Mr Hodson's successful real estate career began in 1991 after he was made redundant in his previous job.

"I was working for a stock broking firm and they were bought out. There was a duplication of positions, so my position was made redundant. I had to hit the streets and look for a new job," he said.

"I wandered into a real estate agent and they had a job going. That's how I started in the industry."

Mr Hodson has moved around in his time but his roots have always remained in Lithgow, where both himself and his mother were born.

"We lived here as a family until I was about four-years-old. We then moved to Goulburn. Then from Goulburn to Sydney. So I grew up in Western Sydney," he said.

Even though he wasn't always physically there, Lithgow remained Mr Hodson's home.

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Following the tragic loss of his mother, he made the decision to take his career back to his hometown.

"I lost her back in 2010. About 12 months after that I just had this urge to do a full circle. This lead me back to Lithgow and establishing the business in 2013," he said.

Even a decade ago, Mr Hodson could see Lithgow's housing market was full of untapped potential.

"Other than wanting to do a full circle, one of the things I felt about the Lithgow market back in those days was that it was undervalued," he said.

"I'd spent a bit of time visiting regional towns in the couple of years leading up to making the move back. I enjoyed the regional town feel."

One of the things Mr Hodson loves most about working in real estate in Lithgow is the people.

The post-COVID market has brought with it a variety of clients with a variety of needs. Despite the variety, these people all have one thing in common: they want to make the Lithgow region their home.

According to Mr Hodson, Lithgow's current market is moving at a steady pace.

"The current market is still travelling along okay. There was a slow down with the federal election," he said.

"We still aren't seeing the level of stock come into the market that we might traditionally see, even for this time of year where it does quieten down a bit.

"I think personally, Lithgow still represents great bang for your buck in comparison to other markets," he said.

Lithgow, like many other regions, has been a hotspot for those seeking a different lifestyle as we transition into a post-pandemic world, according to Mr Hodson.

"I think post-COVID we've come to the realisation that you can be employed by a major employer in a metropolitan area, but still work remotely from an area like Lithgow," he said.

"I think that's one of the things that has pushed our market along. I'm a bit biased, I just think it's a great place to live."

Mr Hodson recently rebranded, resulting in the first Lithgow office for real estate franchise Laing+Simmons.

He believes that Lithgow's market will benefit under Laing+Simmons due to their ability to keep up with real estate technology.

"Real estate is one of those industries that is changing with technology all the time. [Laing+Simmons] keep good pace with technology which means that we are going to be able to make a higher level of service," Mr Hodson said.

Laing+Simmons opened up on June 1 at the previous Richardson and Wrench office.

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