Following a strong period of national activity, Senior Associate Zack has been a core driver of Costi Cohen’s development pipeline this financial year. Since July he has contributed to more than $106,000,000 in commercial transactions with a focus on development, mixed-use and strategic metropolitan infill sites across the eastern and western seaboard.
Now in his sixth year in the industry, Zack has been involved in more than $700,000,000 worth of commercial transactions throughout his career. The scale and calibre of work he is consistently exposed to has placed him firmly in the upper tier of agents in his category. Zack describes this year as the start of a new level of “One of the standout moments this year was a DA approved duplex site in Bellevue Hill purchased for $9,851,000. Designed by Arkhaus with an additional CDC approval for a luxury home, the property went to auction and was fiercely contested with six active bidders right to the end. Even in that environment we were able to control the process. Our auction strategy gave the client a clear advantage and allowed us to secure the asset below their initial price cap.” We are now exclusively engaged to acquire between $80,000,000 and $100,000,000 worth of dual occupancy sites across blue chip areas including the Eastern Suburbs and the Lower North Shore.
Another memorable deal was 21–23 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista, a rare 10,200sqm parcel of vacant land in the Norwest precinct. Sites of this scale almost never remain available, with the majority already developed or tightly held by long term owners. The property was taken to market in the early $20 millions and we secured it at $19,900,000 at a rate of $1,950 per square metre. This was the third acquisition we have secured for the client, an owner occupier with a clear brief and a defined operational requirement.
Director Tas Costi says Zack’s trajectory reflects the environment he has grown within. “Zack has become a development specialist,” Tas said. “He consistently performs at a level where decisions matter and where he is trusted to lead parts of the process that most agents do not see for years. When you build that into someone early their growth curve looks completely different.”
For Zack, the drive has always been the pace and the level of outcome. “You have to know your markets and understand how developers think. When you are exposed to that every day you develop quickly because the work demands it.” He says this year has introduced exposure to larger clients including prominent national operators along with a record number of completed transactions that have refined both his judgement and capability.
As Costi Cohen expands across Victoria and Queensland, Zack sees the next year as an opportunity to build on the foundations he has set. “The volume of development activity in those markets is huge,” he said. “If you want to grow this is where you do it. You are exposed to bigger briefs, stronger competition and the type of deals that shape your career.”