One bidder and one sale

ONE hundred and twenty people in the hall – and only one bidder.

That was the situation at the auction of a Ballineen farm at Connagh, one of the few open sales this year. Tom Brady expected a good response, which he got, but was disappointed at the slow bidding – despite achieving a sale on the day. It’s symptomatic of the times, he says, and shows just how lacklustre the market is.

The executors’ sale realised a bid of €380,000 for 48 acres, at which stage it was withdrawn, and subsequent negotiations brought that up to €400,000, at which the farm was knocked down to a solicitor acting in trust.