Love brought Dean Lewisman to Kiama, when his partner Emily wanted to come back to Australia after years overseas as a chef.

For the first six months, while she established Otis, he continued to work on property deals in London, acting as an intermediary to raise development funds for new projects.

“I helped real estate property developers raise funds ahead of their public listings,” he says.

“I raised GBP350 million through my connections the year before I left.

“It was a great business, but after six months of working overnight London time and helping Emily set up our second business, Miss Arda, I realised it just couldn’t do it any more if I wanted to have a life here.”

After time off focusing on their hospitality businesses, and their new baby, Dean is returning to the roots of his twenty year career in real estate by joining South Coast Prestige Properties as an agent.

“I miss the challenge of the industry, and using my negotiating skills,” he says.

“I love going into properties and getting the vibe for how to market them. It’s the uniqueness of the places around here that really excites me.”

Dean's wife Emily also has impressive London experience, having worked for Ottolenghi

Again, love has resulted in Dean choosing to reactivate his career in Kiama, rather than in Sydney.

“Obviously it would be much more like London there, but I want to have more of a work/life balance with my family,” he says.

“And I think this area still has so much potential, given its charm and its proximity to Sydney.

“We love living here.

“Through Otis and Miss Arda we have met so many people, and become part of the community in a a short time. Most of them don’t know I have this background – I’ve very much been supporting Emily.”

Regulations mean that Dean has to complete his qualifications again, despite having sold billions of dollars of property, in London and Cape Town.

“I started working for a property company in London when I was 16 and at 18, in my first year as an agent, I sold GBP125 million of real estate.”

While the market is experiencing a lull at the moment after a red hot boom, Dean says the buyers are still there.

“Over 20 years I’ve seen all sorts of market conditions.

“It’s a time when experience in marketing and negotiating will really count.”