New Enterprise (Bedford), PA – The Detwiler Farm in Bedford County recently sold at auction for $4.81 million. Being one of the Pennsylvania’s largest land auctions to be conducted with nearly a thousand acres being sold drew a lot of attention to the small town of New Enterprise with a population of less than 2,000 residents.
The land had been in the same family for nearly 100 years and with the family in different areas of the country upkeep of the farm was becoming difficult to say the least. The Detwilers wanted to sell the property but were unsure as to the best way to sell it. They contacted Marge Hartman, CEO, auctioneer, and land specialist at Hurley Auctions for guidance. Hartman suggested doing a multi-parcel auction to maximize the value on the property. “Buyers many times, are unable to purchase an entire property, but instead only want to purchase a part of it. By doing the land at multi-par, we can offer the property in separate tracts, combinations of tracts, and as a whole.” The Detwiler’s were enthusiastic with the idea and contracted Hurley Auctions to do the sale.
The auction was a huge undertaking with much research and discussion to develop a land plan that would be most suitable and desirable to potential buyers. It was decided to offer the property in 14 different tracts varying from all farmland, wooded acreage and pasture to a mixture of all three. Inquiries for the property came from all over the country. With the number of potential attendees and the limited number of auctioneers on hand, Hartman contacted fellow auctioneers Sherm Hostetter and Tammy Miller to assist her and auctioneer Gene Hurley in the sale…”AHA!”