24-Year-Old to Launch ScaleApp: The App Helping Young Aussies Buy Property

Launching this Monday, 14 July, a new PropTech platform is aiming to redefine how young Australians approach property planning.

ScaleApp, developed by 24-year-old financial modeller Nick Melrose, allows users to simulate their personal financial and property decisions over a 50-year timeline — combining budgeting, tax forecasting, real property data, and investment strategy into a single, visual platform.

I built ScaleApp out of frustration, Melrose says. I was earning well, saving consistently, but still nowhere near owning a home. The tools I found were either trying to sell me something or didn’t connect the dots. So I built one that did.

With over 3,200 users on the waitlist, early investment from the REACH accelerator (National Association of Realtors), and $1.5 million in pre-seed funding, the platform is launching into a housing market where affordability challenges and cost-of-living pressures are at record highs.

A Financial Model That Moves With You

At its core, ScaleApp is designed to reflect how younger Australians plan: incrementally, visually, and across multiple life domains. Melrose calls it an education-first, life-planning tool that allows users to model everything from income tax and HECS/HELP repayments to capital gains, rental income, joint ownership, and side hustles.

Unlike most financial tools that rely on static charts or broad annual assumptions, ScaleApp uses a gamified, interactive 50-year timeline to visualise decisions on a monthly basis — from saving for a deposit to refinancing or portfolio expansion — in a format Melrose says feels more like editing a TikTok or iMovie than building a property strategy.

Designed for Digital Natives

ScaleApp was created for a generation that expects self-directed, mobile-first experiences. Its onboarding, layout, and simulation tools reflect the habits of digital-native users — prioritising interactivity, clarity, and user privacy over traditional financial formality.

Young buyers don’t want a spreadsheet and a sales call, says Melrose. They want clarity, flexibility, and privacy — with tools that work like the apps they already use.

How It Works

Users can search for real properties via integrated PropTrack data, import them into their strategy, and instantly assess whether they align with their long-term plan. Key modelling inputs include:

• Income, tax, and HECS/HELP repayments

• Side hustle and freelance income streams

• Property yield, rental income, capital growth

• Joint ownership, life changes, and refinancing options

  
  

The platform’s engine was independently audited for accuracy by a global advisory firm. If users need help, ScaleApp includes a built-in AI tutor to explain concepts like equity, negative gearing, and capital gains in real time.

ScaleApp Academy: Turning Tools Into Knowledge

To complement its simulator, ScaleApp includes their own free academy, ScaleSchool — a structured library of bite-sized lessons covering practical topics from reading a contract of sale to understanding mortgage structures or offset accounts.

We didn’t just want to give users a tool — we wanted to help them understand the process, says Melrose. The Academy is about confidence, not jargon.

From First-Home Buyer to Investor

While free for first-home buyers, ScaleApp’s tiered model includes:

• $25/month for portfolio tracking and analysis

• In-app property tokens for advanced metrics

• Broker and professional service access through ScaleConnect

  
  

ScaleConnect, the company’s B2B platform, is nearing the end of development and will soon provide live client updates to brokers and agents — replacing annual review cycles with data-driven timing prompts based on user readiness to refinance, invest, or transact.

Early Traction and Recognition

• Launch Date: 14 July 2025

• Waitlist: 3,200+ users

• Projected Reach: 68,000+ via early partnerships

• Funding: $1.5M pre-seed, including from REACH (Second Century Ventures)

• Awards:

  • Finalist, PropTech Awards 2025 (Buying & Ownership + PropTech to Watch)

  • Winner, People’s Choice Award – REACH Pitch Battle (AREC 2025)

    
    

Solving for Visibility, Not Just Affordability

Everyone in my generation is trying to solve this problem — we just didn’t have the tools, says Melrose.

We’re not claiming to fix housing affordability, but we are offering a way to plan for it that’s honest, strategic, and built around how people actually live.

It’s a bold ambition — but as one of the only consumer platforms combining personal budgeting, tax modelling, and full-cycle property analysis, ScaleApp may be uniquely positioned to deliver on it.