A Prize You Can Sleep In: Write Your Way Into a Manhattan Beach House

A few years back, Ben Waldrep read an article in People magazine that made quite an impression on him. The story was about a couple who held an essay contest, with their bed-and-breakfast inn as the prize.

Something about the idea appealed to Waldrep, a retired engineering administrator for Boeing. It sounded adventurous, and much more interesting than selling your house the usual way.

Several years passed, but Waldrep never quite forgot about the essay contest. Now 73 and a widower, he began thinking about putting his $800,000 Manhattan Beach house up for sale.

It was about this time that he opened up his morning paper to find yet another essay contest story. Only this time, it was a couple of businessmen who were putting up their cafe as the prize. The article even mentioned a how-to booklet that offered details on holding such a contest. Waldrep promptly sent away for it.

To see what came of that decision, log on to https://www.beachhomecontest.com, where, for a $195 entrance fee, anyone eligible can have a chance to win Waldrep’s ocean-view home.

The question remains, however: Why would anyone with a desirable piece of property, in this insanely good real estate market, take a risk like this?

Because the way Waldrep figures, he just might make enough off this contest to do some real good. And recent events in his life have caused him to think even more seriously about the merits of charity.

“I wanted to dedicate the contest to my wife,” said Waldrep, whose wife, Iris, died of lung cancer three years ago. Waldrep himself has now been diagnosed with lung cancer, and he is undergoing treatment at UCLA Medical Center.

While Iris was sick, she received support from the Wellness Community in Redondo Beach, a nonprofit group that provides free counseling to people with cancer and their families.

So now, even though he is in a challenging situation, Waldrep is promising to donate 10% of the contest entrance fees to the Wellness Community. The contest has already increased traffic tremendously on the Wellness Community’s Web site.

“Our hits are up about 100%,” said Judith Howe, executive director and chief executive of the Wellness Community. “We’re just very grateful; it’s an exciting way for us to get our name out there.”

“Even if he only gets $100,000 in entry fees, he has promised to give us 10%, so this is not just something he is doing to get money,” Howe said. “There is a risk.”

Rick Becker, vice president of Redondo Beach-based Vision Works, the firm running the contest, confirmed that there is no built-in safety net for this would-be philanthropist.

“Whether he gets 10 entries or 10,000, he’s giving the house away,” said Becker.

Still, Waldrep has high hopes for the contest. The businessmen who held a contest for their cafe seemed “very pleased” with the results, he said.

Depending on how the contest goes, he says he’ll also donate proceeds to other favorite charities: the hospital where Iris worked as a volunteer, the Masonic Lodge and a scholarship are some of the other causes he’s considering.

Though the contest was Waldrep’s idea, he has no say in who the winner is. Because there are strict state rules governing such contests, Waldrep hired Becker to handle the whole event. Four judges will decide which essayist best answers the question: “Why I want to live in Manhattan Beach, Calif.” with the most pizazz.

Although the folks who held the contest for their B&B; did so because they were having trouble selling it, Waldrep’s beach home is anything but a white elephant. A beautiful, two-story, corner-lot house with 1,850 square feet, it has three bedrooms, 1 3/4 baths, two balconies and ocean views from nearly every room.

He and his wife extensively modernized and remodeled the home 10 years ago, said Waldrep. The home’s furnishings, chosen by Iris, will also be given to the winner, if he or she enters the contest by the early deadline of Jan. 31.

The Manhattan Beach community is the best part, said Waldrep, who lived in the home for 30 years and raised a daughter there. “It’s small, friendly, there’s hardly any crime,” he said. “I can’t imagine a better place to live. We were very, very happy here.”

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For details, call the contest hotline at (310) 546-7900. Distributed by Inman News Features.