For ex-miner Nat Redgrave, becoming a TikTok star was not high on his priority list.
However, the Central Queensland local found himself thrust into the spotlight early last year, when videos of him flipping a self-described "den" in Charters Towers went viral on the social media platform.
"I'd finished up in mining and a friend of mine said there were some cheap houses in Charters Towers," Mr Redgrave said.
"I had a look around, pulled some up, checked on real estate and thought, this isn't too bad, there could be something to do here."
After spotting an old 1940s cottage being advertised on Facebook, Mr Redgrave bought the property for just under $60,000 based solely on photos of the exterior.
Shortly afterwards, he packed up his life in Yeppoon and moved to Charters Towers, where he was greeted with a "few surprises" upon entering his new property for the first time.
"The whole house had just been left deserted," he said.
"It was just full of food, clothes, a fridge that hadn't been emptied, there was no power. The power box had been completely burnt out."
The house also contained old furniture, hanging phone charges and dirty bath mats.
Despite this, Mr Redgrave still saw the potential in the property and began renovations in July 2022.
But by lunchtime, the video had quickly gone viral and, to date, has amassed over 2 million views.
"It did send us kinda crazy," he said.
"I was waiting for my builder to arrive and I thought I'll just post a quick Tik Tok so my mates can see it.
"I guess it's not something you're ready for. TikTok does kind of blow up. No one can work out the TikTok algorithm."
The success of the first video led Mr Redgrave to start posting regular updates on the platform, where he cultivated a loyal following of people across the nation eager to follow his progress.
After four months of hard work, he finished renovations and sold the property at the end of October 2022, where his TikTok followers were left amazed by the transformation.
"It literally sold before we finished," he said.
"We had about a week to go and there were people under contract already."
Instead of relishing in his hard-earned success, Mr Redgrave immediately began renovations on a second house in Charters Towers which he is aiming to have completed in two weeks time.
"The backstory with the second house is that the owners had some tenants in the house who had destroyed it," he said.
"It looks very much like a cute little house now compared to what it was."
Mr Redgrave now has over 65,000 followers on TikTok and said while he loves flipping houses in the area, he intends to have a break before jumping into any other renovations.
He said future projects would also depend on the state of the housing market.
"We're not too sure yet about future plans," he said.
"I'll probably have a break because we've pretty much had ten to fifteen days off since June.
"It's easier to just work seven days a week and just get it done.
"It is good fun and it's enjoyable when you have people around you, but also the housing market at the moment is slowing down.
"But everything we buy and everything we do is about supporting the Charters Towers community. That is what we try and do."
