Mansion moves on eBay for $655,202

The winning bidder does not intend to move the mansion.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Joe Dyll's fingers are sore from pressing the refresh button on his computer.
Few can blame him, because the last few minutes of his eBay auction for his North Irvine Avenue home got exciting as two bidders battled it out, with the final bid coming in at $655,202.
"I was going crazy," Dyll said, describing how he reacted at the end of the auction around 6 p.m. Sunday. "Imagine a bid for $655,202."
The house and its unique history were as much a part of the story as Dyll's unique attempt to sell it.
Dyll had put the home into the hands of a traditional Realtor about two years ago, but he did not receive any acceptable offers. He then created a Web site as a marketing tool, www.mansionthatmoved.com, which generated a little more interest.
It was only after listing the property on eBay through the TradeWinns eBay Drop-Off Store in Hermitage that interest grew. It became one of the most-watched auctions on eBay for days.
Identity secret for now
TradeWinns owner Dan Sumner said they got about 1,500 visitors to the auction after bidding had ended. There were close to 40,000 hits on the site in all.
Sumner and Dyll did not want to reveal the identity of the high bidder until the details of the sale are worked out.
But Sumner said the high bidder was someone who had asked plenty of questions during the auction.
The high bidder, using the screen name handihoney, has done little bidding on eBay and none of the magnitude of the Dyll home.
According to handihoney's eBay profile, that person has bought only seven items, all in January 2006, and mostly Victorian-era china and books with selling prices no more than $122.
Sumner said the high bidder is someone new to eBay.
"She was asking questions about how things work in general. She is mostly into real estate and hasn't used eBay," he said.
Sumner said based on the high bidder's questions, she does live in the vicinity and intends to keep the mansion in Sharon.
Mansion moved
In marketing the property, Dyll had suggested that the buyer could move it to a new location just as its original owner John Stevenson Jr. did in the late 1800s.
Stevenson, a steel industry contemporary of Andrew Carnegie, had the mansion constructed in New Castle, Pa., but had it moved by horse and rail to Sharon after a falling out with his business partners. He later went on to found Sharon Steel Corp.
Dyll bought the house in 1991 and has used it as apartments in recent years. Dyll and some friends are living in the stone mansion. Dyll said he wants to sell it to fund his next venture, an online extreme sports college.
Sumner said the second-highest bidder, who was only $100 below the winning bid, has contacted Dyll to express interest in buying the mansion if the first bidder isn't successful.
The winning bidder has to give a 5 percent down payment in seven days and the balance of the sale price at the end of 30 days.
cioffi@vindy.com