Christchurch agent Jiby Thomas has gone from chef whites to closing deals, quickly establishing himself as one of Ray White Metro City’s top performers. Since starting in real estate in 2019, he has sold more than 100 properties a year and written over $1 million in fees, with his business on track to double that figure this year.
In an interview with Ray White Semaphore principal Bianca Denham, Jiby said real estate was never his first plan.
After moving to New Zealand from Kerala, India, at 18, he initially studied and worked as a chef before deciding on a different path.
“I came to New Zealand when I was 18 to study chefing. I worked a couple of years as a chef, and I was looking for the next thing,” he said.
That next thing was property.
“I searched highest-paid sales job, and real estate came up, and I decided to give it a crack,” Jiby said.
Within just 10 days of starting, he listed his first property on his ninth call, and by the end of his first year had achieved Premier status.
To build momentum, he targeted private sellers on Trade Me.
“My business grew rapidly by focusing on low-hanging fruit, such as private sellers I found on Trade Me. I developed a confident and effective script for these calls,” he said.
The approach led to consistent early listings and gave him the platform to move into working with builders and developers.
That shift transformed his business model. Jiby now manages a portfolio that includes new builds and subdivisions, including one with 900 sections.
“I picked the development hard because all the other agents were going for the other hard. Less competition in this spot,” he said.
Running at such scale has required a team behind him. Jiby works with a personal assistant who handles marketing and administration, and a sales associate who shares open home duties.
Last weekend alone, his team ran 21 open homes.
Marketing has also been central to his success.
From the outset, Jiby invested heavily in video and social media, guided by lessons from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crushing It.
“I always ran my business like a business. I was putting so much money into it. Probably around 10 per cent of revenue into marketing,” he said.
“I hardly prospect now. They almost come to me.”
His personal story underpins the drive. Jiby left home at 18 with his parents taking out a mortgage to pay his tuition.
“I didn’t really have much options to contemplate with. I had to make it work,” he said.
Today, alongside his sales business, he is also a property developer with multiple units under construction, choosing to rent his own home so all his capital can go into projects.
Despite the pace, he insists success isn’t about winning titles.
“I don’t want to be number one, number two. I’m not into the race. I just want to do better than what I was doing yesterday. As long as I hit my goals, I’m happy,” he said.
For Jiby, the formula is simple: hard work, reinvestment, and focus.
“The hard work can’t be replaced,” he said. “Real estate is a very rewarding industry if you put in the work.”
