$25 lands dream house by lake
By MARYANNE TWENTYMAN - Waikato Times
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A former Hamilton man who shuns the limelight has landed himself right in it after winning a lakeside home near Karapiro.
Warwick Hutchinson was shocked to learn he was the owner of Murray and Michelle Smith's Cambridge property after he spent just $25 entering the fundraiser, which raised $1,226,422 by offering a chance to win the house.
Mr Smith said he had no regrets and that he and his wife Michelle could now get on with building a new church and community centre in Cambridge.
"We have already begun packing," he said.
Mr and Mrs Smith spent time with Mr Hutchinson yesterday and said it was too early to say whether the now Auckland-based accountant would move back to the Waikato.
"It has been incredibly overwhelming for him and we respect his desire for privacy," Mr Smith said.
King St Advertising chief executive Chris Williams, the man responsible for the media planning and promotion of the ambitious fundraiser, said he was thrilled for the Smiths and by the overall result.
"It's been unbelievably successful," Mr Williams said.
"I was confident they would get the sum of money they were looking for despite an early loss in momentum," he said.
Mr Williams was referring to concerns originally raised by Internal Affairs. The department put a time limit on the promotion after alleging it was "illegal gambling".
Although the Smiths were cleared of any wrongdoing, they were slapped with the January 31 cut-off date which meant that regardless of how much money had been raised someone would win the house on that date.
That someone turned out to be Mr Hutchinson and the Smiths are elated.
They bought the land, in a rural residential subdivision, in 2000 and the house was built off modified plans of a similar house in Auckland.
"I could not tell you how much exactly we spent on the house because a lot has gone into it since we built it," Mr Smith said.
"It has a Government Valuation of $920,000 but we had an independent valuation and it suggested that if the house was put up for sale in today's market it would go for more than $1 million."
Now, with their home promotion completed, the Smiths are continuing to raise funds through their website in their bid to secure the $3 million needed for their planned church and community centre.
"It will take plenty of sausage sizzles to raise the money needed so you never know, there could be more quirky promotions on the way," Mr Smith said.
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