Five bidders paid from $1 to $200 each for 10 structures, including wooden storage sheds, a barn and a house, auctioned recently by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The sale of structures on the Twisp-Carlton Road property netted a total of $647 for the state agency. The 11th structure on the property, a bunkhouse, drew no bids.
In some cases, buyers will probably take an entire structure, but purchasers are permitted to leave the parts of a building they don’t need, according to Tom McCoy, manager of the Methow Wildlife Area. McCoy speculated that the ability to leave behind unneeded materials helped attract bidders, since it can be very costly to demolish and transport the buildings.
There is a range of useful materials at the site, including windows and doors, appliances, toilets and sinks in the old residence; a functional pressure tank and electrical panels in other buildings; and a lot of metal roofing, said McCoy.
“These buildings aren’t selling for much — it’s a heck of a lot of work to salvage and move them,” said McCoy.
The structures are on the former Geestman property south of Twisp, which WDFW bought in 2012. Purchasers will have to remove what they want by the end of April. The agency is leasing 28 acres of the property for dryland agriculture and also has created a new area for access to the Methow River, said McCoy.
