Some people are never satisfied

LAKE LURE, N.C. -- Thanks, but no thanks. Donald P. Cook's dream house is a tax nightmare. So, he's selling.

Cook won a $3 million-plus house in HGTV's Dream Home promotion in April. While the 5,700-square-foot house was free, Cook has to pick up the tax bill.

He said taxes on the North Carolina lake house run $19,396.64 a year, plus maintenance costs.

"It's a dream that anyone would love to have — owning a house like the Dream Home," he told HGTV (Home & Garden TV) . "But then reality sets in."

He said the electric bill on the dream home is more than 10 times what he currently pays.

The state auditor from West Virginia plans on living in his dream house for a few weeks before selling. He likes the area, though.

Cook said he'll use the money from the sale of the Dream Home to buy a place a little more his style in the area. He plans on retiring next month.

The home overlooks Lake Lure in Rutherford County, N.C., and has been assessed at $3,015,100.

Although HGTV has given away 10 Dream Homes, only two winners have used the houses. One winner in California used the South Carolina Dream Home as a vacation home for family and kept it for eight years, according to HGTV. Another man has lived in his Dream Home in Tyler, Texas, for about a year, according to The Asheville Citizen-Times.

Cook was one of 40 million people who entered the Dream Home contest.