The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties

EP.1383 MICHAEL BURGIO'S RETURN - THE NOVAK DIFFERENCE REVEALED

• Mark Novak, Michael Burgio • Season 29 • Episode 1383

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After nearly four years apart, award-winning commercial agent Michael Burgio has returned to Novak Real Estate, reuniting with longtime colleague Mark Novak. Their chemistry is immediately evident as they explore what's changed—and what hasn't—since Michael's departure.

Caught between curiosity and caution, many professionals wonder if they should explore opportunities beyond their current workplace. Michael's journey offers rare insight into both sides of this career dilemma. Having won Commercial Agent of the Year during his original decade-long tenure at Novak, Michael candidly shares how his time away revealed what he calls "the Novak difference"—the infrastructure, systems, and team environment that exponentially enhances an agent's capabilities.

The conversation delves into the psychology of career decisions, with Michael likening his experience to testing whether "the grass is greener" elsewhere. Unlike failed relationships where returning isn't an option, Michael found a welcoming door back to Novak after gaining perspective from his time away. This reunion required both parties to set aside ego, acknowledging that sometimes we need distance to truly appreciate what we had.

Client response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing delight at no longer having to choose between working with Michael or with Novak. For agents considering similar career moves or managers wondering how to handle returning talent, this candid discussion offers valuable insights into navigating professional journeys with authenticity and growth mindset. Have you ever left something behind only to discover its true value in your absence?

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Morning Minutes with myself, michael Burgio, mark Novak, episode 1383, talking about the Novak difference. I'm the ringleader, so watch it out 7.45-ish.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and for anyone who doesn't know and there's plenty of people who do know because people have been asking like crazy the last couple of days Michael and I worked together for almost 10 years and he has been away from NOVAC for almost five years I think four years.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yep, three to four, four, four. It was just after the beginning of COVID, but put in perspective, we probably did the first thousand episodes together around there, morning Minutes. So I've been away for a few months.

Speaker 2:

This show was invented by us too. Yes, yep.

Speaker 1:

And you're back and you're back, you're in the van Unbelievable, unbelievable. Fourth day back. Fourth day back.

Speaker 2:

First of all. First of all for people who know of you and know you how have you been?

Speaker 1:

Very good, still healthy, as I can be, still got a bad neck for everyone who knows, but doing well, excited for sort of the next chapter. As Mark said, I worked at Novak for nearly 10 years. It was basically my first and only job in real estate. I say basically because I had a job. My first job was actually the same as mark's first job in real estate, kevin stacy, down at mona vale. So I worked, I think before I even had like any certificates on red bike real estate, just to see if I like the industry.

Speaker 1:

I think a lot of young people out there they like the idea of real estate. They see the agents, the suits, the cars and like, oh, I'd like to give real estate a go. But when you're trying to get started every office goes. We want years of experience. You've got to have these um certificates in place and good old mr Stacey was very open to having someone in there doing a lot of the mini work letterbox drops, cleaning this and then getting a bit of a feel for real estate. So I did that for about six months and I was like, yeah, I'm doing real estate. Then you go to TAFE, do your certificate, do your license actually, and then got the job with you. Mark started reception and then fast forward, did a lot commercial division, morning minutes, yeah.

Speaker 2:

It's exciting because you chose, or it chose you I don't know what happened, but you chose commercial. You chose commercial real estate to be your forte. Commercial, um, you chose commercial real estate to be your, your forte. So, and um, and for people that I don't know you, you won um with real commercial, commercial agent of the year um across the country, which was an impressive accolade. Um, now you're back. What's it been like the last couple of days?

Speaker 1:

it's been really good and I think the best thing's been the customer feedback where a lot of customers over the years got to custom with Mark and I as the team going out there doing a lot together and then when we weren't together and we're both, I think, customers they always had to pick and choose and neither party was potentially it wasn't the same separate where there's just so much innovation on the Novak team side, the office, and then when I was independent, not many offices, no other office has the tools and resources for agents to utilize. So the clients knew I I wasn't, I couldn't do the best because I didn't have all the tools. You've got the basic tools but there's a lot of novak difference, you could call it and I just know. Initially, when clients saw us back together, they're like, yes, we get the best of both worlds of virtually Mark and I working together. So we had that big planning night where a lot of clients came.

Speaker 1:

So I don't think without that, like the clients I planned to see in the first month, I've basically been able to see in like the first two days. So that's been amazing and all the feedback. And then the staff there's still probably half the staff here were here. Half the staff here were here when I was here, so a lot of familiar faces Same same but different. So it's been great. Yeah, the A team what?

Speaker 2:

was that team, the A team, the A team, with the crew that are in the office. They're all still there and like a duck in water. I have to say, it's like you never left, michael. You know, back after four years and like a duck in water.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it definitely feels like that, just like from the last couple of appraisals we did yesterday. Just the flow, and I think it just reiterates I'm in the right place.

Speaker 2:

And look people I've got to and this is a really good platform to answer some questions that I'm constantly getting asked and people are saying how is Michael, why did he come back? People are saying you know why. Saying how is Michael, why did he come back? These people are saying they got you know why. So you're saying it's the. You know that, that having that at that, a good, strong platform, let's let you be better, even better hundred percent.

Speaker 1:

So it can be what I realized the base. So if I will back to being back here when listing a property or or appraising property, a lot of the basics that would be included from, let's just say, letterbox drops, where you list it, you send them out, you sell it, you send it out and you've got constant. It's just like breathing, it's just part of the business. A lot of agencies that's just not even in their top things to do, um, if anything, that's like a big marketing um expenditure or that's a big resource that can take a month to do um, and it's it's not the same as breathing, as I was saying before.

