From Cyprus to Geelong: the property investor with plans to battle Australian poverty, brick by brick

When COVID emerged in early 2020 it was decided to turn the annual CEO Sleepout into a virtual event.

But CEO of property investment group, Reventon, Chris Christofi, decided that to get a real appreciation of the difficulties, he would spend two nights outside.

For his efforts, Mr Christofi managed to raise $82,1777 and matched those pledges dollar for dollar.

This month Mr Christofi used the money raised from the CEO Sleepout to acquire a block of land in Geelong, with plans to build a house on there and then sell it.

As part of his Brick by Brick fundraising project, Mr Christofi will auction the house off for an estimated $700,000, donating the entire amount to charity organisation St Vincent de Pauls.

The land is situated in Mount Duneed, Geelong which these days is a popular spot for home buyers and investors – but this wasn’t always the case.

Mr Christofi has a knack for picking the winners when it comes to investing.

“At Reventon, we’ve been personally investing and advising others to invest in Geelong since 2014… before the boom,” explains Mr Christofi.

“It’s great that we’ve been able to ride that wave for a great cause and to raise a significant amount of money for those people who have fallen through the economic cracks.”

While the Brick by Brick initiative is being used to raise money for the 116,000 people sleeping rough in Australia, more broadly it’s about helping ordinary people to build wealth so that they never have to worry about their financial future.

Mr Christofi was not born into a position of great material comfort; he grew from humble beginnings with two Greek-Cypriot migrant parents, the catalyst for now looking to impart knowledge of wealth creation to ordinary people so they can bootstrap their way up to financial independence.

“At age 10 I sold scratchies on the streets of Cyprus and on the weekend and school holidays I would work at my parents’ supermarket to earn pocket money and start saving money,’ said Mr Christofi.

After moving to Melbourne at age 16, Mr Christofi continued to play snooker at the Brunswick Club and later competed nationally.

He then entered the brutal world of kickboxing, rising to elite status, representing both sports at a national level.

It was this tenacious and competitive spirit that led to Mr Christofi entering the world of property and investment at the fresh age of 19.

Mr Christofi founded Reventon Property in 2005, to help other Australians enter the property market and achieve their financial goals.

Now a father to four, alongside wife Billie, the duo have a combined portfolio of over 20 properties, valued between $500,000 and $1.2m apiece, with Chris’ passive yearly income sitting at over half a million.

In 2018, Mr Christofi signed up for the St Vinnies CEO Sleepout where thousands of Australian CEOs spend two days and nights on the streets of Melbourne CBD, emulating the daily life and struggles of a rough sleeper, to raise money for St Vincent de Pauls.

He achieved his set objective of raising $40,000 (placing him in the top 1% of fundraisers), and again the following year, met his increased goal of $60,000 (again the top 1% of fundraisers), resulting in Mr Christofi being appointed as a St Vinnies ambassador.

Along with the Vinnies CEO Sleepout fundraising, Chris has been contributing $500 from every Reventon sale to the ‘Brick by Brick’ project, along with 100% of the sales of Chris’ recently launched book, Amazon bestseller Your Path to Wealth: Brick by Brick.