'People think it's a scam - but now we live in a £2m dream home'

A mum who won a £2m Omaze home has revealed why she kept it - despite many other winners selling their properties for cash. Omaze, known for its fundraising for charities through grand prize draws, gives participants the chance to own luxury multi-million pound houses for a small entry fee of as little as £10.

However, over the years many people have thought of the prize draw to be a scam - or too good to be true - after several winners have gone on to sell their new-found fortunes as they can't afford to keep them.

Eliza Yahioglu, 57, who scooped a picturesque £2m farmhouse near Harrogate last year on her birthday, was given the option to either live in the house, rent it out or sell the beautifully renovated 17th century hillside mansion.

READ MORE: 'I spent my first moments as a millionaire locked outside on my doorstep'

But the elated mum says she 'instantly fell in love with it' and decided she was going to keep it - saying she 'received the best birthday present'.

As well as reassuring people that Omaze is 'definitely real', she has now revealed how 'surreal' it feels every day - and how her family have been able to enjoy a big Christmas of 16 people since the win last August.

The family also let their pals use the house and Eliza says her kids bring home their uni friends to stay in the property. They are also planning on having people affected by blood cancer to come and stay at the house in between treatments.

The house, located close to the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, came mortgage free with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Having been born in Yorkshire, Eliza says she is ‘over the moon’ to now own a home near her childhood roots after moving to London for work almost 40 years ago.

Eliza, who has been married to husband Gokhan for 30 years and has two children, Carl, 24 and Leyla, 21, said: “I can’t believe it’s been a year already, it feels like only yesterday - it’s still sinking in now if I'm honest.

“I was on holiday celebrating my birthday when we found out - so many thoughts went running through my head when we got the video call to say we’d won the house.

''I just couldn’t believe Jo from the Omaze TV adverts was standing outside my front door. I was convinced there must’ve been a mistake and they’d called the wrong person - then I started to realise something really big was happening – all of that in 30 seconds - it was crazy.

“My husband had a tough job topping that for my birthday this year - although the weekend in Stockholm was a lovely one. The ABBA museum almost swung it."

On her new home, she added: “The house is amazing, even nicer than it looked in pictures. As soon as I walked through the front door, it stopped being a house and immediately became our home.

''Although I still come downstairs some mornings and do a double take because I can’t believe I’m actually standing in my kitchen, it's still very surreal at times.

“I’ve loved returning home to my Yorkshire roots, my accent definitely comes back stronger as soon as I hit the A1. It's so nice that my children get to have a genuine connection to the area where I grew up - that's been a wonderful experience."

Eliza continued: “I’ve lived in London for almost 40 years, but I'm a proud Yorkshire lass at heart. Some of my family are still based up here. We’d always dreamed of having a place in Yorkshire one day, close to what I’ve always called home - now that dream has come true.

"We’ve loved having friends come up and stay with us, as well as letting them use it with their families too - it’s a home that’s built for sharing.

''We had 16 people here for Christmas, thank goodness it came with an Aga to cope with all the Yorkshire puddings. The kids have stayed here with all their friends from university - the house looked pristine after they’d left so they’re welcome back anytime! We all just love it up here."

On the local community she said: “Everyone in the area has been so welcoming, we love all our neighbours, it’s a real community up here. We absolutely adore the local pub The Queen’s Head in Kettlesing - the landlords Louise and Glen are real legends, even giving us a lift home after a long lunch."

She added: “Winning something so valuable in bricks and mortar is brilliant - I joke that I’d have burned through the money if I’d won it in cash.

''This house is something we can all enjoy together as a family - and is a lasting legacy for my children - it’s something that will help their futures. The win means I’ve already been able to help my son get on the property ladder. I’m also looking forward to retirement even more now."

Eliza then reassured: "Some people I speak to say they thought Omaze was a scam, but I assure them and anyone else that it's definitely real. You’ve got to be in it to win it, and I wish everyone who enters the next Omaze House Draw in Yorkshire the best of luck.”

The Omaze Million Pound House Draw also raised £1,950,000 for Blood Cancer UK. She added: “It was very special to see how much was raised for Blood Cancer UK - it was such an incredible amount of money.

“We’re planning on having people and families affected by blood cancer to come and stay at the house in-between treatments - they can have the place all to themselves and just get away from it all.”

The £1,950,000 raised from the second partnership went to blood cancer researchers across the UK from the South to North West, helping to further develop research into hard-to-treat blood cancers.

Draw entries for the next Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Yorkshire, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Sunday September 29 for online entries and Tuesday 1st October 2024 for postal entries.