Wexford is not immune to throwing up a few surprising results at auction with some exceptional prices achieved over the past 12 months. This trend continued at one of the last auctions of 2016 comprising a 48-acre non-residential farm at Ballybuckley, Bree, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

The property, which is just over half a mile from Bree village, generated a healthy level of interest throughout the course of the selling campaign for agents Alan and Michael Kinsella, Kinsella Estates, Gorey and Carnew. Despite being guided in excess of €8,000/acre, a period of intense bidding at the recent auction saw the property sell under the hammer for €662,000 or over €13,600/acre. This was one of the final auctions of the year across the country – one that turned out to be hugely successful for the Kinsella brothers.

After two rounds of bidding, the first lot comprising 16.15 acres was bid to €220,000 while the remaining 32.3 acres peaked at €245,000. This gave a combined total of €465,000.

However, having initially opened at €350,000, bidding on the entire eventually arrived at €480,000 – well ahead of the combination of the lots. After consultation with the vendor, the property was declared on the market at €480,000 but it took a further €182,000 before the agent finally dropped the hammer at €662,000, which works out at €13,600/acre. The buyer was a local farmer. It’s thought the two underbidders were also locals.

In tillage for a number of years, the land is set out in a single 48.4-acre block, came with circa 300 metres of road frontage and was described as “good quality”.