Have you read any news about lucky winners of house raffles lately? These happy stories are sandwiched in between more depressing stories such as foreclosures, high unemployment rates and natural disasters. Nonprofit agencies in several states are raffling houses for good causes, and the people that purchase the tickets might find out later if they’re the owners of a new house. House raffles are getting a lot of attention as real estate prices go up. There are several people that have won houses in raffles all over the United States. Some let us know how they feel about their winning, but others just quietly go back to their lives. Here are a few stories and comments from the raffle house fundraiser winners in California.
Take Robert Hartman, a firefighter from Jamul, California. He took part in a San Diego, California house raffle that ran through the summer last year. The San Diego house raffle raised more 1.5 million in proceeds that will help a nonprofit build a multi-million dollar home to house families whose sick children are being treated at hospitals nearby. Hartman won a $700,000-plus John Laing house after purchasing two $100 tickets. Hartman had the option to take the home or a $620,000 cash option. He picked the home. When asked how he felt about the winnings, he said that he felt that it was an amazing thing. He felt that he and his wife, Laura, were truly blessed. He also went on to add that he hoped that the nonprofit got everything they needed.
On the other hand, Vivien Heinzel, a real estate agent from San Carlos, California chose the $1.8 million dollar cash prize over a large $2,400,000 Edwardian home just steps away from the Golden Gate Park. Those house raffle tickets sold for $150 apiece. As for the house, it remained with the owner since Heinzel opted for the cash option and ownership hadn’t been transferred to the nonprofit organization. The nonprofit made 1.3 million dollars from the raffle.
Last, there is Eric Gage, of Los Angeles who won a house raffle at a drawing at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. He was the winner of a $1.2 million house or $1 million in cash. He still hasn’t decided which one to pick yet. Gage said he received the phone call from an Ocean Institute Executive Committee member informing him that he had won. Gage thought he might have won a Prius (one of the other 150 various prizes raffled) after the committee member egged him on a while. Gage was finally told he won the grand prize. “I was stunned,” Gage said. “My wife kind of burst into tears. It was kind of hard to believe for a while.” The family is still thinking about which option is best for them.
Resources:
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20051031_winhome.htm
http://southcoasthomes.freedomblogging.com/2009/11/10/raffle-winner-still-debating-1-million-cash-or-home/