Speaker 1:

So even like a lot of people say, all real estates the same, but there's just such a big difference and I think for myself over the years, not having as much access to the letterbox drops, billboards, the technology side of things we implement, and also just having in the office. Like most real estate offices they don't have a coffee machine. There's a lot of time, they don't even offer water when a customer comes in, and here at nova k2 you've got the, the salami, the coffee shop, so just for clients being able to invite them into the office and they get basically the feel like they're going to their a family member's house for food and drink offering. That's powerful and it's powerful how that makes a client feel as well. So it's a lot of little touch points that are done here which really add up over the months over a campaign. So yeah, over the months over a campaign. So yeah.

Speaker 2:

And is there any? Is there for people that are obviously in a position where you were four or five years ago with leaving Novac? You know, now that you've been around the block, do you think yourself on it was a? Well, I don't know if you call it a sabbatical, I don't know what you call it, but are you happy that you did that? Or you know? Are you happy that you did that? Or you know? Are you like what a crying shame of those four years? Or are you like, thank God, I did those four years to experience what I experienced. You know, are you a better agent for it? I guess that's two questions.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, if I take it from the perspective, I'm doing real estate my whole life. So you've got a 40-year career and I took a three four-year detour to learn to see how some of the other best offices worked. I've got to embrace it. There's definitely some habits I've picked up that will stay with me. Some great people, I met some great agents and there's a lot that I won't take away with and there's a lot that I will. So I'm definitely going to be a better agent for it.

Speaker 1:

If I only looked at it from, like, the financial aspect, any agent tells you they move, you change, like real estate is such a consistency game, like every day showing up, doing the calls, doing the prospecting, and whenever you go on holiday for two weeks or for two months, you change office. There's a disruption in that consistency. So that costs you money. But looking at a long term, it's definitely for the best better agent for it, better experience and I think anyone out there has the same job forever. Like I said, we used the analogy it's your high school sweetheart, where when you hear somebody say they've um been with the same girl since they were teens you often hear especially on on the men's locker room talk side. It's like, oh, you've got to experience other people, you can't just be with the one person for that whole time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it works for some childhood sweethearts and it doesn't work for others, I guess.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, except where I'm very fortunate. Unlike a relationship, if you step out and meet other people, that opportunity is not there when you're waiting. So that saying is the grass green on the other side in the relationship, you can't really jump the fence and go nope, not greener and try and jump back here. You'd be hit with a baseball bat when you jumped back over the fence. Well, I'm very fortunate that I was able to check out the grass and there was a nice big door welcoming me back in.

Speaker 2:

Well, we always stayed buddies. Now I'll ask an evil question Was this planned?

Speaker 1:

No Like to come back or to leave, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Did you go out and work in the best agencies out, in some of the best agencies out there to say I'm going to go out there, get IP and bring it back?

Speaker 1:

Of course, that would make me look like a genius playing the long game. Let's go with that, like you've got your one-year plan, your five-year plan and ten-year plan and it was. I've learned so much from mark, but I need to. I want to keep learning. I need to do something so drastic and and then um, someone threw out there well, you could go work other places and forget about income for three years, but if you're serious about real estate it'd be the long game, so let's go with that way.

Speaker 1:

I still get my best, so maybe subconsciously it was. I don't think I've been obvious.

Speaker 2:

Subliminal, subconsciously subliminal. It was all there, you planned it. Now can you explain the emotion? Because it would have been quite an emotional decision after nine years, ten years working with the agency. What sort of gave you that wriggle to go? I want to go try something else, because other people would be feeling that sometimes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I sort of said it to you over the years, like in hindsight, instead of leaving, I could have maybe just gone on a holiday for three months. I think burnout if you're doing the same thing. We had some massive years, as you said, one commercial agent of the year of New South Wales. We had massive developments. So I think sometimes, once you've done the same thing over and over again, you feel like a change. So, because it wasn't necessarily work while I left, like something done here and then I leave, it was just more lifestyle, everything. So I think some like yeah, I often wonder if I just went on a holiday for three months, if I came back from holidays, would I have stayed or would I still wanted to do that move? I'm not sure. I've constantly thought that, but I think a lot of people could relate to that in their own lives if they've been doing the same job for such a long time and it's starting to get boring or stale and you're like well, what else is out there? Sometimes it is good to do the change and something bigger and greater is there. Or sometimes you're in a great position and then it's well, how do you recognize the grass isn't greener on the other side? That's probably the big question.

Speaker 1:

I think a lot of people would be in with their jobs going well. Would it be better elsewhere, or is it the same thing? Because what's it what? If you ask and what those people often do is, when someone leaves the job you're at, you would then go ask them well, how is it? Is it better now you've left? And, of course, they always say yes, because they don't want to ever say no. I made the wrong decision. I should have stayed. So it's very tough for people and I think you've just got to go through your own journey and look at it pretty honestly. You've just got to go through your own journey and look at it pretty honestly, and I definitely had that just recently where you've got to swallow a bit of ego to come back, I think, from both parts, to be like okay, I probably was. I think I will be better there.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, it's definitely swallowing a bit of ego. There's a journey. One more question before we go when you got home after the first couple of nights, what were the stories that you told about your day? You know where it was like the Novak difference. Where did you go? Ooh, that was good, because you know where it was like the novak difference. Where was it? Where did you go? Oh, that was that was good, because you know, was it the event that we did or was it the? You know what were there? I'm interested to know. Yeah, yeah, there was.