On November 21, 1996, the Rabbits attended a much hyped million-dollar land auction of 1198 acres in the area. To our relief, we returned empty-handed.
The parcels that were closest to Sandhill and therefore of interest to us were flooding bottomland, quite a disadvantage. Nevertheless, it fetched a high price because it's good farmland and has government subsidies (see "The Search Narrows" in Issue 9). One piece of the auction land was a bit more interesting, a 40 acre parcel with a fairly nice non-flooding hill, house, barn, and grain storage. The auction company told us the land might go quite cheap. We weren't terribly interested, but not willing to let a total bargain pass us by. So, we agreed to bid a low price that we could afford.
On the big day, we dressed up in our town clothes. Rachel was our designated representative, so she started the bidding and put in a bid or two. But, despite all our preparations, the land went for a high price.
Nevertheless, we got to enjoy the rhythmical calls of the auctioneer and the bustle and excitement of the event. The auction also helped us get a feel for prevailing land prices in this area. Overall, it was an educational experience for the Rabbits in our search for land.
Intentional Community Bookstore