This year has seen a number of well-located farms sell before getting to auction. The latest was a farm of 62ac at Tallaght on the outskirts of Dublin city, in the D24 area.

The holding consisted of land at 46ac at Ballymana and 16ac at Ballymaice, with two residences in poor condition.

It was to be auctioned by Coonan Property and QRE this month. However, there were a significant number of enquiries prior to the auction date.

Serious negotiations got under way and the property was sold prior to the auction date, in its entirety, to a local businessman.

The guide price on the farm was €1.2m. It’s understood the selling price was close to €2m.

Keen interest

The keen interest in this farm is not surprising. The land is good quality and has very good views over Dublin.

Some of the land is zoned high amenity. Tallaght Red Line Luas is less than 6km away.

“This farm achieved huge interest during the sale campaign from both international buyers and national buyers, due to its superb location and endless possibilities as a residential holding, and its possible future development potential,” said Philip Byrne of Coonan Property.

32ac makes €300,000 in Co Offaly

A good crowd attended the auction by Matt Dunne Auctioneer of 32ac in Co Offaly. The auction was held in the Heritage Hotel, Killenard, on 12 October.

Bidding opened at €250,000 and rose in €5,000 increments to €270,000. At this stage, Matt left the room to take instructions from the vendors and further bids were then sought.

The bidding rose to €300,000, at which point the land was declared on the market.

There were no further bids and the land was knocked down to a Dublin buyer who had already purchased a farm in the area.

The vendors were the representatives of the late Melvie O’Rourke.

All parties were happy with the outcome. The priced averaged out at €9,400 per acre.