A bloke almost missed out on winning a £2million massive house and £250,000 in cash because he wanted to go to the pub. Tom Steenson won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Devon, and is now the proud owner of a contemporary, four-bedroom house near the picturesque coastal town of Exmouth.
Complete with a heated swimming pool as well as spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding scenery and coastline, his new property comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. He also scooped a whopping £250,000 in cash to help him settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 to £7,000 per month. Tom, who bought his multi-million-pound winning entry for just £20, as part of his Omaze subscription, was on his way to the pub when Omaze first knocked on his door to tell him he’d scooped a prize. His wife Carole, 58, answered the door in his absence.
She called Tom to say Omaze were at the door, but he almost didn’t answer as he thought it might “interfere with my trip to the pub!”. He said: “Obviously I always answer when my wife calls and thank goodness I do! Missing that pint made me a millionaire – it’s the best pint I’ve never had!”
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
“It was just another Friday really. I was off to get a haircut and then planned to go straight to the pub for an end of the week beer with pals, so I was out when Omaze came knocking. My wife answered and called me to say Omaze were at our house, but I very nearly ignored it as I thought it might interfere with my trip to the pub! Obviously, I always answer when my wife calls, and thank goodness I do as it really paid off this time!
“We didn’t know what I’d won at that point, so I asked her if it was the house, and she said I shouldn’t have thought so, neither of us expected it really. I skipped going to the pub and rushed home instead. Missing that pint made me a millionaire, it’s the best pint I’ve never had!
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
“Our daughter came over and we celebrated with a couple of bottles of champagne and a big Chinese takeaway! For once the fortune cookies were correct!”
On his new house he said: “The house is just magnificent, it looks like something out of a film! It’s not unfair to say it’s a bit nicer than where we currently live! My wife is a part time cleaner and cleans houses like this every now and then – but we never thought we’d end up owning one. We love the house, there’s loads of space for all our friends and family to come and stay.
“The pool looks great! It’s a bit nippy today but if I had my trunks I’d definitely be tempted to dive in! Devon is beautiful, we love being in the countryside and by the sea. Waking up to these rolling hills and sea views will never get dull.”
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
On his connection to CALM he said: “The charity means a lot to me personally, I’ve had issues with my mental health over the years – I was struggling in 2019, it was a really tough time, but support networks like CALM helped me through a really dark time. I can’t believe where I am today, it’s one hell of a turnaround from then to now!
On his big win, he said: “This win means we’ll never have to worry about money ever again – it’s a dream come true. I could retire early, but my boss doesn’t have to worry as I’ll keep working for a while yet, I like to stay busy. Our grandkids are going to love this place, they’ve already planned a big pool party.
“Thanks to £250k we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for ten years if we wanted to. Selling and banking the cash would enable us to help all our children and grandchildren – it’s a generational legacy for our family.
(Image: Omaze / SWNS)
Tom and Carole have lived in their current 2-bedroom house in Maidstone since 2021. They have a son and daughter as well as two grandchildren. They also have a Cocker Spaniel called Dazzle.
Draw entries for the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, on the Wirral, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Sunday 24th November for online entries and Tuesday 26th November 2024 for postal entries.
Entrants can also choose to subscribe to Omaze to be automatically entered into every Grand Prize Draw each month. Omaze subscribers receive at least four times the number of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time.
For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only.
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