When Tracy Jackson bought a ticket for the 2025 PNE prize home, she decided against taking a virtual tour of the $2.5 million house, located in Langley's Willoughby neighbourhood.
"I didn't look online because I wanted to be surprised," Jackson said on Wednesday, Sept.10, when she showed up to pick up the keys to the fully-furnished 3,292 sq. ft. three-storey, three bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house, with a legal two-bedroom suite.
Her first look was when the car that brought her pulled into the driveway.
"Oh my gosh," an emotional Jackson said.
"Wow. That's all I can say is wow. This is amazing. I'm so happy."
Currently, the 57-year-old North Delta resident, who is on disability pension, shares a North Delta basement suite with her partner, Frank Kiss.
"This is going to be a huge change," she told the Langley Advance Times.
"It's just so absolutely amazing – life-changing," Jackson said.
She has never had a dishwasher, Jackson said. Now, she does, one of many top-end appliances in a state-of-the-art kitchen that Kiss, who does the cooking, will be figuring out.
"I just don't think I'm anything special," a teary Jackson said. "And this is so special. I don't expect good stuff. Life has handed me nothing but bad stuff. But look at this, look at this. And I get to live here! It's absolutely beautiful."
Her house is located on the same street as last year's PNE home, built by the same company, Miracon Development.
Ron Enns, director of Operations and Customer Care at Miracon, was beaming as he watched a delighted Jackson tour her new home.
"It's a beautiful home," Enns said." It's a home on a green space in the back here, probably one of the few green spaces in Langley. And of course it's got all the latest technology that the homes are built with today, a full two-bedroom suite, and a custom furniture package that the homeowner can enjoy. So everything really that they need to come in, move in, and live and enjoy this beautiful home."
It is the fourth year in a row that the PNE prize home has been built in Langley.
Shauna Wilton, Vice President of Event Operations at the fair, explained.
"It's a great community in terms of the amenities that it provides, the ability to commute, proximity to the highway, and of course we love this particular development because of the access to Greenland and green space," Wilton said.
