This couple is pursuing their dream to move to Australia even if that meant giving away their five-bedroom house and their BMW through an online raffle competition.
Natalie and Bradley Rowcroft have decided to raffle off their house on Hayfield Road, Salford, along with their BMW, Manchester Evening News reported. They decided to push through with it and fulfill their dream of settling in Australia.
The couple originally planned to put the property up for sale. After trying to sell the property a few months ago, the plan was paused due to the pandemic. However, the family is determined to pursue their plans to move and start a new life in Australia.
Now, the semi-detached house and the white BMW 320D 2012 car will be sold another way: online raffle for £2. The raffle is on September 30, 2020.
The Manchester property was built in 1908 and is worth roughly £300,000. It has four double bedrooms, a smaller bedroom, two bathrooms, a kitchen-diner, and a spacious back garden. The property had already undergone refurbishment to the tune of £100,000. The upgrade included a new boiler, concrete imprint driveway, and patio area.
The BMW with blacked-out windows and new alloys goes with the house. Transporting it to Australia will be too expensive for the family. A few of the furniture, including those in the master, the beds, and TV, will be left behind.
Natalie, 33, is a teaching assistant, and Bradley, 34, is a joiner. The couple has been together since they were 14 years old. Moving to Brisbane has always been their dream. For some reason or another, that dream has to be put on hold.
Pandemic halted plans of moving to Australia
However, at the start of 2020, the couple decided to push through with it. They would have already taken their three sons with them had the pandemic not halted the plans.
Natalie said that due to the COVID-19, their move had been stalled. They thought of what to do then. And then they saw someone who has moved to Australia by raffling their house off. That gave them the idea of using the same strategy.
The house is in a sought-out area of Salford. It is near Media City and Salford Royal Hospital. She said that while it is hard to get onto the property market, somebody can get for just £2.
She said that they need to sell 200,000 tickets for £2 per ticket. The raffle company then takes a portion of the cash. The couple will pay all the legal fees that will be incurred by both sides.
Natalie added that moving to Australia is something her husband wanted to do since he was in his 20s. However, things got in the way, and they had more children. Losing some family got them to realize that life is too short. And so they decided to go for it.
They plan to move in October. They hope to find the winner by September and announce it as soon as possible.
