An n entrepreneur who grew up in public housing and almost didn’t finish high school is celebrating the completion of his dream home valued at more than $22million.
Emil Juresic, a 45-year-old property developer, moved to as a 16-year-old refugee from Croatia.
In November 2023, he finished building his luxurious 1,400-sqm home in Indooroopilly, Brisbane.
Despite barely finishing year 12, Juresic built a successful career in property, media, and finance, which allowed him to purchase his dream home.
He credits the property as the culmination of years of hard work toward his financial goals, having grown up in an 80-sqm housing commission home.
Today, his primary role is as the CEO and founder of the NGU Real Estate Group, while he also oversees a multi-million dollar property portfolio.
‘When I came to with my family as a refugee, all I ever did – and do – is work. I work seven days a week,’ he told RealEstate.com.au last year.
‘Business, money in the bank, shares – all that you can’t feel. We wanted to build a resort so all the hard work, we can feel it, we can see it.’
The home boasts five lavish bedrooms, eight spa-like bathrooms, and a six-car garage, complemented by a private office and multiple entertaining zones.
A dedicated wellness wing includes a state-of-the-art day spa with a fully equipped commercial gym, along with a cryotherapy unit, a custom-designed ice bath, a steam room, and a sauna.
There’s also an 18-metre pool, a humified wine cellar and a hidden panic room.
He has hired former MasterChef contestant Christina Laker as the family’s full-time private chef.
In his garage sits his impressive car collection that includes a Lamborghini Aventador, a Lamborghini Huracan, and his ‘everyday car,’ a Bentley GT sedan.
Reflecting on his journey on social media, Juresic said: ‘Thirty years ago, I arrived in as a 15-year-old refugee with my mum, dad, and brother.
‘We were simply grateful for safety, clean water, electricity, and food on the table. gave us the opportunity for a great life, and I embraced it wholeheartedly.
‘Over these 30 years, I’ve experienced ups and downs, hard work, laughter, happiness, and the joy of building and exiting two businesses, along with many successful ventures we own today.’
Mr Juresic also offered some advice for other young Aussies hoping to get ahead.
‘The most important lessons I’ve learned are to stay true to yourself, trust a few, and believe that anything is possible,’ he said in an interview with job app Getahead.
‘With a strong mind and big dreams, you can achieve anything, even starting with nothing.’
He also mentioned that university isn’t the right path for every young Aussie.
‘I’m definitely not as educated as some people are.
‘University, I guess, is good for people; one of the things they’re going to get out of it is discipline – they have to go start something and finish it.
‘But everything I have made so far has been from crazy hard work.’
Mr Juresic said that young ns can learn valuable lessons from everyone they meet in their daily lives.
‘Whoever you meet every single day, even if you’re talking to somebody who’s not a good person, what can you learn from him or her? Well, how not to be like them.
‘So to me, “mentor” is every person that I meet on a daily basis.’