A COLLEGE senior has revealed how he has earned hundreds of thousands of pounds by waking up early every Sunday morning.
Rajan Chidambaram uses his free time on the weekends to go thrifting for shoes and he has sold more than 7,500 pairs on eBay so far.
2
2
The University of Virginia student has invested his earnings into a townhome in Charlottesville, VA.
Putting his weekly savings aside has meant he has been able to afford to buy a Shenandoah Valley property.
He now hopes to rent these out on Airbnb by turning them into luxury cabins.
The proactive young man has already described construction workers making a start on the site.
Speaking to his college newspaper, Chidambaram described the two-hour trek to search upward of 10 thrift stores.
Just a few months shy of receiving his bachelor’s, the Herndon native has managed to find success before graduating.
His business’ heart can be found in the 10-by-19-foot office unit he rents in Charlottesville’s McIntire Plaza.
Packed with pre-owned shoes and Goodwill bags, the space has afforded the student the chance to make the most of his weekend finds.
“I love my mom, God bless her soul,” Chidambaram told UVAToday.
“She’d always cook me meals and put them in coolers for me to take back. That was every single Sunday.
“The key to a good sale is a good price, but also having really crisp pictures and good keywords.
“You get 80 characters in an eBay title and I try to use every single one. I’ve learned to throw in as many keywords as I can – like ‘athletic running shoes’ – because it increases the chances of a sale.”
TheChida offers a wide range of options, some even selling for $250 when he bought them for just $10 each.
He has even developed a relation with some suppliers meaning he no longer solely depends on his weekend adventures.
As part of his latest project, ground broke last week on the 2.5 acres in Front Royal.
He has purchased the site for $37,000 with his high school friend, Renzo Sanio, a Virginia Tech student.
It follows Amazon’s affordable prefab housing becoming available to buyers.
A prefab – short for ‘prefabricated’ – is built in a factory off-site and then transported and assembled wherever you want it.
These homes are known for their super-fast construction times and major cost savings compared to traditional homes that are stuck in one spot.
Tiny Homes FAQs
THE tiny house movement began in the USA before gaining popularity in the UK.
What is a tiny home?
Tiny houses are small, fully-equipped living spaces designed to lead a more sustainable, off-grid lifestyle.
Although they vary in size and shape, tiny homes tend to be between 15 and 50 square metres in capacity, made of sustainable materials and are easier — and cheaper — to maintain than traditional brick homes.
Are tiny homes legal in the UK?
The legality of tiny houses is all to do with where it is and what you use it for.
If you want to put your tiny house in the back garden of the home that you own, and the overall size of your tiny house does not exceed 19.8m x 6.7m (65ft x 22ft), then good news! You do not require planning permission.
Tiny houses that fit within these dimensions and are constructed on trailer bases are legally classified as caravans, which means you can legally park them within the curtilage of your home without planning permission.
If this is your plan, then it is a legal requirement that you only use the tiny house as additional living space, like an office, a gym, or a studio, but you cannot rent out the space to a tenant.
For those of you who live on farmland, what is defined as curtilage can be complicated. In these cases, and under any circumstances where you are unsure, we recommend that you speak to your local planning officer.
You can put a tiny house on your land as a temporary structure for 28 days, but for any longer than this we recommend that you speak to your local planning officer as different permissions will be required
Can you get a mortgage for a tiny home?
The small size and relatively low cost of tiny houses means they’re not generally considered eligible for a mortgage.
However, there are plenty of options to take out a loan to fund your dreams of the perfect, moveable home.
