LOS ANGELES — Since the beginning of the COVID-19 "stay-at-home" protocols, the mainstream press has become hyperaware of the existence of OnlyFans, resulting in seemingly endless hot takes on the phenomenon of at-home sex work.
Last week, Elle magazine published an article by Claire Downs titled “OnlyFans, Influencers and The Politics Of Selling Nudes During a Pandemic." Her story explored the explosion of interest in the OnlyFans platform by both adult entertainers and “civilians” curious about sex work during the current pandemic situation.
In her exploration of the topic, Downs highlighted a tweet by a model named Sarvani, who last month published a photo of herself in front of a house with the caption “Say whatcha want about OnlyFans but I just moved into my dream house at 22.”
As of this writing, Sarvani’s tweet has generated 283,000 likes, 34,000 retweets and over 4,000 comments.
“How do I get started?” is a sample response to Sarvani's boast, which prompted people to wonder if it's actually possible to buy a home with OnlyFans income.
Turns out that for some successful models it is possible, very much so, even in Los Angeles, which is known for wacky real estate prices.
XBIZ spoke to an adult performer with a healthy OnlyFans presence (as Snapchat, IG Live and others), who recently moved into her first home, thanks to her online sex work income.
The performer (whom we will call "Kay") explained how her record of consistent OnlyFans payouts income had been the key for obtaining a home loan.
“A friend referred me to a lender who has experience in Los Angeles working with freelancers and people in entertainment,” Kay told XBIZ. “I made it clear to him I was an adult entertainer, and he was okay with that. I got approved for my first home loan and they even gave me options of how much money I wanted to put down.”
Now, as they say, “your mileage may vary,” so not all models with OnlyFans accounts — particularly those who started an account to make ends meet during the quarantine — would be able to show a similarly consistent earnings track record compared to a recognized adult performer like Kay.
But depending on the real estate market prices in the area you wish to buy, and your ability to find a lender with experience dealing with entertainers and other creative freelancers, and their willingness to provide non-discriminatory, stigma-free services, it turns out that yes, Virginia, you can buy a house with your OnlyFans earnings.