It’s perfect for an antique auto collector.
It needs work following a major fire nearly three years ago that gutted part of the home, after it had just been sold to a group of unidentified out-of-town investors.
Otherwise, a Lehigh County mansion sitting on 4.6 acres could be yours, if you are the highest bidder.
Salisbury Township commissioners, who purchased the property in May for $1, recently approved hiring Tranzon Alderfer Realtors of Harleysville, Montgomery County, to conduct the online auction that includes an 18,500-square-foot “French chateau design” home at 3015 Barrington Lane.
The auction is scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 16, according to information released Thursday and on tranzon.com, the company’s website. Open house preview times are noon to 3 p.m. on Sept. 28 and Oct. 6. Interested buyers also can call Tranzon at 800-577-8845.
The township hopes the sale proceeds will go toward as-yet-unspecified community needs. The mansion on 4.6 acres had been worth $6.4 million at the time of the 2021 sale. After the fire, it has remained vacant and under township upkeep.
The Lehigh County Assessment Office shows the home and land have an assessed value of more than $1.3 million and an annual property tax bill of more than $41,500. The auction is unique in that local officials do not know of a similar donation of major property to a municipality.
Fire consumes enormous multimillion-dollar Salisbury Township home | PHOTOS
The bid is scheduled to begin at $400,000, said Bob Dann, a Tranzon associate broker and auctioneer, but there is no specific minimum purchase price.
The winning bidder will have to provide a 10% deposit, 10% “buyer’s premium” based on the high bid, 2.5% buyer’s agent fee and close on the sale within 60 days after township approval.
As for some of other conditions and particulars: The property is being sold “as-is” condition and without contingencies. It has garage space for up to 16 cars, which Tranzon believes could draw someone with a classic car collection.
And while the main house sustained significant damage — the east wing had to be taken down to the foundation, and most of the interior has been stripped to the studs — two apartments and a guest house remain in good shape, according to Tranzon.
Township officials previously said the former owners wanted to make the donation to thank the first responders who saved most of the house from the massive fire.
Authorities have not determined what caused the fire, which began in a turret adjacent to the main home.
Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze, and two South Whitehall Township firefighters suffered burns and injuries.
