Man almost lost £2 million house because he wanted to nip out for a pint at the pub

There's not a lot of things that come before a nice cold pint, but you'd think a £2million luxury property would definitely take priority.

However, this bloke almost missed out on being handed the keys to the stunning four-bed home situated near the coastal town of Exmouth because he wanted to nip out for a beer.

Imagine the rollocking he'd have gotten off of his wife if she wasn't in to save the day, eh?

Tom Steenson won the plush pad - which boasts a heated swimming pool as well as panoramic views of the picturesque scenery and coastline - after entering the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Devon.

It's mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, while the 63-year-old was also awarded a whopping £250,000 in cash to help him settle in.

Not bad considering he only put £20 down to enter the draw, is it?

The winner now gets to decide whether he wants to move into the £2million home, rent it out for a second stream of income or sell it whenever he wishes to invoke his status as a multi-millionaire.

If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 to £7,000 per month.

But Tom, who has a subscription to Omaze's raffles, nearly missed out on his incredible windfall because his trip to the pub took precedence over answering the door.

The Bolton-born dad-of-two explained that he was en route to his local boozer when his wife Carole, 58, rang him to say that the Omaze crew had called round to their two-bed house in Maidstone.

Tom Steenson admitted he nearly ignored the call from his wife Carole (SWNS)

However, he almost didn't answer the call as he feared it might 'interfere with his trip to the pub'.

"Obviously I always answer when my wife calls, and thank goodness I do as it really paid off this time," Tom laughed. "Missing that pint made me a millionaire - it’s the best pint I’ve never had!"

He recalled how he had left the house with the intention of getting a haircut before painting the town red with his pals, who he had planned to meet up with for an 'end of the week beer'.

"I was out when Omaze came knocking," Tom said. "My wife answered and called me to say Omaze were at our house, but I very nearly ignored it as I thought it might interfere with my trip to the pub!

"We didn’t know what I’d won at that point. Neither of us expected it really. I skipped going to the pub and rushed home instead."

Good move, Tom.

The winner said he and Carole celebrated the brilliant news by popping a few bottles of champagne and tucking into a Chinese takeaway with their daughter - which is the only way to do it, really.

Tom joked: "For once the fortune cookies were correct!"

He was left blown away after walking inside his new home in Exmouth, saying it 'looks like something out of a film'.

"It’s not unfair to say it’s a bit nicer than where we currently live," Tom joked. "My wife is a part time cleaner and cleans houses like this every now and then - but we never thought we’d end up owning one.

He got the keys to a £2million luxury home in Exmouth as well as £250,000 in cash (SWNS)

"We love the house, there's loads of space for all our friends and family to come and stay. Devon is beautiful, we love being in the countryside and by the sea. Waking up to these rolling hills and sea views will never get dull."

Tom added: "This win means we’ll never have to worry about money ever again - it’s a dream come true. I could retire early, but my boss doesn’t have to worry as I’ll keep working for a while yet, I like to stay busy. Our grandkids are going to love this place, they’ve already planned a big pool party.

"Thanks to the £250,000 we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for ten years if we wanted to.

"Selling and banking the cash would enable us to help all our children and grandchildren - it's a generational legacy for our family."

His good fortune has been made that bit sweeter by the fact that every entry into the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Devon helps to support suicide prevention charity CALM.

Speaking of his personal connection to the organisation, Tom said: "I’ve had issues with my mental health over the years - I was struggling in 2019, it was a really tough time, but support networks like CALM helped me through a really dark time. I can’t believe where I am today, it’s one hell of a turnaround from then to now."

Draw entries for the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, on the Wirral, are available now at omaze.co.uk, with online entries closing on 24 November while postal entries have until 26 November.

Entrants can also choose to subscribe to Omaze to be automatically entered into every Grand Prize Draw each month, while Omaze subscribers like Tom receive at least four times the number of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time.

For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk.