Thanks for the imput so far. I don't think I'd ever go down the auction path, having said that, all this is just a thought process at the moment. Much more to learn and find out about.
What expenses are involved in buliding from scratch, as in before the actual house planning etc?
My plan at this stage is save more, then like Cammelot said, it would be a simple little place that can be done up over time to make me love it more, the nice newish place can wait for a while now!
Love to hear more from everyone