‘It’s not me bragging, it’s me being so proud of myself’
An influencer had to fight back the tears after she was on the end of a backlash from fans for revealing that she owns her house outright at the age of 21.
In the current economic climate, many under the age of 30 can only dream of one day owning their own home.
Last year, Halifax said the average age of a first time buyer in England was 32, whilst First Direct found that the average prospective buyer doesn’t think they’ll be able to buy a house until they’re 37.
But one influencer has very much bucked the trend by owning her house outright at the age of just 21.
Katylee Bailey, from Bradford, recently took to TikTok to share with her 2.8m followers that she is mortgage-free at an age before most people have finished university.
In the video, which has been viewed 3.6m times, Bailey celebrates with some confetti about being “mortgage free and a homeowner at 21.”
In the caption she wrote: “Biggest achievement of my life. Here’s to my new chapter.”
Many congratulated her for being able to buy her own home, but some weren’t impressed with her video.
One person said it was “sad the people that work the least get this” whilst people “putting their life on the line can barely afford heating.”
A second said: “Lucky you, here I am paying 2 grand in rent every month because I am not eligible for a mortgage despite working 40 hours a week.”
And another simply said: “Alright for some.”
Following the backlash, the 21-year-old decided to make another video in which she addressed the criticism.
Whilst visibly emotional, Katylee said: “I just wanted to come on here to say that I’m sorry to anyone who feels like I’m bragging about the house thing.
“Yes, the system is absolutely f***ed, I will never get my head around the fact that I’ve become so lucky.”
She continued: “But believe or not, as much as some of you guys don’t wanna understand this, I do actually work and let me tell you something, social media is so mentally draining.
“I know there are many people out there who work there a***s off. I genuinely did just fall lucky with social media.
“And yes my family have given me an amazing life. But I didn’t get brought up with money, so to be able to achieve such a big thing at 21-years-old, I’m just so grateful.
“It’s not me bragging, it’s me being so proud of myself. I think if anyone else had the opportunity, they’d do it.”
The comments were flooded with followers and fellow creators supporting Katylee, telling her she has nothing to apologise for.
One person wrote: “You should never apologise for hitting such an achievement at such a young age and being PROUD of it!! You should be proud!!”
Another said: “Don’t take the shine away from your own achievement, you earned it, no one else.”
And a third commented: “You deserve it so much Katylee. You’ve clearly worked so hard to get to where you are & should be so proud of yourself. It’s just jelous people”
Katylee dropped out of university to pursue a career as an influencer. In 2021, the Telegraph and Argus reported that she earns up to £1,000 for each video she posts.
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