Two lucky siblings bagged a huge farmhouse from a mystery relative, after fortune-finding experts successfully tracked down the unsuspecting heirs.
Pam and Lawrence from Durham found out that a distant relative of theirs had died without leaving a will – leaving them as the rightful owners of a sprawling Welsh farm.
At first, the pair were dubious, as they received a phone call naming a relative they’d never even heard of, and one who lived in Wales, a country they had no links to.
But the good news was confirmed shortly after, and the pair first got to see their 18th century farmhouse in a heartwarming moment captured on Channel 4’s show Key to a Fortune.
The property show, presented by A Place in the Sun host Jean Johansson reunites unsuspecting heirs with abandoned properties.
Pam and Lawrence from Durham found out that a distant relative of theirs had died without leaving a will – leaving them as the rightful owners of a sprawling Welsh farm
Key to a Fortune also chronicled the brother and sister getting the keys to the farm, which was owned by Stephenson, who died in 2021.
Pamela said: ‘When I picked up the phone I thought they’d got the wrong people, we’d never heard of Mary so we just thought it was a scam at first. It’s unbelievable really’.
Lawrence added: ‘We didn’t even know we had family in Wales’.
It turns out that the siblings were related to the siblings through their great-granddad’s brother – their great great uncle.
After their property tour with Jean, the two were tasked with deciding what to do with the farmhouse in Carmarthenshire, west Wales.
And the two weren’t overly impressed by the dilapidated buildings – Lawrence stressed: ‘Well, it needs a bit of work’.
However, property expert Kunle Barker estimated the entire house and surrounding buildings could rack up half a million.
Kunle added that if the pair successfully obtained permission to turn the barn into a holiday home and a space allotted to camping, they’d double the value of the property, although would have to fork out around £30,000.
And the two weren’t overly impressed by the dilapidated buildings – Lawrence stressed: ‘Well, it needs a bit of work’
Another costly option is spending £200,000 to fix the buildings so that people could live in them.
But with the good news becoming very public, an extra dilemma was created.
Eleven other family members are also entitled to a share, adding nuance that the two didn’t expect.
Lawrence said: ‘It’s not as easy as we thought it would be, trying to get everybody on the same page as well as getting in touch with everybody. But they’ve been very appreciative of it, thankful that we are doing the work;.
Pam added: ‘It’s really difficult with half of us thinking we should get the planning permission and thinking we should sell it after we get it the permission, and the other half thinking the opposite’.
Their cousin Jo said: ‘Yes, it could all be much quicker if we just get the planning permission, spend the money and sell on, but then we’ve got no guarantee that whoever buys it is going to care.
‘I know we didn’t know about Mary but we now we care about her and I think that her inheritance should be spent wisely and that the land that she loved shouldn’t be spoilt too much by somebody who might over-develop’.
Pam and Lawrence carefully discussed their plans with family, and had three choices to choose between.
At first, the pair were dubious, as they received a phone call naming a relative they’d never even heard of, and one who lived in Wales, a country they had no links to
However, property expert Kunle Barker estimated the entire house and surrounding buildings could rack up half a million
They were either going to keep the property, make some adjustments, or sell it as soon as they could.
They pair opted for the last option, selling it an auction, hoping to get £500,000 to share amongst them all.
Lawrence said: ‘That’s what the majority of people want to do now so it looks like we’re just going to go to auction and sell the property and the land.
‘But it will still be interesting to find out what happens to the place afterwards. It has brought us a connection to Wales which we didn’t have before.’
Pam added: ‘And we are very thankful to Mary, for what she’s done for us, this inheritance was a complete surprise’.
MailOnline have contacted Channel 4 for comment for updates on the story.
