Essay Contest For House Canceled

A Yakima man who tried to sell his house with an essay contest has called it off.

Six weeks ago, Steve Fishburn launched the contest, asking people to pay a $100 entry fee and then write an essay titled, “Why I Want Your House in Yakima, Washington.”

He needed 2,000 entries to cover his $200,000 mortgage, but got only 1,200.

“I thought we’d get to 2,000 and then some,” Fishburn said Friday from the well-kept home.

With the contest deadline today and a new house waiting in a Seattle suburb, Fishburn decided to call off the contest and return everyone’s money.

Fishburn, who is married with two young sons, launched the contest on a whim after several unsuccessful months of trying to sell his house the old-fashioned way.

He used the Internet and the media to spread the word about the single-story, 2,700-square foot home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage.

Now, Fishburn is back to the basics in trying to sell his home. Some prospective buyers are looking at it quite seriously, he said.