Aussie Take: Selling Your House? Just Chuck It in a Raffle Draw, Mate
Forget real estate agents, forget auctions, forget sobbing into your flat white when another buyer ghosts you. In the age of the property apocalypse, some desperate homeowners are raffling off their homes online – complete with cars, sob stories, and a wild ride through social media hell.
Take Natalie and Bradley Rowcroft, a Salford couple who – mid-pandemic – raffled off their £290,000 house and chucked in their white BMW for good measure. The goal? Sell 200,000 tickets at £2 each and move to Brisbane. The result? 45 days of no sleep, relentless online hustle, and the type of stress normally reserved for contestants on Survivor.
Raffle Reality Check: The Stats Behind the Hype
| Raffle Story | Target Tickets | Actual Outcome | Profit (Est.) | House Given Away? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowcrofts (UK to AUS) | 200,000 | Hit in 45 days | ~£90,000 | Yes + BMW bonus |
| Karen Sugden (Dublin to Paris) | 120,000 | Fell short, cash prize instead | Minimal | No |
| Imelda Collins (Leitrim) | 150,000+ | Exceeded threshold | £495,000+ | Yes |
| Adam Thwaites (South Shields) | 200,000 | £3,000 raised for charity | None | Yes (gave it anyway) |
| Dunstan Low (Lancashire manor) | Unknown | £1M in ticket sales | High | Yes |
What’s the Catch? Spoiler: It’s Not Just About the House
Jason Dale, from raffle listing site Loquax, says most private rafflers don’t realise they’re not just selling their home – they’re becoming full-time influencers.
“It’s a slog. You’re not just listing a home. You’re launching a brand, dodging trolls, and learning how to run ads faster than a crypto bro during tax time.”
Only 13% of listed Raffall competitions on Loquax end in a house giveaway. The rest? Either cash payouts, quiet flops, or dramatic social media spirals.
→ Loquax stats via: https://loquax.co.uk
House Raffles vs. Real Estate: Side-by-Side Showdown
| Feature | Traditional Sale | Property Raffle |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | Agent fees, marketing | Website fees, Google Ads, posters |
| Chance of Success | Medium (market-driven) | Low for private sellers, high for pros |
| Timeline | 3–6 months | 1–3 months (if lucky) |
| Extra Drama | Low | High – trolls, scammers, burnout |
| Bonus Car Thrown In? | Never | Sometimes (hi, BMW!) |
Raffle MVPs and Epic Fails
- MVP: Imelda Collins, who raffled her Irish cottage for £5 a pop, hit the media jackpot, and made enough to fund several gap years.
- FAIL: Karen Sugden, whose heartfelt plan to help a first-time buyer got outbid by cold, hard investor logic.
- ETHICS AWARD: Adam Thwaites, who gave away his home anyway to a young woman trying to get on the ladder – despite financial loss.
Legal Loopholes & Regulatory Grey Areas
Most raffles operate in the twilight zone of UK gambling law:
- Free Draws: Include free postal entry = not gambling
- Prize Competitions: Ask a hard question = legal workaround
- Gambling Commission: No licence required
But Jason Dale warns:
“These sites are right on the border of gambling. Someone spent £10,000 on tickets once. No red flags get raised like they would with bingo or betting apps.”
Aussie Angle: The Rowcrofts Made It, But Would They Do It Again?
Short answer? Absolutely not.
“I didn’t sleep for 45 days… it was like giving birth,” said Natalie, who now lives with her family in Brisbane and keeps the old raffle sign in the garage like a cursed relic.
“Can we just burn it now?” she asked.
“No way,” said Brad. “It’s a piece of history.”
Final Threads: Dreams vs. Drama
Raffling your house can:
Change your life
Launch you into media stardom
Burn through your sanity like a sausage sizzle gone rogue
But it’s not a guaranteed win. If you’re not part hustler, part publicist, part emotional support animal, best stick to the agent – or maybe just sell some raffle tickets for a meat tray instead.
