Move up the Hampshire property ladder and support local charity

With the average house price in Hampshire just shy of £400,000, it can be tricky for people to move up the local property ladder, or indeed get on it at all.

Even a 5% deposit on the average home would require savings of about £20,000, but one lucky person could land a £2.6 million home for the price of a postage stamp.

The luxury home is the top prize in Raffle House’s latest prize draw, with the winner set to become the proud owner of a detached home sitting on an acre of prime countryside land, offering picturesque views over the local fields, and they won’t pay a penny in fees or tax.

The home has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, three living rooms and even a separate two-bedroom annex – in total, it offers an enormous 5,300 square feet of living space.

The ground floor features a stunning country-style, eat-in kitchen and family room, a drawing room, a TV room, a study and even a boot room for storing the wellies after long walks around the tranquil grounds.

The first floor houses all of the main home’s bedrooms, as well as the majority of the bathrooms and a laundry room.

The self-contained, two-bed annex has an open-plan kitchen and living room, along with a bedroom and bathroom. It is connected to the main house via a hallway, perfect for wintry evenings when the owner might want to welcome guests into the big house.

There’s a handy storage floor in the loft space on the second floor, as well as an outbuilding and shed separated from the house. The carefully manicured grounds feature a number of paved and raised decking areas, ideal for outside entertaining in the summer months.

The luxury home comes fully furnished, with more than £100,000 of modern and stylish decor included. Raffle House also covers stamp duty costs and fees, so the winner will be able to move in without spending a penny.

“We’re really excited about our Hampshire Dream Home. It’s a beautiful property that we believe many locals would love to upgrade to,” said Benno Spencer, CEO of Raffle House.

However, if the home is won by someone outside the area or even a local who’d rather have the cash, there also the option for the winner to take the cash equivalent of the home’s value.

“We like to give our players choice and if it doesn’t happen to be their dream property at this moment in time, we’re equally happy to give them the cash equivalent so they’re able to buy their perfect property,” added Spencer.

Choose your charity

The choice element offered by Raffle House also extends to its charity partners. Rather than choosing one charity to support with its Dream Home draws, Raffle House allows players to choose one of 10 charities to direct the charitable donation portion of their entry to.

Among these charities is Phoenix Rehoming, a Havant-based charity that was set up in 2016 and has now rehomed more than 1,800 pets. It is staffed entirely by volunteers and works to rehome dogs and cats being given up by their owners. It was named Animal Rescue of the Year at the Prestige Awards 2024, as well as Most Dedicated Pet Rehoming Service 2024 for South-East England at the LUXlife 7th annual Pets Products and Services Awards.

“We really hope local entrants will choose Phoenix Rehoming as their preferred charity as we rely entirely on donations to rescue and rehome dogs and cats. The charity is run entirely by volunteers – this means every single donation helps us help dogs and cats,” said Carla Kilgallon at Phoenix Rehoming.

“The cost of caring for the animals we rescue is ever increasing and the demand for our help keeps growing. We are fighting to raise funds to build a rehabilitation and training centre to support the animals we rescue, their foster carers, adopters and our local community.”

The cost of living crisis has led to a record number of people giving up their pets, and the RSPCA warned earlier this year that rescue centres were facing an ‘animal welfare crisis’.

“We’re really proud to support small charities like Phoenix Rehoming as there’s no doubt they are doing vital work; players can be sure they are giving money to an organisation that really needs it,” said Spencer.

If preferred, those entering the prize draw can direct that the charitable portion of their ticket to one of nine other charities: Brain Tumour Research, Felix Fund, Head Up, Penny’s Ark, Pipal Tree, Sense, Serve On, Warpaws or When you Wish Upon a Star.

“British people are among the most generous in the world when it comes to charitable giving and we know that for many, the knowledge they are donating to charity is a big bonus when it comes to entering prize competitions. Many take the view that even if they don’t win, they’re at least doing some good with their entry.

“However, many people would prefer to support a charity that aligns with their own personal experiences or passions, so we set ourselves apart from other competitions by giving players a choice.”

Paid entries to the draw can be purchased from £10, which gives players 15 chances to win, and there’s also the option to enter for free via post. Entries close on December 31, and the winner will be drawn on January 10. See RaffleHouse.com.