Two lucky brothers have taken over a huge farm from a mysterious relative, after fortune-seeking experts successfully tracked down the unsuspecting heirs.
Pam and Lawrence of Durham discovered that a distant relative of theirs had died without leaving a will, leaving them the rightful owners of an extensive Welsh farm.
The couple were initially hesitant as they received a phone call naming a relative they had never heard of who lived in Wales, a country with which they had no ties.
But the good news was confirmed soon after, and the couple got their first glimpse of their 18th-century farmhouse in a touching moment captured on Channel 4’s Key to a Fortune show.
The real estate show, hosted by A Place in the Sun host Jean Johansson, reunites unsuspecting heirs with abandoned properties.
Pam and Lawrence of Durham discovered that a distant relative of theirs had died without leaving a will, leaving them the rightful owners of an extensive Welsh farm.
Key to a Fortune also recounted how the brother and sister obtained 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 had the wrong person. We had never heard of Mary so at first we thought it was a scam.” She’s really amazing.’
Lawrence added: “We didn’t even know we had family in Wales.”
It turns out that the brothers were related to the brothers through their great-grandfather’s brother, their great-great-grandfather.
After his tour of the property with Jean, the two were tasked with deciding what to do with the farm in Carmarthenshire, west Wales.
And the dilapidated buildings didn’t impress the two much: Lawrence stressed, “Well, it needs to be fixed up a bit.”
However, property expert Kunle Barker estimated the entire house and surrounding buildings could be worth half a million.
Kunle added that if the couple got permission to convert the barn into a holiday home and camping space, they would double the value of the property, although they would have to shell out around £30,000.
And the dilapidated buildings didn’t impress the two too much: Lawrence emphasized, “Well, it needs a little work.”
Another expensive option is to spend £200,000 to fix up the buildings so people can live in them.
But when the good news became widely public, it created an additional dilemma.
Eleven other family members are also entitled to a share, adding nuances neither of them expected.
Lawrence said, “It’s not as easy as we thought it would be to try to get everyone on the same page and get in touch with everyone.” But they have been very grateful, grateful that we are doing the work.
Pam added: “It’s really difficult when half of us think we should get the building permit and we should sell it after we get it, and the other half think the opposite.”
Her cousin Jo said: ‘Yes, everything could be much faster if we got the building permit, spent the money and kept selling, but then we have no guarantee that whoever buys it will care.
“I know we didn’t know anything about Mary, but we care about her now and I think her inheritance should be spent wisely and that the land she loved shouldn’t be spoiled too much by someone who might develop it too much.”
Pam and Lawrence carefully discussed their plans with the family and had three options to choose from.
The couple were initially hesitant as they received a phone call naming a relative they had never heard of, and one who lived in Wales, a country they had no ties to.
However, real estate expert Kunle Barker estimated that the entire house and surrounding buildings could fetch half a million dollars.
They were going to keep the property, make some adjustments, or sell it as soon as they could.
The couple opted for the latter option, selling it at auction, hoping to get £500,000 to share between them.
Lawrence said: “That’s what most people want to do now, so it looks like we’re just going to auction and sell the property and the land.”
‘But it will still be interesting to know what happens to the place afterwards. “It has given us a connection with Wales that we didn’t have before.”
Pam added: “And we are so grateful to Mary for what she has done for us, this inheritance was a complete surprise.”
MailOnline has contacted Channel 4 for comment and updates on the story.