Costa you are to be commended for the service you provided throughout the whole process of the sale of our apartment in Balaclava. I must say I was impressed from our first meeting to which you came prepared and demonstrated your passion and knowledge of the market and how to run a campaign. Everything you said you would deliver you followed through with and your openness and advice through the process was refreshing. The auction was managed so professionally, I felt supported and prepared for the day and felt comfortable with the approach we took on the day. Costa you are a superstar and I would recommend you to anybody I know a hundred times over. Professional, charismatic, knowledgeable and progressive in your approach. Thank you for everything and thank you for making the experience so smooth, you are the best! Mirna

When we decided to sell our St Kilda apartment we selected Hocking Stuart to manage the campaign. From the beginning we found the team to be knowledgeable and personable. Costa had recently sold a property across the road with great success, so we felt comfortable that we were dealing with an agent who knew the area well and could achieve good results. Throughout the campaign Costa's communication was excellent; we always received timely updates following the open for inspections, and any questions we had were promptly answered. We felt Costa worked very hard to show all prospective purchasers through the property, and felt confident when it came to auction day that the campaign had been a success with all potential buyers having been reached. The auction results spoke for themselves; the apartment sold for well above our reserve! It was a pleasure dealing with Costa Karabatsos; I have no hesitation in recommending Costa and the Hocking Stuart St Kilda team.

Before I have decided to sell my property I have done extensive market research around the area. I went through Local Agent Finder, made enquires however somewhat, I wasn’t really satisfied. I made contact with Costa after I’ve seen impressive sell result next door of similar property which I have closely monitored for some time. I have meet many real estate agents through the selection process which was very exhausting to be honest. I was looking for the “honesty” and “drive” in real estate agent. Costa was the only one who haven’t made a single error from the first day we meet. At that moment , I knew that we are on the same page. He is young, honest , hardworking and extremely driven. His only motivation is to succeed and provide the best service and result regardless it is the auction or private sale. My auction did not go according to plan which sometimes does happen no matter how hard we try however three days later he called me into his office and did present me with two signed offers . The 1st one was already impressive however the 2nd one was seriously way beyond my wildest expectations! He did it all in just three days after auction!!!! He is the one of the best young talents in real-estate out there. I am so glad for choosing him. I would call it luck!

My auction campaign ran smoothly which ended in a great result. I was very busy and everything was handled for me which was a big help. Very happy.

We put our fate in the hands of Sam Annan and Costa Karabatsos for the sale of two properties -- an aging home and a rental flat. The results they delivered on the first auction proved outstanding. The second auction reflected a cooler market but their know-how in tackling unfavourable odds proved a saving God-sent, securing the amount we needed to relocate without having to take out a complementary loan. In both cases, Costa’s thorough ground work and Sam’s superb handling of each particular situation made a capital difference in many ways. We valued their understanding and flexibility regarding terms of service and payments, and over the 5 months of our association with them, their comprehensive marketing approach, their ideas advice and suggestions with preparation of the properties, their dedication to give best service value, and last but not least, the growing confidence we gained in their integrity and genuine commitment to helping us. Looking back on this time we walked and worked together to achieve a good result, I cannot but see how fortunate we have been in selecting this professional team, for they did not just meet our expectations, they astonished us and surpassed them. Marc Brunet

Hocking Stuart ( St Kilda office ) have shown an incredible level of empathy to me during a very trying time over a long period. Initially, only needing a value on my property, Hocking Stuart were one of three. When it came time to put my house on the market, I went straight back to Hocking Stuart. No competition. I was so impressed by their first contact. I was especially impressed by the follow up from Costa Karabatsos throughout the year it took me to make up my mind to sell. I was very nervous about the whole prospect, Costa very calmly and patiently walked me through the whole thing, and was always available to talk to. In the end - it was like a dream ! I could not believe how easily it all happened. Bravo Costa - and thank you so much.

I recently listed my property for sale in St Kilda. I called 3 local agents for an appraisal. Costa was the only agent that provided me a clear overview of how my proposed campaign would run over the 4 weeks which he stuck to. I was adamant on running an Auction Campaign which we not the norm amongst the block. Costa supported this idea and gave great advice on how to proceed with the campaign in terms of advertising & tools used to entice perspective buyers. I must say I was initially concerned by Costa's age & experience in the area but I was proven wrong very early on! Costa without hesitation was the best agent for my property. He went above & beyond what any other agent would have done. I consider myself quite a high maintenance vendor but Costa took it in his stride. He is very well trained and has a great support network in his office. It was the best decision that I made to list Costa as my agent! When it came time for negotiating my sale price Costa made sure that I was happy with the result and did not try and pressure me to sign for a deal that I was not comfortable with. He was very realistic and honest with his opinions. I was extremely impressed with his follow up. After every inspection, he would call me on his way to his next appointment to give me an overview of the buyers that came through. I also received a very detailed report each Monday evening with more information about the current buyers that have come through and their feedback on the property. All the feedback rang true and he was one step ahead at every turn. I will miss reading this report!! There was even issues with the Owners Corporation being uncooperative with my campaign which he handled with professionalism. I would recommend Costa to anyone looking at selling their investment. Although not the cheapest in costs, one must remember the value & commitment offered. There is a reason they stand by their prices - as they know they are worth it! Thanks again Costa! Brilliant job

Costa Karabatsos was brilliant to deal with as we had personal circumstances that meant, we needed to rely on Costa over and beyond what would be required of an agent. Costa always went the extra distance, was helpful, polite and a true professional. Costa, very evidently, is passionate about what he is doing and this was obvious in the many dealings I was able to witness and experience first hand. Presentation of himself and assistance with our property, and a welcoming personality to people attending inspections, and help so that our home looked at it's best, along with detailed knowledge acquired if our property, lead to a great result in the auction of our unit in Westbury Street. Costa was nothing less as a representative of Hocking Stuart as expected and this company has a very fine reputation within our suburb. Costa was a delight to deal with and he really deserves a good critique as he really did everything he could to help us. Enthusiasm and a positive approach were consistent and this helped our great result. Thank you Costa and the team at Hocking Stuart.

Thank you Costa for organising the right buyers for my property to get a great price on my property!

I would highly recommend Costa, he's a great communicator, really took the time to understand our needs and answer our questions and is an AWESOME negotiator - very happy with the price we achieved.

We were very satisfied with the excellent service provided by Costa. From the time the property was given to HockingStuart to sell on our behalf through to the actual selling of our Townhouse at auction we were impressed by the high quality and professional nature of the service and assistance provided. We were kept fully informed throughout the process of selling about matters of importance, and were impressed by the transparency and well informed advice given at all stages. We highly recommend Costa to anyone who wishes to sell their house.

My wife Suzi and I wish to express our sincere gratitude to John, Costa and the team at Hocking Stuart St. Kilda in the sale of our apartment on Carlisle Street. Living three hours away in central Victoria and running a business should have posed problems for us in organising our apartment to be in perfect order to sell but John and Costa did all the work for us. The apartment was painted, had new carpets electrical work and rented furniture organised by John all without us having to go to Melbourne. After each open day either John or Costa would ring us to let us know about the day including numbers and potential buyer feedback. John's advice was invaluable and was the reason at auction we succeed in selling our property for a price well above our expectations. Again thank you guys very much for all you did for us. Glenn and Suzi.