lifestyle

Meet the schoolgirl crowdfunding her first home.

 

What housing crisis?

Meet teenage entrepreneur Caitlin Argyle.

Image via Facebook.

The Gold Coast teen usually deals in homework, text messages and social media.

But now the 17-year-old has come up with a revolutionary way to get a foot in the property market — crowdfunding the deposit.

Caitlin insists she is not after charity (though donations are apparently welcome) and is offering use of the investment property and a range of other rewards in exchange for cold, hard cash.

Related: Dear Joe Hockey, why don’t you come house-hunting with me this weekend?

You can hire out the house for a week, spend a night at her family home, hire Caitlyn by the hour or day for odd jobs or to paint faces at kids’ parties, or just buy an ‘extra special thanks’ or a $5 virtual hug.

Watch her pitch her (post continues after video):

 

Caitlin says her parents offered to cough up 90 per cent of the house price if she managed to save up a $48,000 deposit.

“If I wait until I save the money up from working it will take me many years to raise a deposit,” she explains.

“The longer I take the more expensive houses will become and the longer it will take me to raise the money…in fact after expenses, taxes and increasing prices it might take me 20 years to buy one!”

ADVERTISEMENT

So after already saving $4000 from her part-time job — as well as by selling golf balls online and helping others sell unwanted items on eBay and Gumtree — she took her plight to crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

She has already raised more than $2000 in the past week.

This is how the entrepreneurial teen got her start (post continues after video):

 

Plus, for every 10 weeks she rents out as holiday accommodation, she will give a family with an ill child a free week-long stay “so they can have a break and enjoy themselves”.

Smart, charitable and totally business savvy.

“Some people say I’m too young to own a house,” Caitlin says.

“But I say, you’re only as young as you want to be.”

She thinks that owning her own home will help her build confidence and prepare her for “the real world” after she finishes school.

Jesus. We’re feeling old.

For more crowdfunding inspiration, try these articles:

She’s 23. Pregnant. And crowdfunding her abortion.

Put that crusty towel away, there’s a new after-sex wipe on the market.

8 reasons to support this incredible social enterprise.

Would you contribute to Caitlin’s campaign?