Laois land hits €18,600 per acre in latest sales
THE auction rooms continue to be busy, with farms of all sizes selling before, during and after auction.
Laois has seen a number of farms sell lately, and two weeks ago Kilkenny auctioneer Joseph Coogan got a super price for a 47.3ac residential farm at Ballythomas, Stradbally. He sold the farm in lots at his Castlecomer auction rooms, making a total of €880,000 or €18,604/ac.
Staying in the county of the O’Moores, Rathdowney auctioneer William Mansfield sold an 82ac non-residential farm at Mountoliver, Rathdowney under the hammer. The roadside property sold in lots for €1.105m, representing almost €13,500/ac.
Located on the Borris-in-Ossory road 1.6km from Rathdowney, the holding has plenty of road frontage. It is laid out in one block and in a mix of grass and tillage, with the tillage part reseeded for grass.
The place is serviced by an internal roadway giving access to all the fields, with water provided by a mains and a private supply.
A fine range of farm buildings makes up the yard and includes a four-column slatted unit with accommodation for up to 100 cattle, along with an extensive silage slab.
At auction the entire and the lots fought it out all the way. The headline lot was a 52ac parcel that opened at €400,000, and with an accountant and a farmer in the chase the price rose to €725,000, where it went on the market. After 24 bids the hammer fell at €745,000 in favour of the accountant.
The next lot to sell was a c16ac piece opened at €150,000 and with two bidders initially it eventually sold to one for €185,000. The final piece of c14ac opened at €70,000, went on the market at €160,000 and sold for €175,000.
One bidder kept the entire in the frame but he stopped bidding at €980,000 and watched the lots go on to make a cumulative sum of €1.105m.
Sold before auction
A 180ac holding located just outside Durrow, Co Laois sold before auction last week, making a price well ahead of its guide of €950,000. In a mixture of woodland and grassland, the property includes four estate cottages in need of attention.
Located in the townlands of Moyne and Coolnabehy, the holding is close to the M8 and the M7, while Abbeyleix is 9km away, Portlaoise 23km and Kilkenny 25km.
Most of the ground is under timber with up to 129ac in hardwoods and softwoods that no longer command premium payments. A parcel of 50ac is in pasture, described as grazing ground with arable potential.
The property contains an old farmyard with outdated buildings on a 0.64ac site.
While Mr Jordan was not forthcoming on the idfentity of the buyer, it was bought for its tourism potential.