Did winners of Omaze Yorkshire mansions stay, rent out or sell?
The latest Omaze house draw announced last week will see one lucky winner given the keys to a stunning £4m home in North Yorkshire.
The six-bedroom family property, in the quaint village of Little Ouseburn, will be given to the winner mortgage free and comes with its own lake, tennis court and £155,000 worth of furnishings.
The winner also gets £250,000 in cash, with Omaze insisting the new owner can move in, sell up or rent it out.
Estimates suggest the winner would likely get between £5,000 and £7,000 a month in rent from the incredible property.
But with inevitably high maintenance cost, rural locations and the temptation to cash in further with a quick sale, Omaze’s luxury houses do not always end up being the winners’ forever homes.
June Smith, 77, won a £4.5m Omaze mansion in Cornwall in 2023, but sold it after one summer to help get her children on the property ladder.
She’s one of a number of Omaze winners who decided to sell-up rather than move in.
The latest Omaze property is the fourth they’ve given away in Yorkshire - so did previous winners in the region stay put or move out?
Eliza Yahioglu, 57 - £2m farmhouse near Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Eliza was on Omaze winner in 2023, receiving the ‘best birthday present’ when she got the keys to the renovated 17th century hillside mansion, located close to the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Yorkshire-born mother-of-two was ‘over the moon’ to own a home near her childhood roots after moving to London for work for almost 40 years.
Speaking a year after her win, she said: “I was on holiday celebrating my birthday when we found out - so many thoughts went running through my head when we got the video call to say we'd won the house.
“I was convinced there must've been a mistake and they'd called the wrong person - then I started to realise something really big was happening - all of that in 30 seconds - it was crazy!
“It's so nice that my children get to have a genuine connection to the area where I grew up - that's been a wonderful experience. I've lived in London for almost 40 years, but I'm a proud Yorkshire lass at heart. Some of my family are still based up here.
“We'd always dreamed of having a place in Yorkshire one day, close to what I've always called home - now that dream has come true. We've loved having friends come up and stay with us, as well as letting them use it with their families too - it's a home that's built for sharing.”
And having made friends in the local community and also got her son on the property ladder with her winners, Eliza opted to stay in the Yorkshire property long term.
She added: “Winning something so valuable in bricks and mortar is brilliant - I joke that I'd have burned through the money if I'd won it in cash. This house is something we can all enjoy together as a family - and is a lasting legacy for my children - it's something that will help their futures.”
Decision: Stayed
Jo Booth, 61 - £2.5m Georgian country house in Ryedale, North Yorkshire
Grandmother Jo Booth scooped the top Omaze prize by winning a 18th century six-bedroom country house in North Yorkshire in October 2024.
Normanby House at Sinnington, west of Pickering, has acres of gardens and a spa pool, as well as paddocks, stables and equestrian facilities.
Jo, who has worked with the homeless for 20 years, bought her Omaze ticket for just £10 as part of her subscription.
The couple had lived in their 3-bedroom house in Dorset, which her husband Will built himself, for the previous 15 years.
Speaking after her win, the grandmother of two said her golden labrador Charlie, ‘will enjoy her massive new garden just as much as her grandchildren’.
She said: “I’ve never had a pension, but I reckon I’ll be alright now I’ve got this place! I’ll always do volunteer work, helping people is just in my nature, you can’t switch off caring.”
Decision: Stayed
Ian Roberts, 66 - £4.5m home in Vale of Mowbray, North Yorkshire
Grandfather Ian Roberts landed the stunning North Yorkshire pad in 2025 - shocking his wife who didn’t even know he’d entered.
The six-bedroom property came with its own boating lake, swimming pool, tennis court and equestrian facilities.
Nestled in the North Yorkshire countryside with views overlooking the Yorkshire Moors, Ian referred to the luxury home as ‘his very own Downton Abbey’.
Ian and his wife, who was also 66 at the time of the win, previously lived in Warwickshire, having also lived in London for 40 years. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Local estate agents estimated the property could achieve long term rental value of £10,000 a month, and Ian said immediately after his win that he wasn’t sure what he’d do ‘long term’.
He is now thought to have settled in and set up permanently at the mansion.
He said when he won: “"I can't get my head around the fact I've won something so special - it's like our very own Downton Abbey. Everything about this house is special, even the pool house looks more like an actual house, it's almost as big as our first flat!
"Now we have our own tennis court, I suppose I should probably work on my serve! Our grandchildren will love exploring and having adventures here, it will be one giant playground for them - although we might need walkie talkies to keep track of them!”
Decision: Stayed