Real Estate Auction Roundup

By William Flood

 Illinois

Champaign County - On Jan. 24, Moss Auction Team presented 80 +/- acres of highly-productive farmland as a single tract. Per USDA’s Farm Service Agency, the parcel consisted of 79.25 DCP tillable cropland acres classified non-HEL. The primary soil types were Drummer silty clay loam and Flanagan silt loam, with a Productivity Index of 144. Recent crop data showed yields of 227 for corn in 2023 and 81 for soybeans in 2024. The farm had road frontage along its south and east boundaries. The buyer would receive all mineral rights at settlement. The property sold for $1,320,000 ($16,500/acre).

Effingham - Schmid Auction conducted the Schmohe Farm land trust auction on Jan. 27, with 83.14 +/– acres offered in four tracts. The property had ¾ mile of wooded bluffs overlooking Lily Creek and the Little Wabash River Valleys, offering pleasant vistas and good hunting opportunities. Electric and water were available, making for potential homesites. Tract 1 contained 21.5 +/- acres (13.45 +/- tillable, with a PI of 98.9). Tract 2 had 18.5 +/- acres (17.15 +/- tillable with a PI of 100.5).  Tract 3 was 25.89 +/- acres (2.48 tillable) with large trees, good for a homesite or hunting. Tract 4 had 17.25 +/- acres, also treed, good for hunting or building. Tract 1 sold for $271,438 ($12,625/acre), Tract 2 for $232,638 ($12,575.00/acre), Tract 3 for $204,531 ($7,900.00/acre), and Tract 4 for $218,644 ($12,675.00/acre).

Indiana

Lanesville - On Jan. 20, Beckort Auctions hosted an online auction of 5+ acres with a brick rancher suitable for commercial development. The 5.119 acres, zoned PEC, had 325 feet of visible frontage along Interstate 64 plus frontage on Wismann Road. On-site was a 1978-built 3-bedroom/2-bath brick home in need of updating, with 1,832 square feet on the main floor and 1,288 square feet in a walkout finished basement. It was served by LP forced-air heat, a wood-burning stove, central A/C, well and septic. The outside was partially fenced and held a 24-by-36-foot metal-sided detached garage. The property sold for $352,000.

Syracuse - Bright Star Auctions presented a home, barn and 10 acres of pastureland on Jan. 27. The 10-acre parcel, mostly in pasture, featured a round pen, due to be replaced with pipe fencing. On the property was a 3-bedroom/2-bath modular home on crawlspace, with a new metal roof and some new windows. Adjacent was a 32-by-26-foot pole barn with three stalls, a 10-foot enclosed lean-to, and a 12-foot open lean-to. Bidding opened at $250,000; bidding closed at $310,000.

Kentucky

Robards - On Jan. 7, Herron Auction & Realty auctioned in two tracts 21.17 +/- acres with a home, pond and potential building sites. Tract 1 was a 1.12 +/- acre lot with a 1986-built 3-bedroom/2-bath 1,344-square-foot manufactured home with a pond view. Tract 2 contained 20.05 +/- acres of farmland, with 10 acres of income-producing tillable acreage, a 3.5-acre pond, 575 feet of blacktop frontage on Smith Denton Road, and 650 feet of frontage on Busby Denton Road. Opportunities existed for development or continued use as a mini-farm. Tract 1 sold for $39,000. Tract 2 brought $85,500 ($4,264/acre).

Michigan

Saranac - Miedema’s LastBid Real Estate had an online auction on Jan. 13 of a

1.05-acre parcel, zoned residential, along the Bluewater Highway. The property offered excellent potential for a future home site, with selective tree clearing completed, plus gas and electricity available at the road. It sold for $49,000.

Ohio

Barberton - Kiko Auctioneers & Realtors conducted a simulcast, absolute auction on Jan. 8 of a commercial property with a turnkey cafe, including all equipment and furnishings. The cafe, locally known as “The Coffee Pot,” was Summit County’s oldest operating diner and a community landmark, open for over 100 years with just three owners. The property consisted of a 1,952-square-foot restaurant space built in 1923, with a dining room addition added in 1985. 

It featured an open diner-style kitchen, a full secondary kitchen, seating for approximately 80 guests, concrete parking, and front/rear access. Ample storage, an updated Carrier HVAC (2–3 years old), and a fire suppression system were also in place. The sale included all cafe furnishings and a full line of equipment, including a commercial grill, burners, fryers, microwave, dinnerware and freezers. The business and commercial property sold for $129,800.

London - On Jan. 14, Sheridans auctioned six productive tracts of eastern Madison County farmland totaling 191 acres (163 tillable), with above-average soils, and road frontage totaling over 7,500 feet. Tract 1 contained 62.32 acres (59+/- tillable) with very productive soils and a well-maintained drainage waterway. Tract 2 held 40.35 acres (27+/- tillable) with a two-story 3-bedroom/1-bath two-story home, outbuilding, and 1,670+ feet of frontage on Lilly Chapel Opossum Rd. Tract 3 was 27.45 acres (20+/- tillable) with over 1,150 feet of road frontage. Tract 4 had 21.53 acres (21+/- tillable), had two residential conditional uses, and offered 1,125 feet of road frontage. Tract 5 was 21.53 acres (21+/- tillable), offered a single residential conditional use, and had over 700 feet of road frontage. Tract 6 contained 21.53 acres (19+/- tillable), with a single residential conditional use and had 970+ feet of road frontage. The parcels sold as follows: Tract 1, $850,000 ($13,638 per acre); Tract 2, $685,000; Tract 3, $375,000 ($13,617 per acre). Tracts 4–6 sold together for $920,000 ($14,239 per acre).