Kristy McGrath didn’t set out to disrupt anything.
When Kristy McGrath first stepped into the world of holiday homes, it wasn’t as an agent. It was as an owner.
In 2018, she and her husband had purchased Burleigh Yamba, right on Yamba Main Beach. At the time, they were living overseas, trusting someone else to manage it. On paper, everything looked fine.
In reality, it wasn’t.
The experience was inconsistent. The care wasn’t there. The performance didn’t reflect the quality of the home.
And once you see that gap, it’s hard to unsee it.
Before business, there was property
Burleigh Yamba on Main Beach
Property has always been there.
Kristy grew up renovating with her parents. Weekends were spent sanding, painting and transforming homes. She watched them ‘up-flip’ from a chamferboard house near Ipswich to an architectural five bedroom home in affluent Paddington and a huge portfolio of homes on the side, not by luck, but by consistently buying well and improving what they had.
That stayed with her.
Today, she’s a serial renovator. She loves nothing more than styling homes, renovating for profit and building equity through strategic investments.
Together with her husband, she has built millions across a portfolio spanning residential, commercial and rural property.
It wasn’t a new direction.
It was something that had always been building.
Then came business
Kristy’s career took her into strategic marketing and running global service businesses. She worked across countries and in industries where performance wasn’t optional, it was expected.
She built and ran businesses. Managed teams. Delivered global campaigns. Made decisions where outcomes were measured and accountability mattered.
That foundation shaped how she saw property.
Not as a listing.
Not as a transaction.
But as an asset that should perform.
Kristy McGrath, Founder: Pilot Hill Property
Pilot Hill was built differently
When Kristy launched Pilot Hill, the idea was simple.
Build a business around two things:
What owners want
What guests experience
No shortcuts. No set-and-forget.
Just a hands-on, considered approach where every stay, every detail and every decision contributed to performance over time.
It worked.
What started as a response to one property grew into a portfolio of over 100 homes, with owners who value consistency, care and strong returns.
More importantly, it raised the standard.
Quietly, steadily, one higher performing home and satisfied owner at a time.
The part no one talks about
As the business grew, Kristy saw another problem.
Cleaning and laundry.
For most owners, it was one of the biggest costs and one of the most inconsistent parts of the experience.
So she built the solution.
Coldstream House was created to bring cleaning and laundry in-house. Better rates. Higher standards. More control.
It didn’t just improve margins for property owners. It improved the product.
Today, it supports Pilot Hill properties and the wider community, while providing meaningful work for a growing local team.
This was never about scaling for the sake of it
Kristy is not driven by ego.
She’s driven by reputation.
By long-term relationships.
By doing what you say you’ll do.
By building something that actually works.
She’s proud to now support over 25 people with meaningful work in a positive, supported environment.
That same mindset shapes the team around her. People who are capable, accountable and empowered to do their best work.
People who understand that performance isn’t accidental.
Deeply connected to the community
For Kristy, this has never just been about property.
It’s about people, place and the community that makes it all meaningful.
Pilot Hill has always prioritised working with local makers and service providers, supporting small businesses and bringing a genuine sense of place into every stay.
Behind the scenes, that same care extends to the team. Kristy has built a culture around flexible work, genuine support, flexible hours and empowering people to do their best work, because great service starts with great people.
Pilot Hill is a proud sponsor of the Yamba Surf Life Saving Club and, alongside her husband and their three rugby-mad boys, Kristy is deeply entrenched in the Redmen Rugby community.
It’s not something separate from the business.
It’s part of it.
Because building something that lasts means being connected to the place you’re building it in and the people who help bring it to life.
And now, sales
After years of managing properties, optimising returns and working closely with owners, the next step was obvious.
Sales.
Because the same gaps exist there too.
Too much focus on listings.
Not enough focus on strategy.
Cookie-cutter marketing campaigns.
Not enough understanding of how a property performs over time.
Through their new sales arm, Kristy is applying the same thinking that built their holiday service.
Strategy-led campaigns
Real marketing expertise
A focus on outcomes, not activity
And a team of people who understand both sides of the table.
Still hands-on
Despite the growth and with talented and empowered chiefs competently in place, Kristy remains deeply involved.
In the properties.
In the strategy.
In the decisions that shape outcomes.
Because that’s where the difference is made.
It all comes back to one thing
Do it properly.
Not louder.
Not bigger.
Better.
And build something people trust, because it works.