A young couple accidentally bought a derelict mansion after struggling to understand the auctioneer's 'strong Scottish accent'.
Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren thought they were bidding on a flat in Glasgow's Southside for £30,000 after planning to start a new life in Scotland.
But the pair had actually bought a 120-year-old crumbling property in Dunoon after failing to understand the auctioneer's 'strong Glaswegian accent' in a bid mix-up.
Auction bids in Scotland are legally binding, which meant the couple had to go through with their £10,000 purchase of the 'rotting' six-bedroom Jameswood Villa.
Cal, from Hull, and Claire, from Canada, who had visited Scotland just once before, rolled up their sleeves and are now transforming the property into their dream home.
Living in a caravan in the grounds of the home, the pair have worked hard over the past few years to give the property an incredible transformation.
Cal, 28, had gone to the auction alone when he mistakenly placed the bid due to a technical glitch on the auction screen.
A brochure with information about all the lots left on each seat and there was a screen behind the stage displaying the corresponding number.
He raised his hand when the flat he planned to buy came up expecting a fierce bidding war - but he found himself alone.
He told the Guardian : "The problem was auctioneers speak fast, and this one had a strong Glaswegian accent: I was really struggling to follow.
"I couldn’t believe it when nobody tried to beat my opening offer. Then a few things happened at once: the gavel fell, the screen switched on, and the bloke next to me asked in my ear, 'Mate, have you seen that place?'
Cal recalled being filled with "dread" as he realised the number on the page and the one on the screen were "definitely not matching".
Despite having never seen a photo of the Dunoon property, the couple remained optimistic about the purchase - until they actually visited it.
A derelict property with crumbling walls, the garden even had a sign that read 'Danger, keep out' among the "rotting mess".
The property, which had been abandoned for 20 years, had mouldy furniture, graffiti on the walls and "the ceilings were falling down".
Its water and electricity had even been switched off and the couple realised they only actually owned half the building.
This forced them to spend six months buying two more derelict units so the whole property could finally be theirs.
Cal and Claire have since been working hard to restore their new home to its former glory since 2019 - and even raised £17,000 from well-wishers to help with the costs.
Cal said: "It’s a special place – if you’re going to accidentally buy a house, you couldn’t do it somewhere better."
