Imagine the surprise of receiving a phone call from a ‘fortune finders’ company, informing you that you’ve just inherited a property from a complete stranger.
This was the reality for a brother and sister from Durham who, after confirming it wasn’t a scam, discovered they were the rightful heirs to a sprawling Welsh farm left by a distant relative they never knew existed.
Pam and Lawrence were left speechless when they learned they had inherited an 18th-century farmhouse in Wales.
Their first encounter with the dilapidated property, bequeathed to them by a stranger, was captured on Channel 4’s new property programme, Key to a Fortune.
The show, hosted by Jean Johansson – familiar to many from Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun – employs a team of fortune-finding experts who use various methods, including family trees, to connect abandoned properties with their unsuspecting inheritors.
In the second episode of this brand-new series, siblings Pam and Lawrence are handed the keys to the rundown house and derelict barns once home to Mary Stephenson, who passed away on August 3, 2021.
Pamela expressed her initial disbelief, recounting: “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,” reports Wales Online.
Lawrence chimed in with his own surprise, “we didn’t even know we had family in Wales!”
The revelation came when the couple discovered that Mary was actually the daughter of Pam and Lawrence’s great grandfather’s brother.
The house, left without a will by Mary, stood neglected and in need of repair, presenting Pam and Lawrence with an unexpected renovation challenge as they travelled from Durham to the Carmarthenshire farmhouse. There, they met Joan and embarked on a tour of their newly inherited property.
(Image: Channel 4 / Crackit TV)
The question now was whether they would keep this sudden inheritance or pass it on.
Upon arrival, Pam and Lawrence were taken aback by the state of their new home, both rendered speechless by the dilapidated condition. Breaking the silence, Lawrence remarked: “Well, it needs a bit of work.”
His outlook soon turned positive as he continued: “It’s not that bad really, you know it’s still standing, it’s got a roof on. It just wants a bit of care doesn’t it?”
Guided by Jean through the decrepit interior, the enormity of the renovation task became apparent.
(Image: Channel 4 / Crackit TV)
However, as they explored further, venturing outside to inspect the barn and outbuildings, the property’s potential began to captivate them.
Pam and Lawrence were taken aback upon discovering that the farm included about 50 acres of land.
An emotional Pam shared: “I’m just thinking about Mary, so sad for her, that she had to be on her own, I just hope she had some nice neighbours and friends that helped her out a little bit.”
(Image: Channel 4 / Crackit TV)
Property specialist Kunle Barker evaluated the plot, revealing that while the house was valued around £350,000, the complete estate could fetch up to £500,000.
He nudged the pair towards seeking planning permission for a holiday let in the barn and establishing glamping pods on the land, advising spending roughly £30,000 on drafting and submitting plans.
Success in these plans could significantly increase the property’s value. On the other hand, rehabilitating all of the buildings as dwellings could set them back up to £200,000.
Meanwhile, the treasure hunters uncovered more relatives – adding an entirely new branch to the family tree, increasing potential inheritors up to 11. This finding made the decision-making process about Mary’s farm considerably more challenging.
(Image: Channel 4 / Crackit TV)
Lawrence remarked: “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 chimed in with the challenges they faced: “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.”
Cousin Jo was adamant about preserving the estate, stating: “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 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.”
After much deliberation, the family was torn between three options: retain the property, secure planning permission before selling, or sell immediately. Ultimately, considering the age range of the beneficiaries, from 55 to 96, consensus was reached to auction the property as swiftly as possible, aiming for a £500,000 sale.
(Image: Channel 4 / Crackit TV)