If you’ve dipped your toe into the real estate market, you’ve probably noticed that housing prices are out of hand in lots of places. For those seeking a dream home, however, there is an option. All it costs is $25 and a well-written letter.
The story takes us to Canada.
In the little hamlet of Millarville, Alberta, this beautiful property is being sold for a more modest price: just $25. The only caveat is that the future homeowner will have to write a pretty convincing letter.
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Alla Wagner, the current owner, came up with the idea.
She says she put the home (valued at a cool $1.7 million) on the market, but didn’t find much interest. From there, she chose an unorthodox approach: give it to whoever can write the most compelling letter.
There’s a good reason for the $25 entry fee.
Wagner is hoping the entry fees will help her recoup some value from the house, understandably enough. Also, an entry fee should discourage low-effort submissions, or people who flood the ballot box.
What’s the town like?
Millarville looks like a small, idyllic place. Home to fewer than 2,000 people, the hamlet sits near Alberta’s border with British Columbia and features rolling hills and lakes. The dream home sits on one of these lakes.
Let’s take a peek inside.
I’m mostly going to let these beautiful photos speak for themselves. The surroundings are gorgeous, but the interiors show off some truly stunning designs, with plenty of natural light throughout.
The letters will support a good cause.
Alla notes in a post that five percent of net profits from the contest will be donated to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. Depending on how much interest this gets, that five percent could be a good chunk of change.
Alla didn’t always live the country life.
She writes that she was “used to a cosmopolitan lifestyle” before becoming smitten with the rolling hills of Millarville. Eventually she bought a house on a lake in Millarville and fell in love with the lifestyle.
Unfortunately, Alla’s being forced to sell.
“We had to list our house because of my poor health, which has been especially bad the last 6 months or so,” Alla writes. Now that she’s confined to one floor, a multi-storey house doesn’t work.
She was inspired by a similar contest in 2015.
Alla says she took her lead from a contest in which an inn was given away to whoever wrote the best essay. Turns out that contest was inspired by a 1995 indie movie, The Spitfire Grill .
It’s a really cool idea.
Alla says that while some may scoff at the idea, she thinks it’s more meaningful to give the property to someone who will truly love it, rather than just the highest bidder.
The essay topic is simple.
It asks that respondents write a single page answering a simple question: “Why would moving to this lakefront dream home change [my] life?” Most of us want a dream home, but it can be hard to articulate why.
It’ll need to be compelling.
The winner will get the home for $25, but only if they “can skillfully and creatively convey to me and a panel of judges how this spectacular home would change or improve his/her and their family’s life,” writes Alla.
Interested?
You can find full details and more pics on Facebook @WriteALetterWinAHouse .
If a Diply reader winds up winning the contest…maybe let our team crash there for a weekend sometime?
