Real Estate Auction Roundup

 By William Flood

 Illinois

Coles County – Farmers National Company auctioned three tracts totaling 237.98 +/- acres on March 12. The soils had a Productivity Index of 138-141. Five-year average yields included 232 bushels for corn and 75.23 bushels for soybeans. Tenancy was open for 2025. Tract 1 included 80 acres, with 78.17 acres of cropland and 1.83 acres of non-cropland. Of this, 39.4 acres were in corn (170 bushels/acre) and 37.3 acres in soybeans (55 bushels/acre). Tract 2 was 79 +/- acres of nearly all cropland, with two grain bins. Tract 3 had 78.98 +/- acres, including 71.86 acres of cropland and 7.12 acres of non-cropland. Combined, tracts 2 and 3 had 74.6 acres of corn (170 bushels/acre) and 70.4 acres of soybeans (55 bushels/acre). Tract 1 sold for $1,240,000 ($15,500/acre), Tract 2 for $1,208,000 ($15,300/acre), and Tract 3 for $1,089,924 ($13,800/acre).

Owaneco – On March 17, Corey Craig Auctions hosted a no-buyer’s-premium online auction of 80+ acres, known as the Buerk farmland. The tract included 71.53 acres of quality farmland with a Productivity Index of 124.1, primarily in Harrison, Coatsburg and Radford soils. Of this, 55.96 acres were in corn (PLC yield of 160) and 14.80 acres in soybeans (PLC yield of 54). Tenancy was open for 2025, and the buyer would reimburse the seller $10,238 for fall 2024 fertilizer. The land sold for $730,000, or $9,125/acre.

Indiana

Topeka – On March 20, Bright Star Real Estate Services auctioned 12.59 acres of vacant land as two separate or combinable tracts, less than a mile east of IN-5. Tract 1, with 4 acres, had an opening bid of $60,000, and Tract 2, containing 8.59 acres, started at $120,000. The two tracts sold combined for $435,000.

Utica - Beckort Auctions offered a unique riverfront property on Upper River Road on March 27. The wooded parcel, sitting atop a bluff, held 17.6 acres with panoramic views and 130 feet of Ohio River frontage.  It offered great potential for a home site or development. It sold for $880,000.

Kentucky

Paducah – On March 6, Harris Real Estate and Auction auctioned four properties in a single sale. Parcel 1, with 37.25 acres in West Paducah, sold for $390,000 ($10,461/acre). Parcel 2, containing 32.3 acres, went for $90,000 ($2,786/acre). Parcel 3, a commercial property near Exit 11 with two buildings totaling 6,180 square feet, suitable for automotive, manufacturing or similar operations, sold for $150,000. Parcel 4, containing 1.42 acres with a 1,428-square-feet, 3-bedroom/2-bath home built in 1959, sold for $63,000.

Utica – On March 18, Kurtz Auction & Realty sold a 100.85-acre cattle farm with multiple buildings. Owned by McDaniel Enterprises, LLC and JRM Portfolio, LLC, and originally seven tracts, the property was sold as one parcel. The fenced and cross-fenced operation included a 30-by-105-foot machine shed, a 35-by-75-foot storage shed with concrete floor, a 25-by-35-foot storage shed with concrete floor, a tobacco barn with working facilities, and covered feed troughs. Additional features included working and weaning pens, multiple water hydrants, a 3.5-acre lake, two smaller ponds, and 931 feet of frontage on Greenbriar Road. It sold for $524,435, subject to a 20-foot ingress/egress easement for neighbors.

Michigan

Big Rapids - Miedema’s LastBid Real Estate offered a high-traffic commercial lot near Ferris State University on March 18. Two parcels totaling 0.608 acres on State and Mill Streets were sold as one tract. The location boasted one of the highest traffic counts in Mecosta County. The paved property included a 200-square-foot office building, currently used for car sales but suitable for other businesses. It sold for $193,000.

Burlington - On March 6, Bright Star Real Estate Services held an online/phone auction for a 2.2-acre buildable parcel with outbuildings. The property included a 40-by-21-foot pole barn with concrete floor, new metal roofing, siding, and new doors. Adjacent was a 40-by-24-foot partially-finished block building on slab. The property sold for $53,500.

Ohio

Dalton - Kaufman Realty & Auctions presented 54.82 tillable/wooded acres, known as the Horst Family property, as 4 parcels on March 29. The flat, rolling land, with options for mini farms or building sites, ranged from open fields to an open/wooded mix. Tract 1 had 24.744 acres with 304 feet of frontage and prime building sites. Tract 2 contained 6.872 acres, half-wooded, with 415 feet of frontage and a good building site. Tract 3 offered 7.537 acres of open, tillable land with 278 feet of frontage and a nice building site. Tract 4 had 15.64 acres of mostly tillable land with 60 feet of frontage and a solid building site. The parcels sold for $1,387,381 or $25,307/acre.

Dorset - On March 6, Kiko Auctions offered 5 acres of mostly-wooded land with an older manufactured home on the property. The parcel was approximately 2/3 wooded and 1/3 open, with the West Branch of the Ashtabula River running along the rear of the property. On the property was a handyman 1991 Woodbridge double-wide. The selling price was $47,850.