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HOUSE ABOUT THAT?
I’m raffling off my £250k house for a quid – there’s a ‘woman cave’, five bedrooms and all the furniture’s included
A MUM has revealed she's raffling off her £250,000 five-bed house - with a 'woman cave' and all the furniture included.
Jo Rose, 44, has lived in the semi-detached Wakefield property since she was a teenager - having bought it off her own mum when her dad passed away.
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But after breaking her back in a horrific accident on her honeymoon in July 2014, Jo can no longer cope with such a large property and wants to downsize - offering up tickets for just £1.
Network marketer Jo and husband Andrew, a painter a decorator, raised their 10-year-old daughter Poppy in the home - with Andrew's daughters from a previous relationship, Amber, 20, and Billie, 13, visiting regularly.
They converted the garage into a games room with a spot-lit bar, pool table, fruit machine and darts board, all of which are included in the raffle.
Jo thought she'd live in the house forever but life changed when she was hit by a car while strolling through the streets of Alicante, Spain.
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In an exclusive interview, she said: "Before the accident, I was a fit and healthy beautician, busy raising Poppy, then four.
"But when I was hit by the car, I was flipped into the air like a rag doll. I broke a bone in my spine, two ribs and shattered 12 vertebrae.
"Although I learned to walk again with months of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, I had to quit my job and have been in constant pain ever since.
"I have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia which doctors say is a result of the trauma my body has endured.
"It has become impossible to cope with a big house."
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Jo and Andrew put the house on the market last year and were overwhelmed by viewings.
Jo said: "There are times when I can’t get out of bed because I’m in so much pain. We had so many viewings and it was exhausting.
"We actually had an offer but it wasn’t quite the asking price. After two months we took it back off the market.
"We need to downsize but had to find another way to go about it."
I have been in constant pain ever since my accident. It has become impossible to cope with a big house
Jo Rose
House raffles have been growing in popularity in recent years, especially given the recent halt in house viewings during lockdown.
Jo said: "Last month, a house in my town was raffled and I saw the story on Facebook.
"The seller was moving to Australia and in lockdown, hadn’t been able to find a buyer.
"I bought a raffle ticket as I thought it would be amazing to spend a pound and be in with the chance of winning a house.
"The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that this was a great idea and just what I was looking for."
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It took two weeks to convince Andrew, who had never heard of raffling a house and was sceptical.
Jo says: "Andrew said raffles were for hampers, not houses!
"But I showed him other examples of houses sold by raffle and he realised it had a lot of potential.
I like the idea of someone buying a £1 raffle ticket and finding out on the last night of the year that they won a five-bedroom, fully furnished house complete with woman cave. What a way to start the new year
Jo Rose
"When Andrew agreed, I took photos and videos then uploaded them to raffall.com.
"They handle everything and will announce the winner on New Year's Eve.
"I like the idea of someone buying a £1 raffle ticket and finding out on the last night of the year that they won a five-bedroom, fully furnished house complete with woman cave. What a way to start the new year!"
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Each ticket is £1 and Jo needs to sell exactly 400,000 tickets for the house sale to go ahead - with the draw coming forward if they all sell out.
The £400,000 sum covers all legal fees and Raffall's cut. If all 400,000 tickets aren't sold, Jo will keep the house and the winner will get a cash prize instead.
Jo said: "I thought including all furnishings would be a nice touch for whoever wins, as so many people struggle to get on the housing ladder.
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"From crushed velvet sofas to a grey marble dining room table, it’s a house that’s ready to be lived in with no further expense.
"We even did up the garden in lockdown, painting the fences grey and landscaping the lawn.
"We weren’t planning to sell the house at the time, we just had nothing else to do and thought we’d spruce up the garden.
"We’ll need new furniture wherever we go but that’s fine.
"We hope to find a small new home near Poppy’s school and hopefully we’ll be able to spend part of the year abroad, as warmer weather helps ease my pain."
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Since launching the raffle in July, Jo has sold over 43,000 tickets and is feeling confident she'll reach number needed.
She said: "One person even bought a thousand tickets. Even if you spend £1,000, that’s still a bargain if you end up with a £250,000 house.
"I think this is going to become a popular way to sell a house - there are already about ten other houses listed for raffle since I uploaded ours.
"There are no viewings, although people can take a 360 degree virtual tour, so it’s perfect for anyone feeling reluctant to visit people’s houses after lockdown.
"There are no estate agents, no chains. I hope our home goes to a family who are as happy living here as we have been.
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"With landscaped gardens, four double bedrooms and a converted garage woman cave for a pound, it’s a bargain.
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"We can give someone a great start to the new year while setting off on a new chapter for ourselves too."
to buy a raffle ticket and be in with a chance of winning Jo’s house.