03/09/2010 - €1 Galway house sparks avalanche of interest

THE TRUCK driver who has put his house on the market and is willing to consider any offers over €1 says he has been inundated with inquiries, some from as far as Australia and Nigeria.

Galway man Michael Dempsey said he had to take the day off work to deal with the avalanche of interest – although more from the media than buyers at this stage.

But several dozen people have declared an interest in making a bid for the property at Gatestown, between Moylough and Mountbellew in north Co Galway.

“It seems to have struck a chord with people but it is too early yet to see if a deal can be struck,” Mr Dempsey said.

He put a four-bedroom bungalow on the market “willing to consider any offers of over €1” after spending two years trying to sell the house, worth €320,000 at the height of the boom.

“It’s a liability to me at this stage. I have to insure it, maintain it, pay €200 each year in property tax to the county council and spend other money on it and may have to consider boarding it up, which would be a shame as it is a lovely house,” said Mr Dempsey (48), a single man who lives nearby.

He built the house partly to provide retirement income, but the downturn destroyed that plan.

His unique sales pitch created a media storm and from early yesterday morning, he was fielding inquiries. He was even the subject of a mobile phone hacker who left a message on his phone saying that the house had been sold, but that problem was rectified yesterday afternoon.

“I promised I would consider all offers and I will look at all genuine offers,” Mr Dempsey said. He can be contacted by writing to him at Gatestown, Moylough, Co Galway.

The inquirers included an Australian woman with Galway links and a Nigerian doctor living in Dublin.