how much they admire and respect him; I’m probably his greatest admirer. Neither of them anticipated a career in real estate; one came from a design background, and the other was looking at a career in valuation. They both eventually found their place at LJ Hooker Canberra City, and began running a highly successful business built on respect and success. Captain Andrew and Karen Ligdopoulos spoke to us about their working life, challenges they face being a husband and wife team, and what works wells for their team. FROM ANDREW I didn’t initially see myself working in real estate, but I was driven to the industry when a friend suggested I should try real estate for a year as a segue into valuation. I had just finished my valuation studies and well, that year turned into a quarter of a century in the industry which I am celebrating this year. I never anticipated that I would work with Karen; it definitely wasn’t planned, but seemed like a good idea at the time for her to join the team as marketing manager given her creative background and wanting a change in career. When I think about the challenges we have faced, there actually weren’t many in the beginning. The challenge that we mostly face is when we are not at work, trying not to discuss work. I find it hard to ask Karen about her day; because most of the time, I know how it was and we would have already worked through it together. When you work with your partner, it can be difficult to switch off and keep some kind of work/life balance, so we made the rule to not talk about work while we’re at home. I am proud of Karen in a lot of different ways. She has a passion for doing things right and is always looking at how we are perceived by the public. I very much admire her attention to detail, her creativity and strong work ethic. She makes me proud outside of work every day, but on a professional level, I have been proud to watch her receive her team marketing awards three years in a row and her individual top support award at night of the stars. As she walked up on the stage, I thought about how great it is that we have been on this learning journey together. Do you know a ‘Two of a kind’? Let us know at inhouse@ljhooker.com Make Dreams Happen TM 5