Home owner raffles £200,000-plus house for a tenner a ticket
WHEN you buy a ticket for a raffle it is usually for prizes like a bottle of wine, a cuddly toy or maybe a big tin of Quality Street.
It is always a bit of a thrill when your ticket is pulled from the hat — but it is not going to change your life.
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At least, not unless you win the raffle being run by Sharon Craig.
The 46-year-old has decided to try and beat the downturn in the housing market by making her Dunvant home the prize for one lucky person.
Tickets for the draw cost £10, and the winner will be walking away with the keys to a house worth more than £200,000.
"I looked at the market and saw how slow sales were," said Mrs Craig.
"So I decided on something different, and came up with the idea of a raffle.
"I've been working on the idea for a long time, and have done lots of work with solicitors to ensure everything goes smoothly.
"There has been a lot of interest so far — people think it is an unusual thing to do."
The house, on Dunvant Road boasts three bedrooms, three receptions rooms, a large rear garden, and is in the catchment area for Olchfa School.
Mrs Craig, who runs the Found Out Inn in Dunvant, bought the house in 1999 and lived there until 2007.
Last year she rented it out, but, unbeknown to her, the tenants turned it into a cannabis farm.
It was only when a meter-man from the electricity company became suspicious, and the police raided the property, that the truth came to light.
The drug farmers have never been traced but Mrs Craig has spent the past couple of months refurbishing the house after its unwanted use, and it is now in tip-top condition — and ready for one lucky person to win.
To ensure the competition complies with legal requirements and is not deemed a lottery — for which a licence would be needed — entrants will have to answer a "skill-based" question to be in with a chance of winning.
However, for anyone who knows the name of the Hollywood star who grew up in Mumbles, the brain-teaser shouldn't prove too taxing.
The tickets for the roof-over-your-head raffle are being sold online, and the closing date is March 31, 2009.
"I've set a reserve of selling 23,000 tickets," said Mrs Craig.
"So the odds of winning are pretty good.
"By the time I've paid all the fees and other costs, that will make the house worth around £205,000 — not bad for a £10 ticket."
www.winthishome.co.uk
18 Comments
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by Andrew, Swansea
Tuesday, April 21 2009, 4:56PM
“Anyone know where i can find this sharon Craig?”
by Annoyed, Swansea
Wednesday, March 04 2009, 8:24PM
“Well, it was a rip-off, I had a short email stating 'I've just had confirmation from the gambling commission, they view the competition as a lottery and as a result I've been asked to withdraw the winthishouse competition' The Post should investigate this, surely her 'legal team' would have known this!!”
by barrie, swansea
Sunday, October 19 2008, 10:55AM
“Is this draw still going as payments for the tickets are currently not allowed through paypal as it's stating they can no longer take funds to this account.
There's no contact details on their website or this page for further information. Evening Post send a reporter to clarify their postion and give us readers some protection.”
by Will, swansea
Wednesday, October 01 2008, 7:29PM
“Is it me or did Catherine ZJ not grow up in Mumbles? Was it not Townhill?”
by Jess, Swansea
Tuesday, September 30 2008, 2:14PM
“I'm just wondering why Miss Craig should be able to keep the other 50% of the ticket sales if the reserve is not met. After her costs, surely it would be more moral to donate the rest of the money to a charity, as this is what normally happens to the proceeds of raffles. This would also have the added benefit of reassuring people that this isn't just a scam, but a legitimate, innovative way of getting around the down-turn in the housing market. As I sit on the Board of Trustees for a local charity and know how much good such an amount of money could do, in the unfortunate event that enough tickets are not sold, I would urge Miss Craig to donate the other 50% to local charities, as I really cannot understand why she should personally gain from such a scheme.”
by Leanne, Swansea
Tuesday, September 30 2008, 1:54PM
“Charlie, if the cash prize alternative could increase depending on the number of tickets sales then the webiste should state this to make it clear to potential ticket buyers. The legal section of this site is very vague and makes loose statements such as "the promoter reserves the right to bring the closing date forward" without actually stating who the promoter is or anything about them - there is simply a name at the end which says "Sharon". Sharon who???!!!! Also, the website is awful. Its littered with spelling mistakes and its all in different font and font sizes. The whole thing looks totally unprofessional from a legal point of view and a web development point of view - hardly filling one with confidence that this is above board.”
by Anon, Swansea
Monday, September 29 2008, 9:43PM
“This woman is a total idiot.
I would much rather take my chance on the lottery that give £10 of my money to this fool!!!”
by Tracey, Baglan
Sunday, September 28 2008, 4:41PM
“What a scam! I would rather bet my £10 that Mrs Craig will bring the closing date forward before all the tickets are sold (as her rules allow), and she will pay out the 50% cash to the winner, pocket 50%herself plus keep the house. It's only when you read the 'legal' section of her website you realise what a con this is. There a several legit 'win a property' schemes currently running, this does not appear to be one of them.”
by Mrs Sian thomas, llanelli
Saturday, September 27 2008, 11:29PM
“I agree with D1n0 this is a win win for Mrs Craig she has money even if all the tickets do not get sold. and gets money for a house that at todays prices are not worth what is advertised.”
by Charlie, Swansea
Saturday, September 27 2008, 12:52PM
“I have been working with Sharon to setup this competition. The reason there is a reserve on the ticket sales is that we just cant predict how many will sell, if it is only 500 tickets then people have to be paid web developer, paypal, lawyer etc, that way the winner will still receive much more than they put in for entry fee and you cant expect someone to give away a house for a few thousand pounds in ticket sales. It is possible the reserve could be lowered, if after 6 months for example around 20,000 tickets have sold then Sharon can award the house as the prize which is the main aim and purpose of the competition. It has also been discussed that for example if 16,000 tickets sell then the winner would receive a higher percentage of the ticket sales for example 65%, it is currently set at 50% to make sure all the people who need paying get paid and the winner receives a good prize. The competition is still in its very early stages and the website is undergoing some aesthetic re-development . We will be happy to answer any questions about the house or competition, a contact e-mail address will be put onto the site in the next couple of days and any questions you have will be answered.”