Going once … going twice …

With the final bid of $680,000, the eBay auction for the majority of downtown properties in Grantville ended Friday.

According to Jim Sells, owner of the Main Street buildings, and the city’s former mayor, the properties included in the auction are currently under contract for the full asking amount of $680,000.

“We have signed a contract and they have time to do the due diligence,” Sells said. “It moved a lot slower than we wanted it to, but they have signed a contract for the full enchilada.”

The full identity of the buyer has yet to be disclosed, but Sells revealed that it is a Florida-based event company who specializes in the investing and restoration of properties for future growth and expansion.

“They do a lot of events and marketing and have good ideas that will help us increase the positive exposure for the city of Grantville,” Sells said. “They’re a very forward thinking and positive group.”

With an asking price of $20 per-square foot, Sells stated that he wasn’t interested in negotiations with anyone.

“The price is right, the deal was right there, and we just needed someone to recognize it,” Sells said. “I came to Grantville for the potential that lives here. It’s obvious but it also needs the right skill set to make it happen.”

Sells expects closing of the properties will occur by the end of May. According to the original listing, the sale of the properties included nine buildings, which made up a variety of retail areas and office space along with loft apartments, restaurants, pharmacy, and a bar or pub.

The properties owned by Sells were listed on eBay in March and word of the auction quickly spread, going viral on the Internet and receiving international news coverage.

Grantville was the setting for "Clear," an episode in Season 3 of “The Walking Dead” in which protagonist Rick Grimes returns to his abandoned hometown to look for weapons.