A lust for life: Meet Harry Lustig
‘Flat white, please.’ After placing his order – and shooting the server he knows by name a quick, warm smile – Harry Lustig turns to face the window. Gazing out through the glass towards Inkerman Street’s lazy Monday afternoon lull, he gathers his thoughts. Now, turning to face me across the table at Harper’s Kitchen – the coffee shop across the road from his office – Harry takes a deep breath. His eyes, alive and interested, dance. He chuckles. Exhales. Pauses. And tells me his story.
‘I was the daggy kid’: Harry’s sporting school days
Growing up, there was one thing on Harry’s mind – sport.
‘In secondary school, sport was my life. You name it, I was playing it! I was the daggy kid at a new school, so sport was my way of fitting in.’
But he didn’t just fit in. He stood out – and stepped up.
In a single year, Harry scooped up the school’s top awards for soccer and volleyball – as well as athlete, and overall champion, of the year. Throughout his secondary school years, he coached and captained teams across codes to fame and glory. (More glory, less fame.)
Naturally, then, Harry harboured dreams of becoming a PE teacher. But fate had other plans.
Because while it was always sport – rather than school – that kindled Harry’s flame, he headed off to hit the books. To Warrnambool University, in fact: to which he credits a year of personal growth, independence, and resilience.
Always interested in the mind’s machinations, Harry dabbled in psychology, sociology, and politics. Soon, though, his studies saw him stumble upon something about himself. That it wasn’t studying people that motivated him. But talking to them.
Harry dropped out, and a string of part-time jobs followed. Pizza delivery. Tending the counter at the local bottle-o. And going door to door for a market research company: surveying southeast Melbourne’s populace from the thresholds of their homes.
‘I couldn’t work in a call centre,’ says Harry. He grimaces as he grins, as though incensed by the idea of being sat, stagnating, behind a phone. ‘I needed the presence – and purpose – of working alongside people.
‘In many ways, that door-to-door role was my first introduction to real estate: seeing, and sometimes entering, different types of properties. Talking to people; understanding them.’
Which begs the question. Just how did Harry get into real estate, exactly?
Pinball and pizza: When Harry met Gary
‘It was a bolt from the blue, really.’
Harry smiles, digging through decades of memory. ‘My dad just turned to me one day and asked me if I’d ever thought about real estate.’
It was an interesting comment – especially considering Harry’s father had nothing to do with selling houses. (He was a tailor and, along with Harry’s mother, an active participant in the local Yiddish theatre community.)
Before long, Harry had taken up his dad’s suggestion, and was cutting his teeth in the property management team at a local agency. Until, that was, Harry’s best friend Mark introduced him to his housemate – a young, ambitious chap by the name of Gary Peer.
It was 1991. Gary had been running his own real estate business for five years, and his property manager was leaving. Might his new mate be interested in the opportunity?
For Harry, it wasn’t simply a case of the right place, or the right time – but the right person.
‘If I had to say, in one word, why I’ve been with the company for this long,’ reflects Harry, ‘it’s Gary. He’s honest, trustworthy, reliable – those traits all resonated with me. And still do.
‘We clicked immediately.’
Soon, Harry was Gary’s right-hand man. The two were working furiously, fervently: whether it was the weekend’s auctions by day, or Fitzroy Street’s lively music scene by night.
‘We’d be out playing pinball and eating pizza until 3am,’ reminisces Harry. ‘Then he’d go off in one direction, I’d head in the other, and we’d be out setting up auction boards and flags at 4am.
‘I’d be in the office by 9am, and he’d be orchestrating an auction at 10am. We were running on passion, pepperoni – and pure adrenaline.’
To this day, Harry’s love for, and loyalty to, Gary is plain to see.
‘Gary works from the heart,’ says Harry. ‘And that’s pretty special.’
Managing properties, and people: Harry’s calling
Months became years; years became decades.
Now, in 2023, Harry is a Senior Property Manager & Team Leader at one of our two Inkerman Street offices. He manages a portfolio of 170 properties, plus a team of four – a position that, as a sports buff who once aspired to be a PE teacher, he’s a natural fit for.
