Nurney Demesne sale ‘took off’
The 270-acre tillage farm at Nurney Demesne made the equivalent of €10,000 per acre, for immaculate tillage ground. But the adjusted per acre price is probably closer to €12,000 per acre, considering that it has a 50-acre ‘hole’ at its centre. The guide price was, on reflection, a very conservation €1.8m.
A very pleased Paddy Jordan said the auction took off at a pace after the property opened at €1m, so much so that some eager bidders didn’t get a look-in.
Bidding by four interested parties rose swiftly, three of whom were represented by solicitors and one of whom was an agricultural consultant — but the audience was mostly farmers, said Paddy Jordan. The bids rose €100,000 at the time, until the property reached €1.5m, and €50,000 and 25,000 bids then took it to €1.8m, at which stage it was put on the market. Bidding then took off, by a solicitor and agricultural consultant who ‘got stuck in’ according to Jordan, until the hammer came down in favour of the solicitor, acting for a local farmer. (The purchaser took his wife to see the main residence only this week, after the sale was concluded).
According to Jordan, some naysayers suggested the sale would stick on the quarry element of the property — a sand pit opened for road construction in the past decade. However, this tillage farm of recognised quality, all in one field, was too much to pass up.
* As we went to press, Paddy Jordan was gearing up for another significant sale, of 157 acres of tillage and grazing ground at Mooretown, Co Kildare (pictured left). The executor sale of what is described as superb land was due to take place yesterday, guide priced at €1.5m. It will be interesting to see if any of the Nurney underbidders appeared at the auction.
