The youngest ever winner of a multi-million pound Omaze mansion is selling up for £500k less than the valuation – because the upkeep is too expensive and she lives and works almost 200 miles away.
Lauren Keene, 24, celebrated winning the spectacular six-bed Hollywood-style mansion – valued at £3million – in the prize draw last December.
After winning the house and £250k prize money from a £20 ticket, Lauren, from Gloucester, announced she was considering moving into the house with partner Ryan Mitchell, a software engineer.
But after the full-time nanny placed the house in Wirral, Merseyside, for sale for £2.5million, her father Daniel has revealed why she decided to cash in instead.
And the 46-year-old said the couple had only spent a few nights at the luxury modern house she won.
Mr Keene, who works as a bathroom and kitchen fitter, said he joined them at the prize home last weekend, but the visit may prove to be their last.
‘It’s on the market and I think they’ve had an offer,’ he said.
‘It is a lovely house, but the associated costs are significant.
‘For example, although the pool is heated, it is outdoors and it is not thermal protected, so the heat from the water escapes very quickly.
‘To keep it heated in winter would cost a fortune so they’ve turned it off, but we braved it anyway and I have to tell you that water is very, very, very cold.’
At the time of her win – which she celebrated with a McDonald’s meal – Lauren revealed she was living in a two-bed flat near Gloucester with her father.
Mr Keene said he is still sharing the property with her daughter.
But he revealed that Lauren – who won a £250,000 cash prize along with the mansion – is buying a modest-sized house together with Mr Mitchell in her home town.
‘I think selling it is the sensible thing to do because at the end of the day they are a young couple with lives and jobs in Gloucester,’ he said.
‘Why would they want to saddle themselves with a massive, expensive property 200 miles away from where their lives are?
‘They have decided to use their savings to buy a semi-detached property in Gloucester and I think it is almost over the line.’
According to online property sales company Rightmove, three and four-bed semi-detached houses fetch around £300,000-350,000 in the city.
Mr Keene added: ‘I don’t ask too many questions but I believe the conveyancing has been done and they are looking forward to moving in very soon.
‘I’m not sure exactly sure when that will be.
‘Every week she tells me she is moving out and every week she is still living here, so I don’t know and I don’t ask too many questions!
‘What is important to me is that she is happy and that she is doing the right thing.
‘And in both cases, she is.
‘I’m sure that when they do move in they will want me to be putting a new bathroom and kitchen in for them.
‘It will be a pleasure.’
Omaze winners don’t have to keep the house for any period of time and are free to decide if they live there, rent it out or sell it to become a cash millionaires.
The stunning house sits in a prominent location on the edge of the sandstone outcrop of the Wirral Peninsula, bringing the surrounding countryside inside the property in a magnificent example of modern architecture and design.
The exclusive, elevated plot provides stunning views from the wraparound terrace of the nearby estuary and the Irish Sea – as well as being just a short stroll away from Caldy Beach.
The Rightmove listing – which describes the house as ‘striking’ and ‘something truly special’ – makes no reference to its involvement in the competition just six months ago.
At the time of her win Lauren said: ‘Thanks to the £250,000 we’ve pocketed as part of the win we could afford to stay here for many years if we decided to, it’s a great position to be in.
‘Only last week we were viewing houses we thought we could never afford, but now our first property is a £3m mansion. It’s crazy to think we’ll never have a mortgage.
‘We’ve been saving for years so I still live with my dad in his 2-bedroom flat – he’s delighted that I’ll finally be moving out now.
‘Winning this house has transformed our lives forever! Whatever we decide to do long-term, we’re made for life now.’
Describing the moment she discovered she’d won, Lauren added: ‘It was just an ordinary Friday really, I was heading for a McDonald’s after work when I got a call from Omaze telling me I’d won something.
‘I was sceptical – and hungry – but went straight home to see what I’d won.
‘The next thing we knew, the Omaze team were all there telling us we’d won a £3million mansion.
‘I was gobsmacked. It was definitely worth missing my McDonald’s for, it’s made me a multi-millionaire!
‘We did end up celebrating with a Maccies afterwards and it was a very, very happy meal indeed.’
Lauren is far from alone in cashing in on the multi-million pound home.
Out of 14 previous prize winners, only three have kept hold of the house.
Among them is widow June Smith who put the luxury £4.5million Cornish mansion she won in a £25 raffle on the market in 2023 so that she can help her children and grandchildren ‘with the next chapter in their lives’.
Previous winners have complained in the past that the enormous mansions can be too lavish and too costly to maintain – or they are too far away from jobs, friends and family.
One of the few who decided to stay in one of Omaze’s stunning homes is Becca Pott, 32.
She was on maternity leave after the birth of her first child and living in a two-bedroom flat in Leyton, east London, when she spent £10 on the Omaze draw.
The finance analyst won a £3.5million five-bedroom house near Ascot, Berkshire, in February 2022, transforming her life.
Ms Pott still lives there with her husband Ben and their baby Ava.
She told The Sunday Times: ‘We always knew we were going to move in and enjoy it for at least that first summer, just to experience living in a place like this as a family, but after a few weeks we realised we didn’t want to leave so decided we should keep it.’
The other two winners to move into their incredible homes were in Wimbledon and Islington – two expensive areas of London.
At the time of her win, James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: ‘Everyone at Omaze is thrilled that Lauren has won this wonderful house on the Wirral, whilst also contributing to the £3.5 million raised for Scouts.
‘Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, whilst also introducing charities to new audiences that they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and our charity partners.‘
Today a spokesman 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.
‘Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic life changing options available to them.
‘Omaze is immensely proud to have created 38 millionaires whilst also raising more than £93 million for good causes in the UK since it launched here.’