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Winning a house, a new car, and a pile of cash sounds like a dream come true. But what happens when that dream turns into a giant headache?

Every year since 1997, HGTV (Home & Garden Television) runs a promotion where viewers can win a custom-built home in a stunning location. The 2018 version was truly exceptional — a 3,500 square foot waterfront beauty in Gig Harbor, Washington. The prize winner also walked away with a Honda Accord and $250,000 cash from Quicken Loans.

Sounds magical, right? Except that even winning the big prize comes with challenges. Read on to discover why winning the HGTV dream home may not be so dreamy after all.

Most winners don’t stay in the house more than 1 year

HGTV Dream-home-2008
Winners have to pay closing costs. | HGTV

According to Country Living, of the 21 people who won HGTV dream homes over the history of the contest, only six have stayed living in the house for more than a year. That’s a measly 28% of the winners.

Many contest winners opt to sell the house back to the developer if they chose to take ownership of the home in the first place. That’s not because they don’t want the house — it’s because one reason that makes ownership next to impossible for most people. “Uncle Sam makes it a little difficult to take ownership,” says Laura Martin of Boise, Idaho, the 2014 winner of the Lake Tahoe dream home.

Next: This is the surprisingly expensive thing about winning.

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Amanda Harding

Showbiz Section Editor - TV

I'm an Entertainment writer by day and a super mommy by night. In my three minutes of downtime per week, you’ll find me reading library books, drinking coffee at all hours, scrolling Zillow listings, and laughing at my own jokes.

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