A couple decided to raffle their £600k home for just £2 per ticket after experiencing a stagnant market under Labour policies, alongside concerns about Rachel Reeves’ stance on property ownership.
Aily Chalmers, 32, and her husband, Nathan, 35, resorted to the desperate measure as they wanted to move closer to family in Forest Way, Hampshire.
The pair began advertising their four-bed detached home near Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire but soon encountered a number of obstacles.
Their estate agent advised that they would need to lower the price and prepare for an 18-month waiting period to sell, attributing the delay to the current condition of the housing market.
Ms Chalmers claimed she was forced to then withdraw the advertisement because ‘everything has halted’ in the market.
Reports indicate that Chancellor Rachel Reeves may introduce a new tax targeting sales of homes exceeding £500,000, as part of a broader plan to revamp stamp duty and council tax regulations.
Critics say the measures could weaken an already struggling property market by discouraging homeowners from downsizing and selling.
To secure their asking price quickly, the Chalmers are offering 450,000 tickets at £2 each in a raffle, where the winner will acquire the home without having to pay stamp duty or conveyance fees.
Aily Chalmers, 32, and her husband, Nathan, 35, (pictured) took this drastic step to relocate closer to family in Forest Way, Hampshire.
The pair began advertising their four-bed detached home near Aylesbury Vale (pictured) in Buckinghamshire but soon encountered a number of obstacles
Chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) is reportedly considering a new tax on house sales over £500,000 as part of efforts to reform stamp duty and council tax.
While the couple say the venture ‘sounds mad’ they think it is their best chance of being able to move closer to family, for the sake of their three children, aged seven, five and one.
Ms Chalmers, a website designer from Grendon Underwood in Buckinghamshire, said: ‘We never thought we’d be doing something like this, but we want to move closer to family and just thought: “Go for it”.
‘All you can do is try, in these situations.
‘The market is awful at the moment, and we’re looking to move ASAP – it sounds mad, but it’s a win-win for us and someone who gets to live in a four-bed house for £2.
‘I feel like it’s the whole property market at the moment, with the government putting in all this new legislation just to get more money off people and sort of punishing people who own property.
‘A lot more people are wanting to just rent. We couldn’t afford to keep this home mortgage when our mortgage rate doubled a couple of years ago. It’s terrible. I don’t know how some people are surviving.’
Mr and Ms Chalmers moved into the then-newbuild seven years ago.
But when the pair’s third child was born, they decided to move closer to extended family, for support.
Ms Chalmers, a website designer from Grendon Underwood in Buckinghamshire, said: ‘We never thought we’d be doing something like this, but we want to move closer to family and just thought: “Go for it”‘
The couple are pictured here with two of their children. They thought the raffle would be their best chance at getting to move closer to family
‘Nathan and I have been discussing moving out since last year,’ Ms Chalmers said.
‘We looked into selling the house the traditional way.’
In February 2025 an estate agent told them the market had become ‘awful,’ and it would likely take 18 months to sell the house.
In desperation, the couple looked into raffling their house off online – after reading articles about it and how it worked for other families.
As soon as Ms Chalmers’ husband suggested they do it, she was on board – and the pair are now raffling their property for £600,000, including an extra £20,000 in spending money to cover additional costs.
Ms Chalmers said: ‘The house is basically just going to be given away – all stamp duty and other fees will be paid, and the winner won’t have to pay anything other than £2 for the ticket.
‘We had lots of Zoom calls with the company hosting the raffle, to iron out the legalities of it all, and now the competition is live.’
The pair sold one per cent of tickets in a couple of days – £6,000.
The pair are now raffling their property for £600,000 , including an extra £20,000 in spending money to cover additional costs. Pictured is a floor plan of the home
In February 2025 an estate agent told them the market had become ‘awful,’ and it would likely take 18 months to sell the house
In a bid to get the asking price, in good time, the Chalmers are selling 450,000 raffle tickets worth £2
The winner will receive the house free from stamp duty and conveyance fees
The home has three bathrooms, a study, a snug and an open-plan dining room-lounge
Ms Chalmers said: ‘Our house is perfect at the moment and our budget is the same – the only downside of being here is that we have to drive miles and miles if we want to see our family’
The home has three bathrooms, a study, a snug and an open-plan dining room-lounge.
‘We’re just looking for something quite similar,’ Ms Chalmers said.
‘Our house is perfect at the moment and our budget is the same – the only downside of being here is that we have to drive miles and miles if we want to see our family.
‘It sounds mad, but we’re really hoping we can pull it off.’
