Columnist Craig Orr reaches new heights with the Mt Everest Challenge

Our Bayleys columnist is hitting new heights at work and play, and has ideas for how you can too.

Well, I did it! I officially conquered the More FM Mt Everest Challenge, and I’m stoked to be able to say that I raised more than $1000 for St John. Climbing the Mount 38 times in 50 days was so tough that I gave myself two weeks off walking up any kind of hill afterwards.

We’re so lucky to have Mauao Mt Maunganui to exercise on. I love the way it sits proudly at the end of the peninsula and has such an amazing presence to it. My seven-year-old daughter was one of my best supporters. She has a real competitive streak and would join me walking up the Mount a couple of times each week, often picking a fellow climber halfway up and trying to beat them to the summit. I made it my mission to beat my best time of 13 minutes from the base to the top. I ended up 11 seconds off it! But I definitely felt my fitness improve.

I recruited some of my colleagues to join me for the odd climb and managed to get a few other mates up off the couch. Overall, it was super fun and a fulfilling experience – particularly the mental challenge and camaraderie. I’d highly recommend anyone considering tackling it next year to go for it.

Speaking of the couch, my wife Natasha and I have recently finished some exciting home renovations at our place at the Mount. We’ve just had a pool dropped in, and added a cabana and done up the deck. It completely opens up our property and stretches out to our neighbour’s. We feel really lucky to be part of such a cool neighbourhood.

Tash and I lived here before we had our daughters, and we’ve always loved it. Investing in our first house in Bethlehem was a big step. It was a big home with plenty of space inside, but two years ago we found a 1960s-style home at the Mount and couldn’t resist getting back to beach life.

Our kids don’t seem to mind having less space – they’re happy being by the beach, the mountain and their friends. It’s super convenient and offers a really relaxed lifestyle. I’ve enjoyed getting involved in my daughters’ school, establishing local friendships, giving back and feeling like we’re part of the community.

At Bayleys, I’ve just had the biggest month ever. I’m 10 years into marketing properties for sale and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’m a bit of a late bloomer in terms of my career trajectory, as I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was about 35. Real estate was always of interest, but it wasn’t until I took the leap that I realised how much of a passion it was. I just love helping make people’s dreams become reality.

We’ve been in a really buoyant market recently, but it feels like it’s beginning to cool slightly. With a short supply of options for potential vendors to purchase and a tight market, replacing housing stock can be challenging. That’s why winter’s the perfect time for people considering selling to take that step, because there’s less competition.

I’ve been sharing some videos about open homes and the market on my Instagram page, so have a look for the inside scoop. I do free market appraisals, so if you’re curious as to what your place is worth, give me a shout and I’ll be happy to help.

Column: Craig Orr shares his secrets to property success

Growing up, my family had a bach at the Mount on Oceanview Road, so we’d escape Hamilton and spend our summers here by the beach. But it wasn’t until I met my wife Natasha not long after I moved back to New Zealand from Perth that I finally moved to the Bay for good. Tash was working at clothing store Augustine, and one day I went in there with my sister and son Duke (now 11), who was two at the time. It was instant fireworks. Now Tash and I are raising our daughters, Estelle (7) and Ivy (3), while Duke, a budding surfer, lives in Jan Juc in Victoria. Safe to say I’m itching to see him when the trans-Tasman bubble gets going! 

Being in real estate with Bayleys means I have the flexibility to be there for my kids a bit more. I live for the mornings when we scooter to school and kindy. It’s that close-knit-village feel of our city that makes it such a fantastic place to work and raise a family. 

I started as a lifestyle-property agent but naturally moved into residential property through referrals and as my family-minded clients moved around, selling their properties to upgrade or downsizing after their kids had moved out. I cover much of Tauranga and the outskirts, from the Mount to Waihi Beach, but you’ll often find me in Omanu, Te Puna and Tauriko. The best part is I’ve made some really good friends working in the business. I even attended the wedding of some great clients who recently got married on the Te Puna property I sold them.
People buy from agents they trust, and I can tell almost instantly how a buyer feels about a home. You can sense it – and that’s the key to being a great agent. 

Just the other week, I had a woman wanting to buy a property I’d listed, but she needed to sell hers first. We got it on the market for her and sold it within a week. To help someone make the move they want to make in a stress-free, positive way is what it’s all about. 

As a former landscaper, part of what I bring to the table is my hands-on experience in making a home more liveable when it comes to the backyard. In the Bay of Plenty, so many of us live outside, so I can help clients see how to create the ideal outdoor spaces. 

In my twenties, I moved to Western Australia to play semi-professional rugby in the coastal suburb of Cottesloe. It was through the club I met a French stonemason and learned the ropes. That led me to setting up my own landscape construction business alongside a friend and carpenter. We grew it into a successful business, but in 2011, after 15 years, it was time for me to come home. The shift got me thinking about how long I wanted to stay on the tools, and after chatting with my good friend Stephen Shale – a Bayleys auctioneer who was then manager of Bayleys Waikato – I was motivated to follow my passion into property, where I’m proud to say I’ve been for nine years.

I also couldn’t do it all without my personal assistant, Corinne Littlejohn. You need to work as a team and she’s my backbone.

On weekdays, you can find me heading up the Mount with my phone torch at dusk. In the weekends, between open homes, I get down to the beach with the kids and out on my surfboard whenever I can. That’s the thing about living here – you can have a busy day, but the minute you head up the Mount or hit the sand, it all just washes away.