Rebecca Hartley-Smith

Some people don't view the world in the same way as the rest of us. They're like Rebecca Hartley-Smith.

Rebecca is a professional photographer, and like all those who pursue that artform for a living she sees everyday things most people don't notice. It's an attribute that'll serve her well in her new calling.

Jane Simonson asked Rebecca to join partly because of that eye for detail, an innate trait that will see properties in ways that benefit both sellers and buyers.

The kind of photography Rebecca does is also particularly relevant - she captures weddings. It's a world that brings families and friends together for occasions of great happiness and optimism, perfectly aligned with a successful real estate agent's other required attribute: liking people.

"That describes me," she says. "I've always liked people. I grew up in Taranaki, a community that puts a lot of emphasis on people."

Rebecca's initial job was in the advertising department at Taranaki Newspapers Ltd, where she first met Jane. She next went into the events industry, working in ticketing at the TSB Showplace. "I'd also started my wedding photography business and eventually that grew to the point where it was fulltime by 2010.

Real estate found her, or more exactly, Jane Simonson did. Rebecca says Jane's enthusiasm and experience quickly convinced her to jump into the world of real estate.

"An hour in a room with Jane and I realised it was what I should be doing. It’s such a passionate industry and I wanted to be a part of it”.

"I don't think I would have gone into it anywhere else - I loved the energy, the passion, the embracing of new technology and approaches. It helped that I was coming from an industry based on the same thing.

Rebecca is a wine writer and photographer. She has an online wine blog that attracted the attention of wine companies on the hunt for a new style of tasting notes.

"It's fun," she says. "I write about wine from an experience point of view. I'm not qualified as an expert, so I take a more accessible approach, and make it fun.

For such reasons, she won't be giving up photography completely, nor her wine reviews: "Those are my creative outlets. They're things I enjoy. For me, real estate looks like it will be the same."