THE US: An 82-acre town in northern California sold on the Internet auction site eBay Inc yesterday for $1.78 million, a strong price considering the sellers called the place a "fixer-upper" and the first bidder had only wanted to pay $5,000 for it.
The winning bidder's offer on the Internet auction site for Bridgeville, California, about 420 km north of San Francisco, must still be verified by the sellers. The former logging town has 670 residents and its own zip code, 95526.
Just weeks ago, a multi-million-dollar final bid for rap star Eminem's childhood home in Michigan turned out to be bogus. Prospective buyers from around the world jumped into the Bridgeville bidding during the Christmas holiday, causing the price to zoom up from the original bid of $5,000 in late November.
No details were immediately available on the buyer who made the $1.78 million offer.
The closely watched Bridgeville auction lot included several buildings and a tractor. The lot did not include the town's bridge or school.
Bridgeville was sold by members of the Lapple family, which purchased the property for $150,000 in 1972.
- (Reuters)