A mystery investor has made a bid for one of the most expensive houses on sale in Scotland.
An undisclosed offer has been made for former Scottish rally car champion Brian Lyall’s seven bedroom mansion in Aberdeen.
The luxury house in one of the city’s wealthiest streets was put on the market for offers over £3.2 million last month.
Sportsman turned entrepreneur Mr Lyall – who won the Scottish Rally Championship in 1997 – bought the house in 2012 for just under one million pounds.
The 59-year-old and his wife plan to retire to Spain and keep a small place in Scotland for vacations.
If the proposed deal for One Rubislaw Den North goes through it could be one of the landmark house sales of the year.
Yesterday estate agents Simpson and Marwick confirmed that an offer had been made for the luxury residence.
Concern had been mounting in recent weeks that the slumped oil price may affect Aberdeen’s buoyant housing market.
But Scottish property expert Faisal Choudhry, of Savills, said the offer showed “renewed confidence” in the city’s ability to weather any potential economic storm.
Mr Choudhry said: “This shows confidence in Aberdeen’s housing market.
“The person who is lucky enough to purchase this property will be living in a prime area of Scotland.
“It is a unique property in a charming and much sought after location.
“This is clearly being looked at by someone who is not swayed by short term uncertainties but is instead looking at the bigger picture.”
However the wealthy investor remains anonymous at this time.
If he or she has their offer accepted by the Lyall family then they will get the keys to an impressive B-listed building.
It is believed to be the first time the property, which was built in 1901, has been listed for sale on the open market which – along with its monumental price tag – has caused considerable interest around the country.
The pink granite mansion has been extensively restored over the course of the last three years and features a custom built kitchen and four bathrooms.
It boasts seven bedrooms with accommodation spanning over three floors and comes with an elegant drawing room, dining room and lounge.
The new owners will have access to 14 acres of private woodland nearby and will live next door to some of the city’s most enterprising entrepreneurs and businessmen.
And Mr Choudhry, associate director of residential research at Savills, said that if the prospective buyer gets the deal put through before April then they could save around 45,000 on stamp duty.
Scotland is set to move to the land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) in April away from the current rate of Stamp Duty imposed by Westminster.
Mr Choudhry said: “If they settle after the new regime kicks in in April and say they have paid 3.2million pounds the LBTT applicable would be 342,350 pounds.
“Under the current Stamp Duty you would pay 297,750 pounds.
“That means they are saving around 45,000 pounds if they get a move on.
“Every penny is precious.”
The west end house is listed in the property schedule as being one of Aberdeen’s “most prestigious” addresses in the heart of the city.
It sits on a leafy street of mansions just round the corner from where the most expensive house in Scotland was sold last year.
Fisherman Peter Tait paid 3,070,000 pounds for the three storey granite mansion at 34 Rubislaw Den South – breaking Scottish house price records for 2014.
The previous record for most expensive house sale in 2014 was held by a property in Haddington, East Lothian, which sold for three million pounds.