Marissa Valentin.
After a couple of years of financial and personal health calamities, Highland’s Marissa Valentin has decided to try a new approach to relieve herself and her three children of their debt — $100,000 worth on the health front alone. She had a massive coronary 18 months ago and no insurance, since she was a small business owner (Moonwhisper at 33 Main Street in the hamlet). Her medicine costs $600 per month. And since the economy is still not working very well for everybody, she cannot continue to pay the mortgage on her house, which sits along the Hudson River on Willow Dock Road. So, as necessity is the mother of invention, she has decided to put her house up for sale in a contest, plus an extra $50,000 for some needed renovation (it was built in 1860). With some added perks. And it’s all through social media.
Here’s the way it works: you join the club (the website is: iHouseContest.com) for $99 (to: PayPal) and that will give you a one-in-10,000 chance to win her home, which has been assessed for $209,000, plus three gifts just for joining — a VIP trip to Las Vegas, an eight-day sea cruise and a coupon book for $1,000. After sign-up, each member will have access to a member page where you can upload a video or share a YouTube video telling why you think you should get the house. You will need to share the website and your video on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and any other social media network to get votes on the video. The video with the most votes gets the house and the $50,000. The person who gets the most new member referrals by sharing the contest will get $25,000 and the top 25 runners-up will get a Hotels Ect Lifetime Gold Membership. So you have to share to win. The contest will be capped at 10,000 people.
“The idea for this is based on my inability to sell my house, compounded by my catastrophic medical bills,” said Valentin. “So I, like many other Americans, am in debt up to my eyeballs and figured I’d leverage my only real asset to get out of debt and then play it forward in helping others who are struggling (Valentin is offering 10% of the member fees after operating costs to Habitat for Humanity and to local families in need). I am the mother of three beautiful kids (ages: 22, 18 and 13) and a small business owner who is struggling in this crazy economy. This website will allow me to get out of debt and give away some awesome prizes, my house and help some other struggling people. What could be better? I know this is a lot of personal information, but I want everyone to realize that this is not some scam. I really am going to give away my house, prizes and 10% to charity when I hit the member goal. Someone could get my house and get me out of debt.”
So, to help out the financially and medically stressed-out Valentin family, check out the iHouseContest.com website. Who knows, you might become the proud owner of a house along the Hudson for just $99.