I won a £2,000,000 Omaze home — but I almost lost it for a pint

For as little as £10, hopeful homeowners can enter to win a house worth millions through Omaze. No stamp duty, no mortgage, and no solicitors’ fees. It’s a win-win situation, right?

But for one dad, the dream to win a £2,000,000 luxury property was almost missed out on – all because he fancied a pint at the pub.

Tom Steenson, 63, almost completely ignored the life-changing knock at the door, which wasn’t any cold caller: it was Omaze, ready to tell him that it was him who would be picking up the keys to the property lottery.

It wasn’t just the four-bedroom house he’d scooped either, but a further £250,000 in cash.

However, at first, he was heavily considering not answering in case the mystery visitor would ‘interfere with my trip to the pub.’

But now, he acknowledges that missing that pint made him a millionaire – and he says it’s the‘best pint I’ve never had.

He inherited a contemporary, four-bedroom house near the stunning coastal town of Exmouth down in Devon. An area popular with holidaygoers, it’s famed as the gateway to the Jurassic Coast, as well as for its two-mile long beach.

The location isn’t the only thing it has going for it: it’s complete with a heated swimming pool, alongside 360 views of the surrounding scenery and coastline.

As with all Omaze homeowners, Tom has a few options: he could live in the home and enjoy its luxuries for himself, rent it out, or sell up and pocket the money.

If he opted for the rental route, estate agents have estimated that it could accrue a rental value of between £6,000 and £7,000 per month.

When Tom originally entered, he opted for the slightly higher fee of £20 to secure his entry. But when Omaze knocked on the door, it was his wife, Carole, who answered it.

She immediately called Tom, who had already left the house – and thankfully, he answered the phone. In fact, her first thought was that the spontaneous knockers were the police, as she joked: ‘what’s he done now?’

‘Obviously, I always answer when my wife calls and thank goodness I do!’, Tom, who is originally from Bolton and now lives in Maidstone, reflects.

‘It was just another Friday really. I was off to get a haircut and then planned to go straight to the pub for an end of the week beer with pals, so I was out when Omaze came knocking.

‘We didn’t know what I’d won at that point, so I asked her if it was the house, and she said I shouldn’t have thought so, neither of us expected it really.

‘I skipped going to the pub and rushed home instead.’

That evening, they invited their daughter over and they celebrated with a couple of bottles of champagne and a takeaway, joking that ‘for once, the fortune cookies were correct.’

Carole is a part-time cleaner, and over the years, has often cleaned houses like their new Omaze property – which they never thought they’d win.

Now, they love inviting all their family and friends to stay, and the pool gets plenty of use.

‘Devon is beautiful, we love being in the countryside and by the sea. Waking up to these rolling hills and sea views will never get dull,’ Tom shares.

‘This win means we’ll never have to worry about money ever again – it’s a dream come true. I could retire early, but my boss doesn’t have to worry as I’ll keep working for a while yet, I like to stay busy.’

At the moment, Tom and Carole’s son lives in Australia, and they’ve offered to fly him back with business class seats for Christmas.

‘Thanks to £250k we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for ten years if we wanted to,’ Tom, who has worked in the motor industry for the last 38 years, concludes.

‘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!’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.