JAMES Moughton spends every morning overlooking stunning sea views with a cuppa from the comfort of his £4million beach pad.
People pay a fortune for a house like this, but the retired cabbie only shelled out £35 – but despite his luck, he reveals the poignant reason why he’s planning on selling up.
James Moughton loves the stunning sea views from his new home[/caption]
He gave notice on his one-bed council home in Hull and recently moved in to the new house[/caption]
James, 71, went from a one-bed council flat in Hull, living hand to mouth, to winning the mega four-bed, four-bathroom home near East Preston, Sussex, in June through Omaze.
Omaze runs a monthly draw and raises millions of pounds for charity.
To take part, you can buy a one-off ticket, take out a monthly subscription or enter for free by post.
The raffle has become hugely popular, dishing out properties in London, the Lake District and Bath, to name a few. So far, 42 lucky winners have scooped a luxury home.
Each house also comes with furnishings – typically worth around £150,000 – meaning lucky winners can move in straight away.
They can decide to live in the house, rent it out or sell up and become a cash millionaire.
It’s a tempting offer – which is exactly why James entered June’s draw.
He had entered a few Omaze house draws before, but the Sussex house with its mega views caught his eye.
He was struggling to get by before the win, living on a £1,000 a month income from the state pension and a ‘very small’ private pot.
Living ‘hand to mouth’, the amazing homes caught his eye as a way to change his fortunes.
James spent £400 a month on rent for his old flat, so the idea of being rent-free and having more cash to spare was a huge draw.
He says: “Things were tight, especially during the last few years. I managed, but I just had to be careful.”
For a single entry, prices currently start at £10 for 20 entries, but you can pay more to get more entries.
James spent £25 on 90 entries. Then, to give himself a better chance of winning, he signed up for a £10 subscription, which gave him a further 100 entries.
He spent £35 in total, but in the end, the winning entry came from the first £25 he spent.
How much does Omaze cost to enter?
To enter an Omaze house draw, you can do a one-off entry, take out a monthly subscription or enter by post.
For a single entry, you can currently get £5 off. That takes the price to £10 for 20 entries, £25 for 45 entries, £45 for 85 or £145 for 320.
If you subscribe via the website, it costs £15 a month for 100 entries, £20 for 200 entries and £45 a month for 640 entries. You can currently save £5 on your first month.
There is a way to enter for free.
You can post your entry via post – which means you don’t have to pay anything apart from the cost of postage.
On a blank sheet of paper, or a postcard, write your full legal name, address, city, postcode, telephone number, email address and which prize draw you want to enter.
For example, if Omaze had a draw running in Marbella, the entrant would write, ‘Omaze Million Pound House Draw – Marbella’.
Make sure you write in clear handwriting or the entry could be invalid. You can only make one entry per postcard or envelope received, although there’s no limit on the number of entries you can make this way.
Post your entry to:
Address:
Omaze Scrutineers – [Insert name of draw]
Civica Election Services
33 Clarendon Road
London
N8 0NW
When James got the call from Omaze one Friday night in July to say he had won the house and a whopping £250,000 in cash, he was eating fish and chips in his old flat in Hull.
He couldn’t wait to tell his son, son Michael, 29, a chef, and daughter Katie, 28, about the win – and how their lives would change forever.
He says: “I burst into tears and then said ‘This is great for my family’.
“My children were just as speechless and gobsmacked as I was – none of us could really believe it.
“When I first told my daughter, she just said: ‘This can’t be real’. Everyone was over the moon for me.”
Although James thinks his huge house is perfect, he’s selling up to return to Hull, where he was born and raised[/caption]
The house also includes a hot tub you can take a dip in while overlooking the incredible views[/caption]
The huge balcony is the perfect place for a wine in the evening or a coffee in the morning[/caption]
‘How on earth is this mine?’
An Omaze representative visited him the next day to confirm his win.
“I didn’t think it was a scam, but I thought it was a bit strange.
“They took me to the green outside my flat and showed me what I’d won.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s the house’.
“They went away, leaving me with a key fob. That’s the only way I knew it wasn’t a dream.”
It took six weeks for the paperwork to be completed on the house, and he moved in soon after.
He added: “When I first stepped into the house, I was speechless – it was absolutely breathtaking.
“It felt like walking into a show home – everything was perfect. The sea views were just stunning.
