Vince Licata’s path into one of Sydney’s most respected sales teams started a long way from the eastern suburbs’ prestige market.
Raised in the inner west, Vince began in hospitality before landing a reception job at a real estate office at 18. From there he moved to boutique agency PPD as a leasing agent, a role he says shaped everything that followed.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” he says. “I tell anyone who wants to get into the industry that property management is the best start possible. You learn more about legislation, and if you can negotiate a $50 rent increase, you can negotiate a $100,000 price rise.”
Vince has now worked alongside Alexander Phillips for 11 years, but his move into Alexander’s sales team in 2019 almost didn’t happen.
“I nearly left to join a competitor,” he says. “Alex took me for breakfast and told me to be patient. Staying was the best decision I ever made. Within three months I joined his sales team, and over the last seven years I’ve never had a single regret.”
“There are no boundaries at Phillips & Co,” he adds. “It’s very collaborative.”
Vince points to the move from a boutique agency into Ray White’s broader network as a turning point.
“The reach Ray White has is unmatchable,” he says. “The tech makes the consumer experience so much better. It’s speed to market, and it’s easier for everyone involved. I just sent a bulk text message to 2000 people and it was no trouble at all using NurtureCloud.”
The network’s history matters to him too.
“I love the history behind Ray White, how Ray started the business in Crows Nest in Queensland as a young man in 1902,” he says. “Ray was a self-made man, and I love knowing the business started like that.”
The results have followed. The team recently sold 6 Brassie Street, North Bondi, for $5.71 million. The unrenovated family home attracted three local buyers, including two from the team’s own database, after just 12 days on the market. The sellers were downsizing after 50 years in the house.
Looking ahead, Vince says conditions remain challenging.
“Stock is tight, but the last four weeks have been slightly better,” he says. “This is the new normal. We currently have some great properties and our owners are taking our advice. We’re working three times harder to get the same result.”