A single mother has divided opinion online after she launched a GoFundMe where she asked for funds to help her build her "dream home."

Securing a home can be a long and expensive process, and one of the biggest challenges is often putting down a large deposit in order to be accepted for a mortgage. As a result, many of us spend years scrimping and saving to finally get the keys to our first home.

Kara-Louise Hoppo, a mother of four young boys, caused a stir when she posted on the "Darwin Buy Swap Sell" page on Facebook asking for donations totaling $40,000 in order to secure a new home.

The post has now been deleted since receiving a mixed response - with the other members of the group seemingly not too impressed at Hoppo's request.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the initial post read: "We are in a bit of a housing predicament and I'm manifesting that we're going to get out of those permanently this year. I've found a way, but I can't do it without help."

Hoppo proceeded to post a link to a GoFundMe page, where further details were found about what the donations would be used for.

The single mother posted a lengthy description of her situation, detailing that: "We are needing to move from the home that we are currently in mainly due to health and safety reasons, in a rental market that is skyrocketing and we cannot really afford."

The self-dubbed "hippy family" would use the donations in order to buy two demountable homes which would be set up on a friend's plot of land, which would keep their rent low and they would be able to pay their friend back by helping out.

Hoppo revealed that she is currently unemployed but is "currently studying and by the end of this year intended to be a fully qualified energy healer and completely financially self-sufficient."

"I am asking for $40,000 total in donations. Or for min. 4000 kind hearted people to be willing to donate $100 worth of their yearly bought coffee budget," Hoppo wrote.

She stated that the seller of the demountable homes is negotiable on the asking price and is willing to hold off selling them for a month to see if the single mom can get the funds to be able to buy them.

Hoppo claims the donations would "change" her family's life and she gave a list of other expenditures, including furniture and electrician costs.

When the story was shared by local news outlet The Mango Inquirer on Facebook, it's safe to say that it did not go down well with readers.

"Wow, if only everyone could be funded to get their dream," one person wrote, with a second adding: "So... you want us to pay for your house... right."

However, there are clearly many who support the doting mom's dream, as her GoFundMe has raised $4,300 at the time of writing from 51 donations.

After donating $20 to the cause, one person commented on the page: "I really hope you can get yourself a house. I wish everybody everywhere could be happy and get the things they need. The world can be dark - I want to be a bright spot despite that. I really hope you get your dream house and dream life!!!"

A second added: "Just a small donation but every little bit helps and I truly hope you can make your dreams come true. I read that there were negative comments but all I see is a mum trying to do the best for her kids.

"In a world where people fork out hundreds of dollars just to catch a glimpse of an 'influencer' and spend money on meaningless things wouldn’t it be nice if people were just kind and helped others."

Featured image credit: M4OS Photos / Alamy

We all dream of buying our dream homes with the millions of dollars we're going to win one day, right?

There's nothing quite like passing the time by spending imaginary money in your head and dreaming of walking into work, slamming your resignation on the desk, and knowing that you're capable of buying the company... or is that just me?

But as the old saying goes, if you don't buy a ticket, you don't win the raffle... and as someone who doesn't play the lottery, I hope my boss is ready to give me a good raise to fulfill my wildest dreams (hint hint).

In case anyone is reading this and has a life-changing sum of money knocking around, have you ever fancied owning your own private island?

Even those with less than a million in the bank could be interested in this, as the island just off the coast of Bluefields in eastern Nicaragua is on the market for $475,000, as reported by TimeOut.

The property is known as Iguana Island and it sits outside of the hurricane belt, which is pretty important. It's surrounded by pristine blue water and has five acres of land.

On the island is a home that has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a bar. It also boasts a wraparound porch.

You're probably assuming that there's a catch, right? Living on an island usually means being cut off from civilization, but Iguana Island has wifi, and can even get a phone and TV signal.

So basically, you can get all of the home comforts you've come to know and love, but get an amazing tan with the peace and quiet that a private island brings.

The island, which is being sold by Private Islands Inc, is perfect for anyone who likes swimming and snorkeling - because it's in the Caribbean after all!

For those with a boat, there are docks and boardwalks perfect for transport to the mainland, as well as a 28-foot-tall watchtower for you to look out for pirates, or to enjoy the sunrise... I don't know what people on a private island do.

The listing states that there is plenty of room to add a swimming pool or a helipad - though adding a pool seems like a waste of space when the island is surrounded by pristine water.

Apparently, there is a "noticeable lack of biting insects" on the island which sounds ideal, and the island is completely self-sufficient with its own power, water, and septic system.

Still not sold? Any keen fishers out there will be delighted to hear that the island is surrounded by fishing waters - so you can really bring out your inner Bear Grylls.

But why is the island so cheap? Is it infested with Iguana as the name suggests? The short answer is no - it's priced due to the current owner wanting a quick sale following a death in the family.

So, who wants to buy it?

Featured image credit: Private Islands Inc.

We've all had that awful feeling where we've woken up in the morning and come to the dreaded realisation that we've made yet another stupid online purchase.

But while, for most of us, this will result in an inflatable dartboard or tiny trampoline for our dog, for Kerville Holness it ended with a tiny strip of grass being bought for over $9,000.

The Florida man came away from an online property auction feeling pretty pleased with himself after thinking he had successfully bought a Tamarac villa that was worth $177,100 (£140,639) for $9,100 (£7,000).

However, he got a harsh reality check when he realised his $9,100 had got him a strip of grass measuring one foot wide and 100-foot long.

The rotten cherry on the cake? The piece of land was only worth $50.

According to Holness, the blunder happened after the property appraiser images were linked to the auction site that showed the villa as the item to be bid on.

However, the appraiser's site, and information on the county's tax site say that the building had no value and detailed the measurements of the land. According to state law, there is nothing the Florida man can do to fix the situation and get his money back.

Speaking to the Sun Sentinel, Holness expressed his anger, naming the auction "deceptive".

"It's deception," he claimed. "There was no demarcation to show it's just a line going through the [villa duplex], even though they have the tools to show that. If I’m vindictive enough, I can cut right through the garage wall and the home to get to my air space, but what use would that be to me?"

After the costly incident came to light, real estate attorney Gary Singer warned that investors had to "do their research" and that "Tax Deed sales are not for the uninformed".

"He may go to court and find some error in the sale procedure," he told the Sun Sentinel. "Generally speaking, he bought what he was supposed to have bought."

Let this be a cautionary tale to all online shoppers - always look before you buy!