Karen and Corey built the Modern Kiwi Bach back in 2010 hoping to get away most weekends, school holidays, and over the Christmas/New Year period. Fast forward eleven years, and their children are in high school with weekend sport and other commitments which means the bach is used less and less. The family have an annual trip to Canada which they initially wanted to subsidise by renting the bach for the whole of January. However, when COVID came along and overseas travel became difficult, it made financial sense to the family to explore renting out the bach year-round.

The bach sleeps six and is made up of three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s hard to beat the location; not only is it less than 100 metres from the white sandy shores of Waihi Beach, but also just a five-minute walk to the village! You can soak up the sun all day from the front deck, and if that gets too much, there’s also a back deck with outdoor dining and a BBQ.

Karen had previously listed the home on Airbnb and received a few bookings, but quickly realised she didn’t have the time to manage the logistics of a holiday rental. When looking for a full-service property manager, Bachcare appealed to Karen because of the “100% management” approach. Given how much is involved, she finds “the Bachcare service offers great value for money”. Having the local manager was particularly appealing to the family given they live in Auckland.

“To have a service that manages the marketing, bookings, customer communication, holiday house management, cleaning, guests while they are in-house, and a customer service centre for the level of commission is spot on”.

For Karen and Corey, offering their second home up for rent has never been about the money beyond covering expenses. In saying that, they’ve been impressed with the number of bookings they’ve received in just 18 months. In fact, The Modern Kiwi Bach has received 40% more bookings than the average number for Bachcare properties in the Waihi Beach area.

“To have a service that manages the marketing, bookings, customer communication, holiday house management, cleaning, guests while they are in-house, and a customer service centre for the level of commission is spot on”