Welcome back to Broke in Bristol, the blog that helps you save money, make money and live life to the full on a shoestring. Recently, I was invited to take a look at this £1m dream cottage in Pill, near Bristol, as, although it’s way out of my price league, there’s a chance of winning it for just £10!
Local hat designer Tricia Hamilton has lived in this charming 19th century property for more than 20 years, but is now looking to downsize and move nearer to her daughter in Oxford.
Better odds than the lottery…
Instead of putting it up for sale, Tricia is running an online Spot the Hat competition – which costs £10 per entry giving one lucky person the chance of owning their dream home outright.
Now I’m not advocating gambling and if you can’t afford to part with £10 then you really shouldn’t, but if, like me, you see this as your only chance of ever living in a £1m house, the odds of you making this dream home your reality are better than your chances of winning the lottery. As Tricia intends to sell 150,000 tickets you have a 1 in 150,000 chance of winning, compared to a 1 in 14 million chance of winning the lottery. No brainer, right?
Through the keyhole…
Roselands cottage has 17 rooms spread across three floors including four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two reception rooms, more than half an acre of land and generous outhouses. I was in awe at the sprawling garden, stunning open plan kitchen with Aga and I also couldn’t help but notice that the built in bar was the same size as my kitchen!
Don’t let the potential running costs put you off either. Tricia has had solar panels installed so that energy costs aren’t as high as you might think and all fees including stamp duty will be taken care of. There’s plenty of room for a lodger or two, scope to hire out the workshop or even turn the cottage into a quaint B&B. The government’s Rent a Room scheme allows you to earn £7,500 a year without having to declare it, or include it on your tax return.
Although Tricia has decided it’s time to move on, you can tell that Roselands has a special place in her heart. For the last 25 years it’s been more than just her home – seeing her through her divorce and her two grown up children flying the nest to start families of their own.
It would make Tricia’s day if someone won the cottage who would not otherwise have the opportunity to live in a house like this. “I’d love the winner to be someone who couldn’t otherwise afford to live in a property like this as it will change their future,” Tricia says. “It’s a great house and whoever wins will love living here with all the unique features and vast space the cottage has to offer. I’ll be sad to leave but it’s time for me to move on.”
You can have a nosey around Tricia’s cottage online and play Spot the Hat for your chance to win this stunning £1m home. Good luck!
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