We all loathe estate agents huge fees when selling our properties and if you are lucky enough to have never encountered them, then be warned! However, property markets are changing. Who needs to trudge up and down high streets looking for the ideal home when it’s never been easier to view a property without leaving the comfort of your favourite armchair?
By searching for properties online we don’t have to put up with estate agent’s selling tactics; especially those of the new girl who is desperate to secure a deal with you, having already spent the commission on a Gucci handbag. All of this is easily avoided by going online. At a time when anything can be auctioned on eBay, from virginities to paperclips, it’s hardly surprising that the way we sell our properties is becoming increasingly diversified.
Although the relatively new phenomenon of “giving away” a property online is still in its infancy, it should not be underestimated or dismissed. But what is the real incentive behind giving your home away in an online property competition?
In the US they have a system called a ‘House Raffle’, where anyone can buy a ticket and be in with a chance of winning a home to do with as they wish, whether to sell, rent or live in. It is an appealing idea that makes owning a home available to everyone, especially those who would not otherwise be able to get on the property ladder. It could also be someone's provision for retirement, bringing a regular monthly income and with the current state of British pensions, it seems an ideal way of investing for the future.
Aleks Janceski, 25, from Watford, is currently giving his £200,000 Town Centre flat away as first prize in his own online prize competition at www.winmyspace.co.uk. However, his story has more of a twist to it. Rather than just selling tickets to win his flat and making a tidy profit, he is also using the opportunity to raise money for charity as well.
When you consider that an estate agent would have made about £4,000 commission on the sale of his flat, he decided that the money would be far better going to a charity than in the pocket of a well-healed agent. Therefore, Aleks has generously pledged £1,000 for every 1,000 tickets sold to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, if all of the tickets are sold he will add a bonus of £2,500, making the total possible donation £12,500. Aleks chose Great Ormond Street as the charity he wanted to donate to as it was here that he fiancée Hayley was treated for cancer as a child.
To keep the competition above board and the Gambling Commission happy by complying with section 14 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, you have to answer a question before buying a ticket on winmyspace.co.uk to demonstrate that a level of skill has been applied. This differentiates a prize competition from that of a lottery. In order to carry out a lottery, a licence is needed which can be costly and time consuming, by asking a question (the answer to which can be found on the website), there is no need for a license.
This refreshing approach to property selling may soon become commonplace, with people realising the advantages of self-selling properties. Although, hopefully, the British won’t go as far as American Deborah Hale who not only auctioned her home but herself as well! The house and bride package was up for a mere $600,000 and was a desperate last attempt from Deborah at finding happiness. This may well be going too far, but the notion of giving away your property in a competition and raising a large sum of money for sick children in the process, now surely that is a good idea? www.winmyspace.co.uk
Aleksandar Janceski is available for interviews. Please contact him by email directly at mail@winmyspace.co.uk
