My story

Seven years ago my family made the move you're thinking about now. We came from Asheville, North Carolina to Hawke's Bay — my husband, our three boys, and me — and landed on the 7th of December. Everything felt familiar and completely foreign at once. The hardest part was learning where everything was — familiar routines were suddenly very challenging.

Our first rental was a bach in Haumoana, a lovely little beach town — and that first winter was a huge adjustment. It was cold. We'd lived in a log cabin in North Carolina with regular snow and ice — but this house was drafty. You could feel the breeze inside: cold air streaming through the older windows, and the walls felt paper thin. We learned to keep the fire going overnight, how to use a hottie, and to live in wool layers. That's exactly the kind of thing I now help families see before they sign.

A friend who'd gone into real estate wanted me to join her — I said I'd rather help families moving here from overseas; I had so much more lived experience with that. What I love most is the settling in: watching someone start to relax, helping you find your coffee place, the local hangouts, the spots that make a place feel like yours. I named it The Assist because I played basketball at university — the assist is the ultimate stat, the team player always looking to help someone else succeed.