Raffle of English Cottage Is Aimed at Americans

An Englishman is taking an unconventional route to offload his Victorian cottage in Buckinghamshire—a $10 raffle, with a marketing pitch aimed squarely at Americans anxious about their national politics. Inspired by a similar effort in Ireland that made headlines, Tristan Biggs is offering raffle participants a shot at rural English tranquility for less than the cost of a takeout lunch, reports the Guardian.

"I'm aiming it mainly at Americans, because I think there are millions out there who are terrified about how the political situation is developing, and would be delighted to spend $10 on the ticket to what would effectively be a life raft Plan B," he says. Biggs' five-bedroom home, valued at about $1 million, had languished on the market when he decided to raffle it via the site Raffall. (The listing in Buckinghamshire is here.)

He's playing to a documented trend: More Americans are seeking to relocate to the UK, with over 6,000 applying for residency in the last year—a record high, according to Home Office figures. The numbers spiked in the early days of President Trump's second term. The winner will be chosen on December 31, provided at least 150,000 tickets are sold. Otherwise, a cash prize equal to half the ticket revenue will be awarded instead.