How’s this for a great deal: You could win a million-dollar house for $25. And the home is in Ottawa (Alta Vista to be precise).
How? Why?
The home is located in popular Alta Vista.
Owners Connie and Allan McIntosh are giving away the newly renovated home — if they get enough entries to cover their costs.
They bought the home last year with the idea of flipping it.
“We bought this house from a widow who had lived in the home alone for many years,” they say on a website created for the contest. “We bought it with the full intention of restoring it to its full potential and then putting it up for sale.”
They had hoped to sell it for $1.149 million, an amount they feel the home is worth, although they acknowledge it’s a new price point for the area.
Having heard of a similar contest when they were getting ready to list the home, “we decided we would put the house on the market and if it did not sell within a short time we would consider the contest approach,” they explain.
Paying it forward
The only criteria to enter is the $25 entry fee and a 100-word letter on why you deserve the home and how you would then “pay it forward”.
“Our hope is that, with this contest, we will make someone’s dream seem possible.”
The contest opened June 13 and will run until Aug. 13. It could be extended for up to an additional three months if needed to attract the required number of entries. The owners are looking for 50,000 entries and if there are not enough, the contest will be cancelled and entry fees returned, minus any bank or postal fees.
The home is a circa 1960s two-storey with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a landscaped yard, wine cellar and several upgrades.
- Kitchen
- Family room
- Master ensuite
- Basement bedroom
“It is our hope that this gorgeous home will go to someone with a family who will live a full and joyous life here in Ottawa and become a valuable member of the community,” the owners say. “The people who live here are incredible neighbours who have watched our restoration of this house with a great deal of interest. It’s our hope the new owner will appreciate these neighbours as much as we have.”
To enter the contest, visit writealetterwinthishouse.com.
Update Nov. 5: The contest has been cancelled after not enough entries were received.
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