‘As a coach and captain, what fuelled me was putting people in the spot where I felt they’d excel; about encouraging them to do better. I love seeing those around me reach their potential.’
What does Harry love most about his role, then?
‘I enjoy that mix of being in the office and out on the road. You’re meeting people every day – something I still love. Each day can be (and often is!) wildly different to the one that came before.
‘I like to learn about other people – tenants, rental providers, tradespeople – because you quickly realise that everyone has a story to share.
‘And I love stories!’
Of course, Harry’s job also lets him show off one of his natural talents – his gift of the gab. Forever the entertainer, Harry’s been working crowds since his turn, as a child, in the Yiddish theatre scene his parents were keen parts of.
Harry first hit the stage at 12. And in a corridor at Elsternwick’s Classic Cinema, you’ll find a gold-framed photo with a young, starry-eyed Harry beaming back at you.
Yet, when asked if he’s a natural showman, Harry is surprisingly coy.
‘Well, I suppose when I have to dazzle clients I am,’ he admits. ‘But I’m generally not the sort of guy who likes to be the centre of attention. I’m often the quiet one in the background.
‘Except on the dancefloor!’
Don’t judge, empathise: Harry’s formula for success
A vibrant, venerable personality, Harry’s last name – Lustig – means ‘happy’ in Yiddish. Yet it’s more than a name; it’s a philosophy. Affectionately dubbed ‘Uncle Harry’ by his colleagues, Harry’s blend of exuberance, enthusiasm, and experience sets the tone.
He’s quick with a self-deprecating joke, too – and will be the first to point out that he’s been working for Gary Peer longer than most of his charges have been alive.
So – what advice does someone who’s been in real estate for more than three and a half decades have for aspiring property managers?
‘You need to keep in mind that there’s a lot going on in people’s lives – not only their rental property. There could be family issues, for instance, or financial problems – and you can’t always assume people have the money to fix things up.
‘It’s about taking an open, non-judgmental approach to every conversation. And attempting to understand, and empathise with, the person you’re talking to.’
As for the key to Harry’s storied property management career, he’s quick to point out that the formula for success isn’t a secret. But a skillset.
‘Property management is about three things: Being organised. Solving problems. And communicating – all day, every day.
‘It’s why I come to work with a mental baseball bat. I think, “Whatever comes at me today – I’m gonna deal with it!’”’
Saints and sunshine: Mr Happy’s happy home
Work, of course, is only a part of Harry’s life. So, away from the office and the properties, where will you find Harry? Only he knows.
At the Marvel Stadium, cheering on his beloved Saints. Taking to the tarmac to give his big, beloved motorcycle a spin. Or tending to the garden of his humble weatherboard home in Caulfield.
Harry’s greatest love, though? His partner of 30 years, Leanne.
Together, the two enjoy nothing more than travelling the world. Between a recent Sydney road trip, Southeast Asia, and extended holidays to Europe (Spain’s San Sebastian is Harry’s favourite destination to date), there’s no shortage of sun-soaked sojourns.
It’s worth asking – might Harry be considering retiring to a shack by the sea any time soon?
Not a chance.
‘I don’t think I could ever retire!’ Harry chuckles. ‘I need something to do. I don’t watch much TV; I’m not a sit-at-home-and-read type of person. Even on holiday, I can only sit on a beach for so long.’
Harry relates a recent anecdote, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of his vitality; his verve; his vibrant, vivid joie de vivre. Because, despite the incredible staying power Harry’s demonstrated throughout his 32-year (and counting!) Gary Peer career, this is a man who can’t sit still.
‘Leanne and I went to Thailand last month,’ Harry grins. ‘Usually, on these holidays I hire a scooter, so we can go exploring. This time, there wasn’t one nearby – which Leanne was grateful for. She says she doesn’t need the anxiety of the traffic and noise – she’s over that.
‘So what do I do?’ Harry chuckles, eyes twinkling. ‘I get a mountain bike!’
