Lukas Pedder’s journey to becoming a successful real estate agent was anything but conventional.
The former professional soccer player has built a thriving business in Mildura since joining Area Specialist, growing from scratch to a team of five in less than two years.
“It was a big, accidental stumble into real estate,” Mr Pedder said.
“I was playing professional soccer overseas in Germany and Spain, then came back to Australia.”
After returning from his sporting career, Pedder owned a gym in Melbourne before his wife wanted to move back to her hometown of Mildura, where her father owned a real estate office.
What started as a family connection quickly developed into a passion and successful career.
Since joining Area Specialist in July 2023, Mr Pedder has established a substantial presence in the Mildura market.
His team now includes three staff in property management and two in sales, with plans for further expansion.
One of his most impressive achievements has been building a rental portfolio from zero to nearly 150 properties in under two years, earning him the National BDM Award for property management growth at Area Specialist.
“We’ve been going from strength to strength,” Mr Pedder said.
“In the first 12 months, we managed 56 properties, and now we’ve more than doubled or tripled that in these 12 months.”
His background in professional sports has given him a competitive edge in real estate.
“One of my big philosophies is you win or you learn,” he said.
“I try to adapt that to everything that I do in real estate.”
Beyond his real estate business, Mr Pedder remains deeply connected to his sporting roots.
He sponsors one of the local soccer clubs and has been heavily involved since 2018 – playing, coaching, and serving on committees.
Now that he’s retired from playing, he’s working toward becoming the technical director of the club.
He also contributes to the community by conducting charity auctions, utilising his skills as an auctioneer to give back to the Mildura area.
For Pedder, the decision to join Area Specialist came when he knew he wanted to run his own business.
“I saw the Area Specialist model as a great progression and next step,” he said.
“It allowed me to start the business that I wanted from zero with the opportunity to grow as big as I wanted.”
He appreciates the brand’s sleek, classy, and simple aesthetic, which aligns with his own professional style.
What makes Area Specialist stand out, according to Pedder, is the financial model and flexibility it offers agents.
“It’s such a low-cost way to start your own business and have everything at your fingertips,” he said.
While growth is part of Pedder’s vision, he’s focused on quality over quantity when it comes to his team.
“For me, it was never about having the biggest team. I just want a really good high-performing team,” he said.
“I’m not about having 5, 10, 15 salespeople.
“I just want a few really good ones where we all gel and everybody can perform and everybody can win.”
Area Specialist is a real estate platform for top-performing agents, providing the systems, tools and technology they need to create, grow and power their business. For more information visit beyourboss.com.au