I won my dream home for just £16… and I NEVER have to pay a penny back on the mortgage
A WOMAN has won her dream home for £16 and never has to pay a penny back on the mortgage.
Georgie Robinson's life-changing win came after buying 16 £1 raffle tickets for a chance to own the South Tyneside three-bedroom home.
The 27-year-old found out on Christmas Eve she had scooped the main prize, leaving her utterly overwhelmed.
Georgie will now be moving from her home in Carlisle where she currently lives with her mum.
She told : "It was a shock, you just don't imagine that you're going to win do you? Everyone hopes but you never think that it's going to happen.
"When I found out I'd won, I was in that much shock... I was supposed to wrap presents after too."
She added: "Winning has been a massive help, I'm in the Navy and I pay a lot travelling around back and forth from home, and it's just been really hard to save - so this is life-changing really."
Georgie and her partner have been trying to save for a home but says it has been tough.
Most read in The Sun
Now that she's won the house, she can live without rent and doesn't have to worry about a mortgage.
It's came about after Adam Thwaites and wife Liz launched a raffle to sell their home with tickets available for £1.
The family hoped they would raise enough to be able to buy a £13,000 wheelchair accessible swing for Grace House - a charity Liz works for, which helps disabled kids.
They managed to sell around 86,108 tickets which garnered interest from people all over Britain, allowing them to raise the first £3,000 for the swing for Grace House.
Georgie is now making arrangements to relocate and will have some help from her dad who lives in Sunderland to move.
Adam added: "We are in the process of transferring the ownership of our property to Georgie now and she is coming to visit us on Thursday evening and to look around in person.
"Georgie said that when we called her to tell her she had won our home, that 'the shock came over' and that she couldn’t think straight."
Can I really win a house in a raffle?
House raffles are an appealing option for anyone struggling to get a foot on the ladder, particularly as property prices have gone up so much.
But whether you're looking to sell or buy through a raffle, there are lots of risks to be aware of.
read more on the sun
A number of people selling their home by raffle have inadvertently fallen foul of advertising and gambling rules, and have had to pull the plug on their competition as a result.
Others have had to refund entrants after payment services couldn't sell tickets under their terms and conditions.
Even if the competition does go ahead, the winner might not get what they bargained for.
There's often a clause saying you'll only get the grand prize if the organiser sells a certain number of tickets.
If you are considering entering a house raffle, be sure to check whether the property is freehold or leasehold - the latter could have hefty ground rent fees.
Some raffled properties may seem impressive, but be sure to factor in the running costs associated with owning a castle or draughty old manor house.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Check on property websites to see what similar homes are going for in the local areas, and find out if your legal costs are covered as part of the competition.
If you win, you shouldn't have to pay stamp duty but you might have to pay for a pricey survey and solicitors fees.
