Menu Close

Selling a prize home · Updated 21 October 2026

Selling a Prize Home in Australia: What Winners Really Walk Away With

Won a prize home and thinking of selling? You'd be in good company. In October 2026 the winner of Dream Home Art Union Draw 430 (the RSL Art Union) sold his $13.9 million Sunshine Beach prize home for $10.15 million, about six months after winning it. Here's what selling really means: the tax, the costs, the timing, and why the sale price and the prize value are rarely the same.

Read the $10.15M story Sell, rent or move in?
Winning isn't incomeordinary lottery prizes (ATO)
$10.15M saleDraw 430, Sunshine Beach
No minimum stayto make it your home (ATO)
The gold is yours tooon top of the house

A real prize home sale

The $13.9M Sunshine Beach prize home that sold for $10.15M

Picture it: you're standing in a chemist, the phone rings, and suddenly you own a three-level beach house 50 metres from the sand. That's what happened to the winner of Dream Home Art Union Draw 430. Six months later, he sold it. Here's how the numbers stacked up.

Dream Home Art Union Draw 430RSL Art Union
Drawn4 March 2026
Won byKristian*Northern Beaches, NSW
Prize package$13.9Mincl. $250,000 gold
Bonus gold+$80,000as an $80 book buyer
Sold for$10.15Mreported 21 Oct 2026
Time to saleAbout 6 monthsafter the win
~$10.48MThe sale plus his $330,000 in gold, before selling costs. Not bad for someone who'd never won a thing.
I have never won anything in my life – not even a meat tray - the winner, when the call came through.

*Name changed by Dream Home Art Union. Winner details from Dream Home Art Union; sale details as reported by realestate.com.au (News Corp), 21 October 2026.

Pool and three-level home, Dream Home Art Union Draw 430, Sunshine Beach
Pool, 50 metres from the beach
Upstairs lounge with ocean view, Draw 430 prize home Sunshine Beach
Upstairs lounge with ocean views
Plunge pool and ice bath, Draw 430 prize home Sunshine Beach
Plunge pool and ice bath

Prize value vs sale price

Why a prize home rarely sells for its prize value

He chose a quick, certain sale to set up his children and grandchildren, and that's a pretty great outcome. But why $10.15M and not $13.9M? Four reasons apply to almost every prize home.

It's a package, not a price

The prize value bundles the home with gold, furniture, styling and handy extras like legal transfer fees. A buyer pays for the house alone.

Selling fast has a price

Sell within months and you take what the market offers on the day, rather than waiting for the perfect buyer.

Few buyers at the top

Only a small group of people shop for $10 million-plus homes, so there's less competition to push the price up.

Every winner chooses

Some move in, some rent, some sell. Certainty for your family can be worth more than squeezing out the last dollar.

Our take: over $10 million and a family set for life, and it all started with a ticket book. Win or not, every ticket also supports RSL Queensland's work with veterans and their families.

See the current RSL Art Union draw

So you've won. Now what?

Sell, rent or move in? Your three options with a prize home

There's no wrong answer. It comes down to where you want to live, what you want the money to do, and how soon.

Main bedroom of a prize home, Sunshine Beach

Move in

Live the dream, mortgage-free

  • No repayments, ever. Your biggest bill is gone.
  • Running costs stay yours: rates, insurance, power, pool.
  • Make it your main residence and selling later can be simpler tax-wise.
Pool and outdoor entertaining area of a prize home

Rent it out

Keep the home, earn an income

  • Coastal prize homes can earn strong rent, long-term or as holiday stays.
  • Rent is taxable income, and costs like agents and repairs apply.
  • You keep the home and any future growth.
Aerial view of a prize home and pool near the beach

Sell it

Turn it into money for your family

  • Pay off debts, help the kids into homes, invest the rest.
  • Expect less than the prize value (see why above).
  • Get tax advice before you list, not after.

Step by step

How to sell a prize home

  1. Take a breath. There's no rush. The home goes into your name first, and nothing has to be decided on day one.
  2. Talk to an accountant before you talk to agents. Timing and how you use the home can change the tax.
  3. Get two or three appraisals from local agents who sell homes at that price in that suburb.
  4. Decide on timing. A quick sale means certainty; waiting for the right season or buyer can mean a better price.
  5. Use the story. A prize home's backstory and professional photos draw buyers from interstate and overseas.
  6. Settle and plan. Have a plan for the money before it lands: debts, family, savings, then the fun stuff.

Costs to plan for when you sell

  • Agent's commission - a percentage of the sale price, and negotiable.
  • Marketing - photos, video, online listings and signboards.
  • Legal and conveyancing fees.
  • Holding costs while it's for sale: rates, insurance, power, pool and garden.
  • Capital gains tax, depending on your situation (see the tax box).
  • Furniture - decide whether it stays with the house or goes with you.

Tax, in plain English

  • Winning: the ATO says ordinary lottery prizes aren't income, so you don't pay income tax just for winning. ATO: prizes →
  • Selling: capital gains tax can apply when you sell, depending on the numbers and whether it was your main residence.
  • Living there first: the ATO says there's no minimum time you must live in a home before it counts as your main residence. It looks at things like whether you moved in, your mail and your electoral roll address. ATO: main residence →
  • Renting: rent is taxable income.
  • Payments: a big win can change pension or Centrelink payments. Check with Services Australia.

This is general information, not tax advice. Every winner's situation is different, so see an accountant before you sell.

What you really win Recent prize home winners The Draw 430 home Compare the odds

Good questions

Selling a prize home: your questions answered

Can you sell a prize home straight away?

Once the home is transferred into your name, it's yours to keep, rent or sell. The winner of Dream Home Art Union Draw 430 sold his Sunshine Beach prize home for $10.15 million about six months after it was drawn on 4 March 2026.

Do you pay tax on winning a prize home in Australia?

The ATO says ordinary lottery and raffle prizes aren't income, so you don't pay income tax just for winning a charity prize home. Tax can come into play later if you rent the home out or sell it.

Do you pay capital gains tax when you sell a prize home?

It can apply, depending on the sale numbers and whether the home was your main residence. Every winner's situation is different, so talk to an accountant before you list the home with an agent.

How long do you have to live in a prize home for it to be your main residence?

The ATO says there's no minimum time. It looks at things like whether you and your family moved in, your belongings, your mail and your electoral roll address. Ask an accountant how this applies to you.

Why do prize homes sell for less than the prize value?

The prize value is a package: the home plus gold, furniture, styling and extras like legal transfer fees. A buyer pays for the house alone, and a quick sale to a small pool of top-end buyers adds to the gap. The $13.9 million Draw 430 package sold for $10.15 million.

Should I sell, rent or move into a prize home?

Move in to live mortgage-free, rent it out to earn an income and keep the home, or sell to turn it into money for your family. Rent is taxable income, and selling can bring capital gains tax into play, so get advice first.

General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Checked against the ATO's website.

FREE · NO EMAIL NEEDED

Never miss a closing date

Add every prize home closing date to your phone's calendar in one tap. New draws appear by themselves, and each date has a direct link to get tickets before it closes.

iPhone, iPad & Mac Google Calendar & Android Outlook or another app? then add a calendar "from the web" and paste it.

Other prize homes open now

Compare before you buy. These draws are still open.

We never sell tickets. Every ticket link goes to the official charity site, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. 18+ only. Only spend what you'd be happy to donate. Need help? National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858. Disclaimer and affiliate disclosure.