A 200 Word Essay Can Win You This $750K Lakefront Lodge

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, February 06, 2017

A New Jersey couple looking to unload a luxury $750,000 lakefront lodge located in the Catskills of New York have announced they will give it away to the winner of a 200-word essay contest.

The person who best answers the question, "How would owning the lakefront dream home change your life?" and pays a $149 application fee to enter the contest, will win the "sumptuous 'Ralph Lauren' style private two-bedroom, one-bathroom rustic lodge," located at 391 Woodstone Trail in Bethel, New York.

The lodge, which was built within the last 10 years, is described as "impeccably decorated and offers a truly luxurious stay."

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"Both bedrooms have huge closets and high ceilings, and are furnished with high-end linens and accessories. The bathroom has granite counters, double vanity and brass fixtures. The well-appointed large kitchen features an open concept with granite countertops and is fully stocked with beautiful cookware, glassware, serving pieces, placemats and accessories. The lodge also boasts 16-foot ceilings throughout, a stone wood burning fireplace, dining area, outdoor deck with a weber grill, laundry and three-car garage parking," said Facebook advertising.

The waterside retreat is also situated on 5.5 acres of land, with more than 250 feet of lake frontage and "nestled among towering pine trees and beautiful forested acres."

Andrew Bares, 42, and Kelly Lavorgna, 57, the New Jersey couple who own the lodge, failed to sell the property after listing it twice in the last four years, according to The New York Times but they believe the essay contest will make a difference this time around.

"The reality is, somebody is going to win this house for $149," Bares told Times.

In addition to the essay and the $149, however, the person who wins the lodge will also have to pay property taxes of about $11,000 annually, says the Times, as well as income taxes since the home would be treated as income.

For the essay contest winner to get the lodge as well, a total of 5,500 entrants will have to be submitted to attract $819,500 for the lodge by the April 30 contest deadline. If that doesn't happen, the contest will be canceled and entrants will each get a $100 refund. The contest organizers will retain a non-refundable administrative fee of $49.

Despite struggling to sell the property in the last four years, Bares insists that he will get the 5,500 entrants required for the contest.

"I do believe that there are at least 5,500 people who would be willing to pay $149 for a vacation house that's within two hours of one of the great cities of the world," he said. "I think that the pool is huge."

The Christian Post reached out to the contest organizers on Monday to find out how many essay submissions have been received so far, but a response was not provided by the time this story was published. They declined to give this information to The New York Times. A Facebook page advertising the contest had only about 118 likes as of Monday.

The contest, which was launched on Nov. 1. 2016, should have ended on Jan. 31 but was extended to April 30.

If the contest proves successful, the couple plan to start an online platform so that other sellers can follow their lead.

"I'm absolutely amazed by who enters these contests," Sara F. Hawkins, a lawyer in Phoenix who has handled about five similar competitions, including the one in Bethel, told the Times. "They're from all over, all walks of life."

Christine Vande Vrede, a saleswomen at Chapin Sotheby's International Realty, with offices in the Chapin Estate, told the Times she believes the competition could be a hard sell because of the location of the property.

"I don't see this happening in this neck of the woods," she said, as people who buy homes in this part of the Catskills "have a regional knowledge."

For more information about the contest, click here.