A young family are raffling their County Durham home and BMW for £1 a ticket to help fulfil their dream of living in Australia.
Richard and India Taylor put their three-bedroom terraced property in Bishop Auckland on the market for £170,000 in January.
Despite a number of viewings, their quest to sell up was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple have now decided the best way to sell their home is to offer it up as a raffle prize, with tickets costing just £1 each.
A young family are raffling their County Durham home and BMW for £1 a ticket to help fulfil their dream of moving to Australia
Richard and India Taylor put their three-bedroom terraced property in Bishop Auckland on the market for £170,000 in January. Pictured: The couple with children Lucas, three, and Eli, who is seven months old
The lucky winner will be chosen at random once all 300,000 tickets have been purchased online.
The three-storey house features three king-size bedrooms, an open plan kitchen/dining area and a south-facing yard, making it a perfect suntrap in the summer months.
The raffle winner will also claim the couple’s three-year-old BMW X3 with tinted windows and heated seats.
Richard, 27, and India, 29, have lived in the property for 18 months but have their hearts set on moving to Perth with their sons Lucas, three, and seven-month old Eli.
Despite a number of viewings, their quest to sell up was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic so the couple decided the best way to sell their home is to offer it up as a raffle prize, with tickets costing just £1 each. Pictured: The living room of their home
Richard, who works at construction firm Komatsu in Birtley, Tyne and Wear, said: ‘We had an aim to move by the end of October but now that plan is in jeopardy.
‘We are getting a lot of positive feedback on the house with people saying they’d love to put an offer in, but many are struggling to get a mortgage at the moment.
‘The house was initially put on the market for £170,000 but was reduced to £160,000 in a bid to force through a sale.
The lucky winner will be chosen at random once all 300,000 tickets have been purchased online. Pictured: one of the three king-size bedrooms
‘We have had no joy and we have some friends in Yorkshire who raffled their home so we thought we’d give it a try.’
Richard said the raffle presents itself with the opportunity for his family to not only live out their own dream but also to help someone else achieve theirs.
He added: ‘The house is completely mortgage free and the car is finance free. All the legal fees will be paid on both sides. The raffle company does take a percentage of the money.
The raffle winner will also claim the couple’s three-year-old BMW X3 with tinted windows and heated seats
Richard, 27, and India, 29, have lived in the home for the past 18 months but have their hearts set on moving to Perth with their sons. Pictured: The home’s bathroom
The couple are hoping to move to Australia later this year with the deadline to purchase tickets being on November 7
‘It is so difficult trying to get on the property ladder so for £1, that is incredibly cheap and is life-changing for someone.
‘The house is in a sought-after area of Bishop Auckland and we have loved living here. We would love to be able to help someone who has had a tough past or has lost their job during the coronavirus.
‘It would be fantastic to know we have done something to help someone.
‘This is massive for us. We have been wanting to do this for so long. All we can do is think about living in Australia.
Richard said the raffle presents itself with the opportunity for his family to not only live their own dream but also to help someone else achieve theirs
‘Over there has a really chilled lifestyle, working life and would be like a holiday at home. It will be completely different to living in the North East.’
The couple are hoping to move to Australia later this year with the deadline to purchase tickets being November 7.
Richard said: ‘We are hoping for tickets to sell quickly and then we can announce a winner as soon as possible.
‘Moving to Australia has been something myself and India have been wanting to do for a long time. We have put it off a number of times but now we have just decided to do it.
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for someone and we can’t wait to start living our dream.’
To enter the raffle, click here.