Instead of 'for sale' sign, Saskatoon man tries contest to sell home

When it came time to sell his McKercher Drive home, Saskatoon's Adalbert Ozsvath opted to try something different.

Instead of going the usual route of posting a "for sale" sign, Ozsvath and his son Erik came up with another idea, offering the home as a $10-per-online-entry contest prize to promote Erik's fledgling "lifestyle management" business, Luxikum, which is administering the contest.

"We consulted with a lot of lawyers and we figured out that we could make a skill-based contest by asking people a question before they enter as well as letting people enter for free [by mail]," said Erik Ozsvath. "We [also] checked it out with the Competition Bureau."

The home is a half-duplex, which Ozsvath's father values at $375,000, an amount the pair are hoping to raise through the "Win My Place" contest which runs through April 5.

If the contest fails to generate enough interest, and the accompanying funding, a randomly drawn winner will receive $5,000 instead of the keys to a new home.

"We're looking to cover the price of the house as well as the associated cost of marketing the contest," said Osvath. "Any excess [money] we have in either case, we're considering giving a portion to a charity in the city."

While Erik Ozsvath said he and his dad just wanted to try something new, he's aware that some might be skeptical of the endeavour.

"Take a look for yourself, anyone in a few minutes can see it's not a scam because people can enter for free as well. People who enter for free have the same chance at winning as people who enter via the paid method."

As for the home itself, Oszvath said highlights include an organic garden in the backyard and a "ready for development" basement ripe with potential

"It's a nice a cozy little house for any family and there are a lot of amenities. Centre Mall is really close, bus stops, a golf course is behind the home. Anything you can imagine."