All I can say right now is…wow. Fourteen-year-old Willow Tufano is showing what amazing things can be accomplished when you put your mind to it. This young lady is now the proud owner of a home thanks to some hard work and a little help from mom.
Tufano started saving up money by selling items she antiqued herself on Craigslist. “Tufano earned the money from finding free items or deals online or at antique auctions and leftover furniture from foreclosed homes. She re-sells the items or gives them away on the ‘free’ list on Craigslist,” according to ABC.
Amazingly, Tufano made $6,000 in sales. Something she never could have done, she said, if not for her parents and grandparents driving her to pick up items. But when it came time to do something with that money, the 14-year-old didn’t want to go on a shopping spree for movies, video games, or clothing, she wanted to invest in a home.
“She set her sights on a three-bedroom short sale of $12,000 that reportedly was worth about $100,000 at the peak of the housing market,” writes ABC. “Tufano’s mother, Shannon Moore, is a broker who owns several rental properties with her husband. When Tufano heard that her mother was considering purchasing the home, she asked her mom if she could buy half of it with the hope of buying the other half eventually.” She can’t own it legally until she’s 18, but that didn’t stop her from setting a lofty goal for herself.
“If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s that your age does not matter,” Tufalo said. “If I can inspire another person my age, younger, that would mean the world. Whether it’s buying a house, buying a car, or whatever. If you really work for it and put your mind to it you can do what you want to do.”
After the purchase, Tufano helped her mom fix up the home so it would be suitable to rent to tenants and even found them a free mattress and bed for their new living space. Tufano, who is home schooled, will split the rental proceeds with her mom until she can finally buy her out. But she probably won’t be following in her mom’s footsteps.
“I’m not so sure about real estate,” she said. “But investing is really cool. You get to see a property that was a mess before and afterward see that it’s beautiful. I suppose with real estate you can connect with people more, but I would probably prefer investing.”
What an intelligent young lady and what a great example she’s setting for others.
(via Yahoo)
