The unpredictability of the real estate industry is what keeps The Professionals' director Terry Clarke coming back for more.
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The 80-year-old real estate veteran notches up 40 years selling property in Bendigo this month, after joining the industry when he was 40 years old.
Growing up in Heathcote as one of five boys, Mr Clarke's family moved to Bendigo in 1950.
"Heathcote was a small, rural town and we lived next to the school," Mr Clarke said.
"It was pretty difficult to wag school, but we had a great lifestyle.
Mr Clarke said his parents relocated to Bendigo so he and his four brothers and three sisters could get a better education.
Real estate wasn't Mr Clarke's first calling, working in the laboratory of Bendigo's Kia Ora food processing factory when he was 18 years old.
"Kia Ora produced soups and tomato sauce in Bendigo for eons," he said.
"I had just purchased a house and the company was bought by American investors who moved it to Shepparton, but I opted to stay in Bendigo."
Mr Clarke's career swiftly shifted into the fast lane, as he and his brothers managed the Golden City International Raceway.
"The raceway was the biggest in Australia and we used to get a lot of overseas drivers running motorcycles, saloons and stock cars," he said.
A decision to sell that business after 20 years is when Mr Clarke traded fast cars for hot property.
Starting out at Mullins and Murray in 1980, Mr Clarke said the real estate industry has changed tremendously since he got his break.
"When I started in the industry there was literally no real estate training," he said.
"I was told to wait until somebody walked through the door, to put them in my car and spin them around town.
Nowadays, Mr Clarke said training, technology and legislative changes are better buyers, vendors and the industry.
He is currently living on a 20-acre property he built five years ago in Ravenswood with his wife Beverley.
"You'll often find me on the ride-on mower or fixing fences," he said.
"When I do get to relax, I enjoy the company of my family," he said.
Mr Clarke and his wife Beverley have six children, 12 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
A career in real estate is attractive to anyone with the right temperament and that's what's kept Mr Clarke in the industry for four decades.
"You never know who will walk through the door, but patience is key," he said.
