Simon Mawdsley said he won a £4 million house in Cornwall through an Omaze prize draw. According to Mawdsley, he is 41 years old and works as a web developer. He stated that he bought his winning entry for £15 as part of his Omaze subscription and had been entering Omaze draws for more than two years.
Mawdsley said the house comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, includes £160,000 worth of furnishings, and he was given £250,000 in cash to help him settle in. He added that he can choose to live in the house, rent it out, or sell it. Mawdsley recounted that Omaze initially went to the wrong house to deliver the news because he had forgotten to update his address, and he moved to Bolton from his old house.
Funnily enough Omaze turned up at the wrong house to tell me I’d won as I’d forgotten to update my address.
He said his wife Riza, who is 35 years old, had been working 14-hour days all week before the win. Mawdsley stated that he and his wife showed pictures of the house to his parents, who initially refused to believe the win, but when they realized it was real, his mother burst into tears and started planning which room she would take. He mentioned that his parents have offered to live in the house when he is not there.
Mawdsley said he last visited Cornwall 25 years ago on a family holiday. He plans to install a snooker table in the house, replacing the dining table, but noted his wife might need persuading about the snooker table plan. According to Mawdsley, local estate agents estimate the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £4,500 per month.
They called me to say I’d won a prize and could they pop round to see me, but they were actually at my old house. Thankfully we didn’t move that far, only to Bolton, so they nipped down the road to tell me what I’d won. I remember thinking, if they’re coming to see me in person, I must have won something pretty good, but you never imagine you’ve won a house, that kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in real life.
The exact location or address of the house has not been disclosed, and the specific furnishings included or detailed terms of the win are unknown.
But they finally came and knocked on the door and that’s when I found out I was the owner of a £4m house in Cornwall. I was absolutely dumbfounded - I just stood there in utter disbelief. I was with my wife and we were both in complete shock. It was one hundred percent the craziest moment of our lives.
My wife had been working 14-hour days all week, but even though she was knackered, she started jumping up and down when they told us, she’s been jumping with joy ever since. First thing we did was go and see my mum and dad. They refused to believe us at first, but when they realised it was real, my mum burst into tears.
We then showed them pictures of the house and she soon gathered herself and started planning which room she was going to take!
I haven’t been to Cornwall since we came on a family holiday 25 years ago. We absolutely loved it. I never imagined the next time I’d be back in Cornwall would be because I own a £4 million house here overlooking the sea!