Cristina Casares has really found her feet since she switched careers from computer animation for some of Hollywood’s top-rated franchises to selling real estate in Auckland’s Ponsonby. The Argentinian-born agent has consistently been one of Ray White’s top agents, and has been in the company’s top 2% internationally.
Q: What did you do before real estate?
I was a computer animator in the film industry for many years. I did computer graphics and graphic design while I was at school in Buenos Aires and a degree in art direction, and then I studied 3D animation in Vancouver, Canada. After that, I worked in animation in the United States and Argentina, and then New Zealand. I was a senior producer for Nickleodeon and one of the things I worked on was the TV series Penguins of Madagascar. I also did advertising and TV commercials and for the last four years of my career, I worked in games.
Q: What brought you to New Zealand?
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After The Lord of the Rings, 3D animation was in the shortlist of skills for people to come to New Zealand, and I was offered a job. I said I would come for a year, maybe two. I am still here 20 years later. I fell in love with the country. I like to be in touch with nature so New Zealand is perfect for me. Buenos Aires is a big city that is overpopulated and polluted, and I also grew up in big cities in Brazil, so I love that Auckland has culture like theatres and museums, but you are also very close to beaches and parks. Every time I return to New Zealand when I have been away, even when I go to Argentina to see my family, I think of coming to New Zealand as coming home.
Q: What made you change careers?
I wanted a job with more flexible hours, where I could meet more people. As an animation producer, you are inside all the time looking at a screen. I was working very long hours – when we had deadlines I would work until 11 o’clock at night, or sometimes until 3 o’clock in the morning. And I would be stuck inside with no idea if it was sunny or rainy outside. I also wanted to be able to meet more people – I am a very sociable person – and to be more flexible for my kids. Sometimes I would go home, have dinner with my kids, put them to bed and then go back to work.
One day my son was giving a speech at his school assembly and getting a prize and I had to start work at 6am so I could leave at 3.30pm to be there. I felt bad about that, and after that I thought, I can’t do this anymore. I need to be there for my kids.
Q: Why did you choose real estate?
At the time I had a partner who worked in real estate and I could see that it was a good job. I would see every time my partner sold a house he would have something to celebrate. There was the reward of helping someone to find the right property, and being part of someone’s dream. In animation, you could work on a project for two years and not be able to celebrate until it was released.
Casares pushes herself to the limits on the water. Photo / Supplied
So I decided to try real estate, and when I decide to get into something, I get fully into it. As I was getting my licence I started researching the top agents in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. I contacted them and said, “What do you do? Why are you successful?” I kind of made my own recipe of the best things from each of them.
Q: What kind of advice did they give you?
The tips included things like having a good database and how to stay in touch with people.
One person who was very inspiring was Nadja Court of Barfoots on the North Shore. She told me about her system, and how she does a lot of community work. She said you have to be seen locally and engage with people. She has been a really good mentor to me and is now one of my best friends.
Q: Did it take a while to get established, or did you hit the ground running?
In my first week in real estate a friend said to me, “Cris, I want you to sell my house,” which was very lucky. I got a pre-auction offer for it and sold it within a week. So that was my start. I was at Barfoot & Thompson then and in my first year in real estate I was in the top 10 of all Barfoot agents in Auckland. I have now been with Ray White for three years and have kept growing.
Q: Were any of your skills from your previous job transferrable?
My background helped me with the digital side of things. I have very good systems, and very good digital marketing. I am very good with technology and also with social media. For a while I had my own studio and I got used to running my own business which is helpful when it came to real estate because it is like a business within a business.
Q: Why do you think you have been so successful?
I think it’s because I really connect with people and genuinely listen to what they want. I am very straight up and transparent, and people know they can trust me.
Casares and her friends cook for the homeless: "We call ourselves Ladies Who Cook." Photo / Fiona Goodall
I always make the effort to be very informed about everything. I learn all about the properties in the area and what they have sold for; I follow economists so I have really good information about the economy and the property market. I have read what Tony Alexander [former BNZ chief economist] has said for years so I can quote him to my clients and say, “This is what is happening with the market and these facts and figures come from experts.”
Q: What do you love about your job?
I love the people I meet, and getting to help them, and being part of what is such an important decision in their lives. For example, I had a client who wanted to sell their house to buy a boat and go travelling around the world. It was a great auction and sold for $200,000 over what I had appraised it for. They were so happy because it meant they could get a bigger boat, and because they are travelling with two children that extra space was important. I am following them on Instagram and seeing where they go around the world. I love having been a part of that.
Q: What do you do outside of real estate?
I love to spend time with my children, although they are not children anymore. My daughter is 21 and still at home and my son is 23 and flatting with his girlfriend.
The big thing I do in my spare time is windsurfing. Because my job is flexible I can arrange my time to take two or three hours off during the day to go windsurfing. It takes me 20 minutes to get from my home in Grey Lynn to Takapuna and then I am out on the water and sailing around Rangitoto. Being close to the sea makes me feel connected to nature and that helps to recharge me, which is important for my job. I compete in windsurfing, often against people who are much younger than me and training for the Olympics. I try to keep up with them so that keeps me fit. I realised I needed to start running to get a bit of cardio and I find that being fit and healthy helps with my job because I need to have a clear mind.
One thing I do every morning is meditation. I’ve tried all different sorts of meditation techniques but the best one is where you concentrate on your breath. It sets me up for the day and is a great tool for life.
The other thing that is really important to me is work for the community.
Q: What community work do you do?
During the first lockdown a group of my friends decided to feed the homeless. Every Thursday we went to one of my friends’ houses where we would all cook then put the food in containers and take it to the Aotea Centre to hand out to the homeless people there. As the group got bigger it became difficult with all of us and one stove so now we have moved to the Grey Lynn Community Centre. My cooking skills are not great so I provide the fresh, in season vegetables.
Now we do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays and cook the food, which is made from good, healthy ingredients, at home first before going to the City Mission. It has evolved so much we now have some donated food, like muffins and bread, and we are raising money so we can provide more. Sadly, the homeless community seems to have grown, I guess because of the way the economy is at the moment, but it is good to be able to help where we can. My friends used to meet up once in a while for lunch so we called ourselves Ladies Who Lunch. Now we call ourselves Ladies Who Cook.
