From Music to Real Estate – The Story of Achilleas Pitoulias

Achilleas Pitoulias is the founder of the real estate consultancy company Greco Casa and the Sales Manager for one of the largest residential complexes in Bucharest – Aqua City. Achilleas is Greek but has been living in Romania for 9 years. He has turned his passion for connecting with people into a business that bridges the two countries in terms of real estate, investors, and business in general.

C&B: Describe your activities!
Achilleas Pitoulias: I am the sales manager of the residential complex Aqua City, a real estate project consisting of nearly 2000 apartments built on an area of 7 hectares, very close to Lake Morii in Bucharest. At the same time, I am developing a company that facilitates Romanians’ access to properties in Greece. It is a service that has not existed in Romania until now and is very necessary because real estate transactions in Greece are very different from those in Romania – primarily due to the complex and constantly changing legislation.

C&B: What is the story of your evolution?
Achilleas Pitoulias: My professional life did not initially involve real estate. I studied at the Conservatory in Thessaloniki and Corso, Greece. Nine years ago, I came to Romania. Because my family’s business was in real estate, I underwent intensive “retraining” in this field. Luckily, real estate turned out to be a perfect fit for me: I enjoy communicating with people, being connected to the city, and everything it offers. I started as a sales agent and later became the sales manager of the Aqua City project – one of the largest real estate projects in Bucharest. In the meantime, I was drawn to entrepreneurship, and leveraging my Greek origin, I developed Greco Casa – a real estate consultancy company dedicated to property transactions in Greece.

C&B: What were your childhood/adolescent visions, and what are they now?
Achilleas Pitoulias: When I was young, I wanted to become a musician because my mother was a music teacher, and all my childhood activities were related to music. A journey to China changed my life and revealed and developed my entrepreneurial skills. In Romania, my circle of friends was related to real estate, so this area greatly attracted me, and I believe my effort and talent are concentrated here. I want to make Greco Casa a well-known brand for seriousness and efficiency in property acquisitions in Greece.

C&B: What are the principles you apply in life and in your work?
Achilleas Pitoulias: The principle that guides me in life and profession is generosity. I believe you should be kind and generous whenever you have the opportunity. I believe that every human interaction, every experience, brings something good into your life – it teaches you something.

C&B: Have pandemics, economic crises influenced your activity?
Achilleas Pitoulias: Definitely. The real estate industry has halved, but I had the opportunity to launch Greco Casa, my own business. Additionally, even during the pandemic, I managed to sell apartments quite well, which ensured me an income. The same cannot be said for my friends in the music industry, for whom that period was very tough.

C&B: Can you share funny situations from your activity?
Achilleas Pitoulias: Although I speak Romanian quite well, I am not a native speaker, and sometimes my expressions create amusing situations. It happened even in an interview where I said, “The recent years have been impacted by crisis, pandemic, business decline…everything looks good, growth.”

C&B: You’re facing a potential client/partner or employer. What’s the phrase that convinces them?
Achilleas Pitoulias: There’s no magic phrase. It takes a mood to convince. You need to listen to the client, see what interests them, and formulate your speech according to their interests. You have to listen and synchronize with the client, speak their language.

C&B: What advice do you have for those at the beginning or undecided?
Achilleas Pitoulias: Every beginning is difficult, but if they have a dream, they should pursue it with perseverance, not stopping at the smallest obstacle. It’s better to make mistakes trying than not to try at all.

C&B: What is your opinion about society and its evolution?
Achilleas Pitoulias: The extraordinary development of technology in the last 20 years has allowed access to information of any kind: better or less good. Society has also evolved based on the type of information and experience it has been exposed to: better or less good. I believe Romania needs more civic education, exposure to true values, not the false values that are promoted everywhere today. Otherwise, we risk seeing success evaluated solely in terms of money, and that can affect the development of true values.