- Hayley and Chris Bath sold their Wellington home to a young family from Melbourne.
- The family wrote a heartfelt letter, winning over the Baths with their story and photos.
- The Baths bought the cottage for $670,000 in 2018 and sold it for above $1.13m.
A heartfelt letter from a young overseas family won over radio star Hayley Bath and husband Chris when it came time to choose who would take over their Wellington home.
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The Baths put their house on the market after Hayley took on a new job of presenting The Hits' daytime slot from the station's Tauranga studio.
The three-bedroom cottage on Aparima Avenue meant a lot to them. They had spent years turning it into a beautiful family home and didn't want to sell it to just anyone.
The Baths turned the dated cottage, untouched for 60 years, into a stunning four-bedroom, three-bathroom home. Photo / Supplied
In between two pregnancies, one with twins, the couple completely overhauled the house over six years. Photo / Supplied
One of the offers they received was from two expats living in Melbourne. They hadn't been able to inspect the property in person, but they knew it was the home for them and wrote the Baths a letter telling them just that.
“They are from Miramar and have been living in Melbourne for a few years, so they want to come back and put down roots. They've got this gorgeous wee baby boy. It is going to be perfect for them,” Hayley told OneRoof.
“Their letter said their little boy is looking forward to the blueberry bushes, as he loves his pancakes. They said they can already imagine sharing meals with friends and neighbours.
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"They put in some gorgeous photos of themselves as well, so it is nice to have a picture of who is going to be there. It’s a really special neighbourhood, and it’s nice to know they’re going to be in this community."
Hayley said the couple's children, daughter Charli and twins Beau and Jules, were relieved they no longer had to tidy the house for the open homes, and were looking forward to the move to Tauranga.
“It was particularly cold in Wellington this morning, and my daughter said, ‘Can we go to Tauranga now because it’s warmer?’”
Hayley and Chris Bath with their three children. Photo / Supplied
The couple did all the work themselves, helped by Hayley’s dad on visits from Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Now that the deal is done, the Baths are all set to start looking for a new home. “I feel like we have got the clear headspace and can throw ourselves into house-hunting. We have had a few balls in the air to juggle - we have still got to clear out the house - but we did open some bubbles.”
The couple paid $670,000 for the run-down cottage in 2018 and sold it for more than $1.2m, well above its RV of $1.13m.
Harcourts listing agent Erin Rush said the Baths' hard work paid off. “There is actually a lot for sale in Miramar, but we got 55 people through the three weeks of open homes,” she said.
“The house stood out because of their presentation, and everything they had done ticked all the boxes."
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Wellington
