He thought he bought a mansion, but due to a mistake in the auction he ended up owning a cabin | the Chronicle

Move it’s never easy, and to buy a house much less. Prices, location, and services among thousands of other things come into consideration when choosing a home, but Cal Yes Claire Hunter They didn’t have to worry about any of that. You could almost say that the universe chose their home for them, when they were forced to pay for a ruined mansion in the small town of Dunoon, Scotland.

The young couple met in 2016 in the French Alps, and after months of traveling together through Europe they became obsessed with Glasgow, one of Scotland’s cultural hubs. The couple saved and searched for years, until they found what they were considering the perfect place, for sale in a auction. “Before deciding to bid, I had spent a few nights sleeping in my truck across the street. I loved“Cal told The Guardian. Suffice it to say they were safe and ready to pay.

On the day of the auction, Claire was on the road, so Cal went to the site and prepared for what he assumed was going to be. a fierce fight. With 40,000 pounds as an estimate, he waited for the sales manager to sing the department number in his heavy scottish accent. Following the list in the pamphlet he printed a few days before the auction, he prepared to raise his hand when his number arrived.

But when the sale of the property began, silence fell on the auction. Assuming everyone was tactically waiting, Cal raised his hand. “£ 10,000?“, he offered. Silence. Suddenly, the mallet had fallen, the director turned around “exhausted“And the man sitting next to Cal turned and whispered under his breath:”Friend, have you seen this place?“.

By the time Cal realized that the numbers on his brochure didn’t match the numbers dictated by the director, it was too late. And like the auctions in Scotland they are legally binding, the couple had no choice but to accept the roles of Villa Jameswood: an abandoned victorian mansion in the city of Dunoon.

“When I finally spoke to Claire, she seemed unfazed. I had looked at the place in Google maps, although with the bushes you can only see an angle. Dunoon wasn’t Glasgow, but it didn’t seem very far away. And ten thousand for a place to call home,how bad could it be?“. Spoilers: era very little.

When the couple arrived at the place they would call home for years, they were greeted with a sign saying “Danger, stay away“. Graffiti, holes in the floor and windows, moldy walls and no water and no light.”We quickly realized that this project it wouldn’t be financially viable if we didn’t do it ourselves or if we need a stable income to pay general expenses like a mortgage or rent“Claire wrote on the blog recounting her experience.

After purchasing the entire residence (for the worse, they only bought half the property at auction), the couple got to work. Settling in the garden of the property, the couple live in their truck while they repair the house which will be their abode: “It’s hard work, but we’ve both learned a lot; assume so many things helped us grow as people“Cal rescued for The Guardian.

Two years later, Jameswood Villa is still a work in progress. The couple support their family and more than 200,000 subscribers Track their progress from their Instagram account, where they offer advice, tell stories, raise funds and seek to inspire people to follow their dreams.

“As with many things in life, our experience at an auction was a classic example of the phrase “shit happens‘. And now we’re trying to turn this “shit” into a nice house“said Claire. And if the couple don’t regret their happy accident, they keep recommending read documents before signing.