“It’s the nicest house I’ve ever been in, and I kept thinking, How on earth is this all mine?’. It still hasn’t really sunk in.”
Sun Money went to visit James at his home and shared a cuppa with the retired cabbie[/caption]
His house boasts four beds and four bathrooms, with light, airy rooms[/caption]
Sun Money went to visit James in his plush pad, and we were stunned by the gorgeous house.
His living room and kitchen overlook the English Channel, and his new home is packed with luxury features, including floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
There’s an amazing first-floor sun room with a balcony overlooking the beach.
There is a his-and-hers dressing room, a hot tub and even a garden adjoining the beach, while a detached guest studio has a double garage above.
James settled into his new home quickly. “I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent here so far – all the neighbours have been brilliant.
James said his family couldn’t believe it when he told them he had won the Omaze house in June’s draw[/caption]
He said that it was only when he got the keys to the house and stepped inside for the first time that it felt real[/caption]
James is looking to buy a small place in Hull big enough for the grandchildren including a nice garden[/caption]
Selling up
“People here are very friendly. I’ve enjoyed eating out in the local restaurants, going to the local pub and having walks around the area. It’s a lovely place, everyone has been great.”
But despite the breathtaking views, James is looking to sell up his amazing home.
He explains: “I’m planning to continue enjoying it with family and friends over the next couple of months.
“Having the £250,000 cash meant I always had the option to stay here for more than ten years if I wanted to, but I’ll probably look to sell up and cash in sooner rather than later.
“It means I can get both my children on the property ladder and help my son set up his own business.
“They are both renting at the moment. They have good jobs but are struggling to save.”
He’s planning on moving back to Hull and buying a three-bed home, near to where all his friends and family live.
“Hull will always be my home,” he said. “I was born and raised there, and I absolutely love it.”
James has decided to save his £250,000 windfall – although he has spent a little bit of it on meals out at local restaurants and trips out for his family.
He says: “I’m not really a flashy kind of guy, so I’ve hardly spent any of it.
“I’m keeping it safe for now so it’s there for a rainy day, but just knowing I’ve got it gives me real peace of mind and gives me the option to live in the house in Sussex for years if I wanted to.”
Selling up will no doubt help to shrink his monthly outgoings, as running a house this size is not cheap.
How much does the £4million pad cost to run per month?
OMAZE crunched the numbers on behalf of James to explain how much his mega pad will cost to run per month.
ESSENTIAL BILLS:
Gas: £146
Electricity: £170
Water: £40
Broadband: £65
Council tax: £316
Estate Maintenance Charge: £24
NON-ESSENTIAL BILLS
Window cleaning: £100
Hot tub/sauna maintenance: £17
Alarms (Annual service): £12
Cleaner: £400
Gardening: £350
Gates: £15
TOTAL: £1,655 a month
James’ bills at his old flat cost £600 – but he could face costs up to £1,000 more at his new pad.
This could include £400 a month for a cleaner to help him maintain the house, as well as £350 for a gardener, and £15 to maintain the hot tub and sauna – which are costs he didn’t have to worry about before.
‘Omaze curse’
It’s hard to tell what the odds of winning on Omaze really are.
That’s because it depends on how many entries are received.
Consider the entry cost versus the payout. While the prospect of a huge house and a £250,000 cash prize may be tempting, forking out a minimum of £10 for a draw is steep, especially as there are other lotteries which you can play which are cheaper.
Never buy more tickets than you can afford.
There have also been reports of the so-called “Omaze curse” – where winners have sold their mansions, sometimes within weeks.
Dad-of-five Glen Elmy has reportedly demanded a cash payout from Omaze after having to abandon his £3million Devon mansion after just three days of moving in, because of fears it was crumbling into the sea.
While widow Patricia Moule won a £4million Scottish Highlands mansion, but listed it for sale just four months later so she could use the proceeds from the sale to gift to her family.
Last year, nanny Lauren Keene, 24, flogged her £3million Merseyside mansion for £2.5million. And grandad Tom Steenson, 63, listed his £2million Devon dream home just weeks after winning it — for £2.35million, £350k over the original valuation.
Omaze says it carries out extensive professional surveys, searches and inspections on all its properties before buying. It said the Devon property was fully insurable.
Omaze doesn’t keep figures on how many winners sell or rent out their property. A spokesperson said: “Once they’ve got the keys, it’s their decision what they do with their prize.”
