Scott Parkin, 29, pictured, was left frustrated after receiving no offers during the six months that the property was on the market
A father who was struggling to sell his £175,000 three bedroom house has decided to raffle it off for £5 a ticket instead.
Scott Parkin, 29, was left frustrated after receiving no offers during the six months that the property was on the market.
But instead of lowering the price he launched a Facebook raffle with hopefuls paying a £5 entry fee and answering an easy question to be in with a chance of winning.
He is hoping to sell 35,000 tickets by the 1st of April which will equal the £175,000 value of the house.
The family home in Acklam, Middlesbrough, boasts a large open-plan lounge and dining area as well as its own garden and driveway.
Scott said: ‘This way we get the chance to sell the house and someone gets a home mortgage free – it’s a win-win situation.
‘I made sure I had a look into the logistics of it, and then chatted to my solicitors to see what I could do legally.
‘After we got all that sorted, I set up the Facebook page and straight away I started to get interest.
‘People have been buying 10 to 20 tickets at a time – I guess it is not very often this type of opportunity comes along.’
But if Scott doesn’t reach his sales goal, there is still a prize to be had.
The winner will get 50% of the cash raised, the runner up will get 20%, and the person in third place will get 10%. The remaining 20% will be donated to charity.
The family home in Acklam, Middlesbrough, boasts a large open-plan lounge and dining area, pictured, as well as its own garden and driveway
Instead of lowering the house price Scott launched a Facebook raffle with hopefuls paying a £5 entry fee and answering an easy question to be in with a chance of winning
The married father-of-two said: ‘It is a back up to make sure that no matter what happens, there will be a prize.
‘But I am hopeful I will sell them all – I sold about 300 in the first 24 hours.’
To make sure it is all fair, on the day of the draw Scott will live stream the event on Facebook.
He said: ‘I am going to live stream the draw and the number will be chosen by Siri (the Apple iPhone’s ‘personal assistant’ feature).
‘I thought this was a good way of doing it to make sure it is completely random.’
Scott said: ‘This way we get the chance to sell the house and someone gets a home mortgage free – it’s a win-win situation’
The home – which is on Trimdon Avenue in Acklam, Middlesbrough – also has a large driveway
Talking about the home on Acklam’s Trimdon Avenue, Scott added: ‘We have lived here about four years, and have been very happy. It is a lovely area and the neighbours are fantastic.
‘But we would like a third child, and that can’t happen while we are living here. There is not enough space and it is time to move on.
‘There is a generation that can’t afford to get on the property ladder, so I am hopefully going to help someone in that position by doing this.’