Raffling a home is a good avenue to go down, expert claims

The new trend of selling your home through a competition is worth exploring, UK Housing said.

Shaun Duncan, founder of UK Housing, has suggested that in the current economic climate those with a niche high-end self buildproperty could consider a raffle as an option to raise awareness.

Mr Duncan has advised sellers considering a competition sale to be careful, research the legal issues involved and stick to competition laws.

"As long as the seller goes into it with his eyes open and attaches a caveat which says that if they do not reach x number of ticket sales all bets are off, there should be no problems," he said.

In an official statement from the Gambling Commission, the body said that competitions are free of statutory control provided they require "sufficient skill, judgment or knowledge" to either deter a large proportion of potential participants from entering or "eliminate" a significant proportion who do take part.