Dad puts £2.35m Omaze mansion up for sale after colossal win
It is only a couple of months since a fortunate dad from Bolton became the lucky Omaze winner of a luxury new contemporary mansion with sea views in Exmouth. But now it has been put on the market for a whopping £2.35million.
Tom Steenson, 63, paid just £20 as part of his Omaze subscription to enter the Omaze Million Pound House Draw last autumn and ended up becoming the owner of a modern, four-bedroom house in the seaside town, complete with swimming pool and breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and coastline.
Like all Omaze house draws, Tom's new home came mortgage-free with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. He also bagged £250,000 in cash to help him settle in.
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Tom, originally from Bolton, lives in Maidstone with his wife of 35 years, Carole, 58, who is a part-time cleaner. At the time of his win, which was publicly announced at the beginning of November, Tom - who has dedicated 38 years to training and development within the motor industry - said he wasn't planning to give up his day job as he liked to 'stay busy'.
In an interview after his win, Tom said he was looking forward to spending time at the house in Douglas Avenue with family, including a big pool party organised by his grandchildren, and possibly a Christmas getaway joined by their who lives in Australia.
Tom said: "We’ll definitely enjoy the house for a bit, but we’ll most likely sell it, maybe next year, as the money we’ll get is life-changing for the entire family. Thanks to £250,000 we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for 10 years if we wanted to.
"Selling and banking the cash would enable us to help all our children and grandchildren; it's a generational legacy for our family. We could help our kids get on the property ladder now. It’s all very exciting!"
Had they decided to rent it out, local estate agents estimated the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 to £7,000 per month.
As well as making Tom a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Devon raised £3.5million for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a suicide prevention charity.
It appears that Tom and Carole, who have resided in their current two-bedroom house in Maidstone since 2021, sharing their home with a son and daughter, two grandchildren, and a Cocker Spaniel named Dazzle, have decided to sell up sooner rather than later to free up the cash tied into the home to benefit their family.
The new build detached property, called The Hideout, is being advertised for sale with Knight Frank for a guide price of £2,350,000. Its key features include having up to five bedrooms, three bathrooms, gym, cinema room, balcony and separate annexe.
The description of the house states: "The Hideout is a stunning modern detached home that offers circa than 4,200 square feet of immaculate luxury accommodation with plenty of natural light throughout, and magnificent views across the surrounding countryside."
It adds: "Nestled in the picturesque coastal town of Exmouth, this contemporary masterpiece showcases luxury and functionality at its finest. The main residence features sleek architectural lines, large windows, and an open-concept design that seamlessly merges indoor and outdoor living."
An Omaze spokesperson said: “All Omaze winners are free to decide if they live in their new house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever they wish, to become a cash multi-millionaire. They can put it on the market the day they get the keys; the choice is entirely theirs.
“Omaze Grand Prize winners also receive £250,000 in cash to maintain their new property and help them settle in. Estimated running costs for each house are available for entrants to view on the Omaze website.
"If they decide to keep the house, they could afford to comfortably stay for many years using just the £250,000 settling in money. All Omaze properties come with no mortgage and no stamp duty or legal fees to pay.
"The properties also come with all the furniture featured in the adverts. Omaze styles each property with well over £100,000 worth of furnishings and essentials, so they are all ready for a winner to enjoy as soon as they get the keys.
“As well as the £250,000 they receive, it’s worth bearing in mind that if a winner was already paying rent or a mortgage for their previous property, the money saved could also go towards the running costs of their new home. Alternatively, if they do already own a property, they could choose to keep it and rent it out as a supplementary income.
"Should winners wish to rent out their new property, they can achieve long-term rental values of thousands of pounds a month. Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic life changing options available to them.
"Omaze is immensely proud to have created 33 millionaires whilst also raising more than £72 million for good causes in the UK since it launched here.”
All contents and furniture are included within the sale of The Hideout in Exmouth. To view the details of the property, please click here.