There’s also the running costs of a considerably larger property to consider, and whether you can afford it. While the £250,000 cash that Omaze gives will obviously help, it won’t last forever.
There’s no need to worry about forking out for stamp duty or legal fees for getting the house put into your name – if you win, Omaze covers all of these fees.
You can look at other lotteries which cost less to enter.
If you are keen on supporting good causes, you could buy a Lotto ticket for £2. A chunk of the ticket sales goes to funding sports, arts, health, education and more.
The biggest ever jackpot was £66 million, won in January 2016 – enough for a mansion with plenty left to spare.
If you’re counting the pennies, you could consider a free lottery – but the prizes on offer are much lower.
For example, the Pick My Postcode lottery is free to enter as it is funded by advertising.
If your postcode is picked, you win a prize. If no one claims the money, it rolls over.
If multiple players with the same postcode win and claim the prize, the pot of cash is split. The largest prize won by a lucky winner was £8,660.
You just need a registered UK postcode and an email address.
Lotteries you can enter NOW with prizes up to £1million
WHEN it comes to the lottery, they say you need to be in it to win it – but which top prize are YOU most likely to win?
Here’s the lotteries you can enter, plus their top prizes
1. Premium Bonds – top prize £1million
Premium Bonds are a type of savings account, but instead of earning interest, every £1 you save gets you an entry into a monthly draw with prizes of up to £1 million.
You’ll need a minimum of £25 to open an account. You don’t have to pay to enter the monthly draw.
Premium Bonds have a “prize fund rate” which is an estimate of how much you should win based on the amount you have saved, and this is currently 3.6%.
2. Bank prize draws – top prize £50k
Some banks will offer customers the chance to pocket free cash.
Kent Reliance customers who are over 18 and have savings of at least £100 or a mortgage of more than £1,000 with the bank are entered into a monthly draw to win £1,000.
The app-based bank Chip offers a digital prize savings account, which pays no interest but enters you into a monthly draw.
The amount up for grabs varies, but in July the top prize was £50,000 and there were 500 prizes of £10 plus 4,000 prizes of £5.
3. People’s Postcode Lottery – top prize £500k
To win this one you’ll need your postcode to be drawn – if yours is chosen, every person in your postcode who is signed up shares the winnings.
There are 20 draws each month, with prizes including vouchers, gift cards and small cash sums, but the big one is the Millionaire Street Prize on a Saturday, where players in the winning postcode get a share of at least £1million.
The maximum an individual can win is £500,000.
4. The Health Lottery – top prize £100k
This one aims to raise money for health-related good causes across the UK, with about 20p of £1 going towards community projects, charities and more.
There are seven Big Win draws each week. Five of them have a top prize of £25,000 – it costs £1 to enter each of these, and this automatically gets you entry into the two weekly superdraws with top prizes of £100,000.
5. Pick my Postcode – top prize £8,660
Pick my Postcode is funded by advertising so you don’t have to part with any cash for the prospect of winning, you just need a registered UK postcode and an email address – but it does require a bit of effort.
There are various draws each day – the ‘main’, ‘survey’, ‘video’ and ‘bonus’ draws – with prizes starting from £5, and a midday draw offering £200.
You win if your postcode is drawn – but you’ll need to check online everyday to see if you’ve been lucky, as you have to claim your prize by midday the next day or the money is rolled over.
The top prize won by one person ever was worth £8,660.
6. Lotto (National Lottery) – top prize £66million
The original lottery, now known as Lotto, raises money for good causes.
A chunk of the ticket sales goes to funding sports, arts, health, education and more.
Entry costs £2 and there are draws on Wednesday and Saturday.
The biggest prize won ever was £66million.
7. Other National Lottery games – top prize up to £208million
The Thunderball costs £1 to enter, with a top prize of £500,000.
Set for Life costs £1.50 and promises the winner £10,000 a month for 30 years.
In the Euromillions, there are serious sums of money up for grabs. The biggest prize which has ever been up for grabs was worth £208million, and was won by a lucky Irish ticket holder.
8. Charity lotteries – top prize up to £10k
The RSPB lottery costs £1 to enter and is drawn every Friday, with 35 cash prizes ranging from £10 to £1,000.
It says 60% of the money raised goes towards supporting wildlife and nature reserves.
There are 200 prizes from £5 to £1,000 in the British Heart Foundation Weekly Flutter Lottery.
