A dad-of-three who grew up in a council flat and said that winning a multi-million pound home was a ‘dream come true’ has now put it up for sale. Chris Milnes, 60, won the keys to a stunning five-bedroom property in Dorset worth £2,500,000 in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in June 2024.
Chris, from Pudsey, Yorkshire, entered the £20 prize draw without telling his wife or his three children, leaving them ‘speechless’ when they found out about his huge win. The family were living in a rented house at the time, and Chris and his wife had been discussing downsizing to keep costs down before ‘everything changed’.
The three-storey house, complete with rainforest-inspired gardens, came mortgage free with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. But after enjoying time with his family at the dream home over the last six months, including spending Christmas there, Chris has now put it on the market for £2.3 million – £200,000 short of its value at the time of winning.
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Chris, who spent much of his childhood living in a council flat in Leeds, said he had always planned to sell up and cash in to become a multi-millionaire, so he can ‘give his children the start in life that he never had’, by getting them all on the property ladder.
The incredible property is now on the market for £2.3 million -Credit:Fine & Country / Rightmove
Speaking at the time of winning, an ecstatic Chris said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever own a multi-million-pound house – I spent much of my childhood living in a council flat in Leeds – things like this don’t happen to people like me.
“The house in Dorset is obviously unbelievable – and we’ve also bagged a huge chunk of cash as part of the win, which would easily cover the running costs for this place for almost ten years, so we could stay here if we wanted to – but we’re going to sell up and cash in to release the huge sum of money from a sale.
“Winning this house has changed all our family’s lives forever – not only will we be able to afford to buy a dream new house for us – but we can also get all our children on the property ladder now – it means so much to be able to give them the start we never had.
“I’m a proud Yorkshireman and love where we live, so we’ll be buying somewhere nearby, it’s so exciting – I play a lot of tennis so top of my list is having my own tennis court in the back garden.”
The stunning kitchen -Credit:Fine & Country / Rightmove
After deciding to sell up, Chris, who has worked as a salesman for the past 30 years, said: “Winning a multi-million-pound house still feels like a dream, it takes a while for something of that magnitude to sink in.
“Since winning, we’ve really enjoyed spending time as a family at the house particularly at Christmas, Dorset is such a lovely part of country and the house is a dream home on every level.
“Selling means we can find our forever home where we currently live, and still have enough money left to retire on as well as give our kids the boost they all deserve, so the entire family has gained from this not just me. Entering Omaze is the best decision we ever made – if it can happen to me, it really can happen to anyone.”
Chris and Jules have three children between them. Chris has two children from a previous marriage, son Ollie, 29, who lives in Australia and daughter Lucy, 28, – as well as their daughter Esmé (23).
The dad-of-three added: “Since the win I’ve learned that I will become a Grandad next year, but my son lives in Australia, so this also means we have the time and money to go spend time with our first grandchild which is absolutely wonderful.”
Chris has sold up to give his kids a better start to life -Credit:Omaze
If Chris decided to rent the property out, rather than sell it, local estate agents estimated that it could achieve a long-term rental value between £5,000 – £6,000 per month.
An Omaze spokesperson 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.
“Omaze Grand Prize winners also receive £250,000 in cash to maintain their new property and help them settle in. Estimated running costs for each house are available for entrants to view on the Omaze website. If they decide to keep the house, they could afford to comfortably stay for many years using just the £250,000 settling in money.
“All Omaze properties come with no mortgage and no stamp duty or legal fees to pay. The properties also come with all the furniture featured in the adverts. Omaze styles each property with well over a hundred thousand pounds worth of furnishings and essentials, so they are all ready for a winner to enjoy as soon as they get the keys.”
The house is now looking for a new owner -Credit:Omaze
Omaze added: “As well as the £250,000 they receive, it’s worth bearing in mind that if a winner was already paying rent or a mortgage for their previous property, the money saved could also go towards the running costs of their new home.
“Alternatively, if they do already own a property, they could choose to keep it and rent it out as a supplementary income. Should winners wish to rent out their new property, they can achieve long-term rental values of thousands of pounds a month.
“Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic life changing options available to them. Omaze is immensely proud to have created 32 millionaires whilst also raising more than £70 million for good causes in the UK since it launched here.”
The dream property in Wimborne, Dorset is now available to buy. The house was uniquely designed with striking elevations that incorporate the landscaped gardens and woodland backdrop.
One of the five bedrooms -Credit:Omaze
The design of the property uses full height glazing to offer incredible views of the lush green gardens behind, while filling the house with natural light and allowing the wooded environment outside to provide a natural tapestry throughout the house.
The impressive 4,294 sq ft new build property celebrates nature with a sun terrace and wrap-around decking. The luxurious house is arranged on three levels and has state of the art finishes with smart tech throughout. It has distinct areas for everyday family life as well as entertaining guests.
The magnificent open plan living room and kitchen has bifold glass walls on two sides and is separated from the formal dining room by a feature fireplace wall. The kitchen is superbly equipped with a large central island with banquette seating and breakfast table facing out over the garden.
A generous hardwood deck opens into the kitchen and family room, providing the perfect space for entertaining alfresco. The elegant drawing room has doors to terraces at both the front and rear of the house.
The house has a woodland backdrop -Credit:Omaze
Also on this floor is an en suite guest bedroom with shower room. A hardwood staircase with glass balustrade leads to a galleried landing sitting area, and a mirrored walkway gives access via a timber footbridge that seamlessly connects the interior and exterior spaces. The garden area also has a hot tub and outdoor shower.
The beautifully proportioned main bedroom suite has a central headboard, bedside tables, dressing table, a fully fitted dressing room and a spa-like bathroom with freestanding bath. There are three further bedroom suites, each with built-in furniture and colour-themed shower rooms, as well as a cinema room.
The house is located one mile from the historic riverside market town of Wimborne Minster offering a host of amenities including cafes, bars, shops, restaurants and the Tivoli Theatre.
You can view more of the house on the Rightmove listing here.