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HOUSE ABOUT IT
I bagged a £500k house for just a tenner – I almost bought a bar of chocolate instead and now I’m richer than ever
WHEN Debbie Ajayi O fancied treating herself she was ready to reach for a bar of chocolate but what she ended up with was a four bedroom house.
The mum-of-three, who lives in Kent, has just settled on the three-bedroom property in the Garden of England and it cost her no more than £10.
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Debbie had been struggling to make mortgage payments on her current home where she lives with her husband Onzo and their three children.
The nurse is the latest winner of the UK property raffle Tramway Path which awards winners a £500,000 prize to buy any property they choose and she’ll pay no legal fees or stamp duty.
The competition was organised by brothers Daniel, William and Jason Twenefour who set up TramwayPath, and who picked a winner at random on 20 July, selecting Debbie’s tickets from the millions who entered.
But she very well could have missed out on the grand prize.
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Speaking exclusively to the brothers for Fabulous, Debbie says: “I’m not someone who would usually enter a raffle.
“When my sister told me to enter I was a bit reluctant to be honest, I would normally spend that money on chocolate.
“In the end I reasoned that I could easily have dropped £10 in the street and so I bought £10 worth of tickets and thought no more about it.”
Debbie’s purchase bagged her seven entries into the prize draw, and just three days later she was given the incredible news that she had won.
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The Twenefour brothers live-streamed the moment they called Debbie while she was out shopping.
She says: “I was at Lakeside looking at homeware and sofas, even though my husband pointed out I didn’t have the money for them.
“I was at the tills with the plan to do interest-free finance when the call came in.
“I saw no caller ID and thought it might work because I’m a nurse.
“As soon as I heard Tramway Path I was nearly on the floor screaming.
“I couldn't imagine winning in my wildest dream.”
Debbie admits that after the initial excitement, it took several days for the news to sink in.
“I was still a bit sceptical for about a week after the call,” she admits.
“When I went to work the next day all my friends were shocked but the thing was I wasn’t convinced I was real.
“It was when I started getting emails from solicitors that I finally allowed myself to believe what was happening.
Debbie, who has a mortgage on another property in Kent, initially considered purchasing two properties to build up her portfolio before settling on a family home.
“I’ve suffered too much, I just need to enjoy life,” she says.
The couple plan to rent out their current property when they move into their new home, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house nearby with a driveway big enough for three cars and a large garden.
Debbie says: “My husband and I have a place in Kent at the moment. It’s not ideal but it’s all we could afford.
“Now I have one property mortgage free, and I’ll be renting my existing property.
“The amount I’ll be getting will pay my mortgage and leave me with profit.
“This win has not only given me freedom, I’ll be generating income.
“It's giving me liberty and it's given me independence.
“Before this I was worrying about my mortgage and constantly working overtime, but now I can take things slow.
“I can finally take a step back and find more time for my kids.”
Debbie says that the win was the answer to all of her prayers.
“Maybe like a week before I won I had a conversation with my husband about bills and expenses,” she explains.
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“I was saying I wasn’t happy at the moment and he asked how much money would it take to end all my problems.
“I said probably about £500,000 pounds and just a few days later I manifested the solution.”
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