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.

Costa is very enthusiastic , client focussed and a pleasure to work with.

Thank you Costa for your hard work and commitment in selling my property. You were punctual, courteous and delivered when needed.

Costa was very professional and easy to talk to. We listened to his advice and took the action he suggested. He had our best interests at heart and held out for the price we were after, which we finally got. He always had a positive approach and is a very dedicated salesperson. I would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends.