It would be nice if the op can confirm this to be correct. Had he done so a week ago things would have gone so much better.
Here I must agree. Generally, the mistake was setting only a week time limit for the auction. It's not normal to buy a house without even seeing it IRL and without having anough time to make a decision. It's OK only if you buy it a few times cheaper than the market price.
However, I think 'scam' is not the right word here. If one places a bet, the only thing he might lose is his time. Nobody is going to transfer BTC before the agreement is signed anyway.
At this point, after having the address and looking into the guy and the house his story seems to check out. He just has no clue how to run a BTC auction and I think the price reflects that. Next time be open about the address and be willing to give the information you claim you will give.
Anyway I am now comfortable enough to finally place a bid after all that hard work.
50 BTC.