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.

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