The view from the top: Life in Minsk

For the first six and a half years of his life, Leon and his family lived in Minsk, Belarus.

‘I do have memories of Minsk,’ he shares. ‘I remember exactly what our apartment looked like. I remember going to school. And I remember my grandparents' homes.’

Despite the many fond memories, life in Minsk wasn’t easy for Leon and his family.

‘My mum, dad, brother and I lived in the equivalent of a five-square-metre, two-bedroom apartment. Finding an apartment to rent was a feat in itself, it can take years for one to become available.’

And their neighbourhood? One commission apartment block after another – all of them just like theirs.

So, after many years of much the same, Leon’s parents decided it was time for a change.

 

The land down under: Becoming Aussie

Hello. Goodbye. Toilet. Thank you.

Evidently, these are the only words you really need to get through the last three weeks of Australian schooling in Grade 1, 1990. And, conveniently, as Leon touched down on Australian soil and headed to school the next week, they were the only words he knew.

‘I don’t recall the move to Australia being difficult for us kids,’ Leon explains. ‘We just got on with it because we were so grateful to be here.’

And that gratitude trickled down from Leon’s parents.

‘My parents weren’t the kind of migrants to come to Australia and still talk about all the good things back home,’ he shares. ‘It was quite the opposite, actually! They were practically kissing the ground on the tarmac when we landed.

‘From then, we grew up as Australians with a Russian background – not as Russians in Australia.’

But that said, the transition wasn’t exactly easy for Leon’s parents.

‘My parents’ previous work experience and education weren’t recognised here,’ Leon says. ‘So they did whatever jobs they could while they got their English to a decent level – and ended up being professionals in their fields here in Australia.

‘Within eight years, they’d bought their first property in Caulfield North. And they still live there now.’

 

 

Banking on finance: From the lecture hall to the workplace

After a great high school career – spanning from St Kilda East’s Yeshivah College in Year 7 to Glen Eira College from Years 8 to 10 and finishing at Caulfield Grammar – Leon went on to study banking and finance at university. Snapping up a job at Commonwealth Bank at just 19.

So, why banking?

‘It was what I was most interested in when I had to pick a course at age 17,’ Leon says with a laugh. ‘I wasn’t a medicine guy, I wasn’t into arts and crafts, I didn’t want to get into law, so I thought, why not banking?’

And given that Leon worked his way up to a managerial role in the internal insurance department by the time he was just 21 – why not, indeed?

But he didn’t feel that spark. And he said as much to his cousin and her husband – both developers – when they caught up for a coffee one day.

‘What about becoming a developer?’ Leon’s cousin replied.

 

 

From the ground up: Developing a new career

In typical Leon fashion, he became a site manager in less than a year.

‘We built a block of flats, and looking back, it was so great for my current understanding of building and development,’ Leon shares.

So when people came onsite to ask about buying the apartments, Leon unlocked a new skill.

‘I was an unofficial, unqualified real estate agent, trying to negotiate prices for the different apartments,’ Leon shares. ‘And I thought, this isn’t so bad.

‘I could have returned to banking or development if I wanted, but something about real estate was drawing me in,’ Leon remembers. ‘So I dove in the deep end – and I swam.’

Fast forward to November 2009, after spending time at another real estate agency in Bentleigh and Elsternwick, our very own Jeremy Rosens calls to ‘talk about a property’ over coffee.

Only when Leon showed up, that wasn’t quite the case.

‘I’m not really here about a property,’ Jeremy confessed. ‘I’m actually looking for a sales assistant, have you ever thought about a career at Gary Peer?’

But at this point, Leon was already his own agent and had no interest in assistant work.

‘In that case, why not give Gary and Phillip a call?’ Jeremy replied.

 

 

Lights, camera, action: Directing a new beginning

Leon joined Gary Peer & Associates in February 2010 as a Sales Consultant and immediately, he knew it was the agency for him.

‘There was so much success in the office already, and as competitive as I am, I knew I had to be a part of it,’ Leon remembers.

‘And what’s more, I genuinely like everyone I work with,’ he says with a smile. And it’s safe to say, the agency likes him back.

In the past decade, it’s impossible to find a year where Leon wasn’t recognised for his many industry accomplishments.

He was named in REB Online’s Victorian Top 50 Agents list, its Top 100 Agents in Australia list and has even won REIV’s Residential Salesperson of the Year – but it’s his consistency that Leon hangs his career on.

‘No one wakes up one day being able to run super fast,’ Leon explains. ‘That happens as a result of training and discipline – and it’s the same with real estate.’

Co-founders Gary and Phillip agree. So when they needed a Director for their new office in Bentleigh, they knew there was only one man for the job.

‘February 2024 will mark six years of being our Bentleigh office’s Director,’ shares Leon. ‘I’ve loved every minute of it, and I love the team. That’s another thing I’m most proud of – my staff retention. I love being able to watch them grow in both confidence and skill during their time here.

‘In fact, if the only thing I do is continue to improve my team’s skills and love for the business – leading to better incomes and lives for them as a result – I’ll be a happy man.’

 

 

Family, friends and football: Leon’s other loves

Recently, Leon was walking along the water in Smith’s Beach, Phillip Island, with his wife, Jess, and three kids, Abigail, Zara and Blake.

‘It’s so sad our holidays are almost over, Daddy!’ said Abigail.

‘Well, we’ll just have to go for another one soon,’ smiled Leon. And they did. Two weeks later.

‘I’m a big softy with my family,’ he admits. ‘I love spending time with them, especially while the kids are at such a special age. I love seeing all three of them grow up and develop their own personalities. They’re all so different!’

And he’s the same way with his friends, always looking for reasons to bring the group together. Especially if sports are involved.

‘I play basketball and cricket, but I’m a big footy fan,’ he says. ‘I love the Essendon Bombers, it’s one of my and my family’s biggest passions. And one day, I’d love to get on the club’s board.’

But there’s something else he hopes for ‘one day’.

‘I hope for what some people might call boring,’ Leon admits. ‘I want to watch my family learn and grow, I want to continue leading an amazing team at Gary Peer Bentleigh, and I want all my loved ones to remain happy and safe.

‘That sounds like a great life to me!’

 

 

Curious about the other stories of our team, clients and friends? Head to The Peer Blog for more.