Miss Thrifty

Posts about house “raffles” continue to attract a lot of visitors to this blog, so I’ve been keeping tabs on this niche area of the property market.

That lovely fishing estate in Devon is still up in the air, by the looks of things: Brian and Wendy Wilshaw, who organised the Devon competition, do not wish to proceed with the draw while the Gambling Commission is breathing down their necks (which is fair enough). They are currently consulting with a barrister, in a bid to get the situation resolved. All monies are being held in a Paypal account and will be refunded if the draw is cancelled. I will pass on any new information as I get it; in the meantime, you can keep tabs of the couple’s progress via the news page on their website.

The competition to win that big house in Ingleby Barwick is on – or is it? A snazzy website, featuring competition details and photography is now up and running. (Check out the kitchen; it looks like something out of Footballers’ Wives!) But the homepage also features a note from the couple organising the competition. They state that because of the hoo-ha with the Gambling Commission, they “have decided to refrain from marketing and promoting our home, until we have managed to find a resolution”. But they are still accepting entries, with the entry fees going into their solicitor’s escrow account. If the competition is cancelled, all monies will be refunded less an “admin fee” (amount unspecified).

I have my beady eye on this particular property; it’s not too far from my corner of North Yorkshire and the photography of the interior (cosy attic bedroom pictured above) is rather yummy. But I’m going to hold off for now, until these sticking-points are resolved. That way, there’s nothing to lose. Don’t feel you have to follow my example, though: the Ingleby Barwick house has already notched up a couple of thousand entries in less than a month. I suspect that that the comparatively good odds of winning – 28,000 to one – have played a part in this.

The competition to win the fancy Cheltenham house (as featured on Grand Designs) is still going strong. In fact, it’s cranked up a gear. There is now a runner’s up prize: an Aga! I like it. A “spot the frisbee” contest has also been unveiled, as part of the entry process; I presume that this new feature is to keep the Gambling Commission placated. The competition aims to attract 46,000 entries – and has attracted 2,500, to date. So it still has a way to go.

As for the pretty converted chapel in Ludlow: the website is still up, but hasn’t been updated since September. And at the time of writing, the “ENTER NOW” button isn’t working. Has the competition finished or has it been cancelled? Hmmm…

So let’s be honest, it isn’t looking brilliant right now. That said, I have some good news too! Tomorrow I’ll spill the beans on a great new set of “win a house” competitions. They are above board – and by the looks of things, are taking off fast. Stay tuned!