Couple sells £13.50 raffle tickets for their £5 million mansion
The 7,500 sq ft house is too big for the couple
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Your support makes all the difference.A couple has decided to raffle off their luxury six-bedroom mansion - after having no luck in their attempts to sell the estate.
Located on the edge of North London in Hertfordshire, Dancers Hill House is a Georgian grade II listed property worth more than £5.25m - but it could be yours for just £13.50.
The current owners, Nigel and Melanie Walsh, decided on a raffle after realising that the difficult property market, Brexit and Stamp Duty were making it near-impossible to sell the home.
After gaining inspiration from similar competitions, the pair settled on the idea of selling tickets and choosing a lucky winner for the “grand old house in lovely surroundings.”
"It is time to move on, and it will be heart-wrenching because this is a part of me... it has been a joy, we have had some great fun," Ms Walsh said, before revealing that the house had gotten too big for the two of them.
In addition to six bedrooms, the 7,500 square feet also boasts two lounges, a cinema room, a gym, a wine room, plus four acres of grounds, including a one-and-a-half acre lake stocked with more than 2,000 fish.
"There is just the two of us now - 7,500 square feet for two people - I mean it is funny, but it is crazy, we just don’t fill it anymore,” she said. “I just got the feeling the house needed a new family, a new chapter. It has had a fantastic life,” the mum-of-three said.
The couple purchased the house in November 1992 - but weren’t able to move in until July of 1993 as the house was in the “most derelict state.”
After transforming the house, the couple, who have been married 42 years, raised three children there and hosted birthdays, family gatherings, and their son’s wedding.
The house was also the featured in the children’s television show ChuckleVision and in the 1999 adaption of Great Expectations.
When asked who she would like to win the competition, Ms Walsh said she hopes it will be a family who will “love it as much as we have.
"The people who are buying tickets and entering, I hope and I really mean this sincerely, that they are looking forward to winning Dancers Hill House.
"I would like to see it go to a family who are going to cherish it and have as much fun as we have, and I hope we succeed."
To enter the competition, interested parties must first answer a question then purchase a ticket.
The closing date for the competition is December 16 or earlier if all 600,000 tickets are sold and the draw will be done at random.
You can learn more about the home and the competition here.
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