It’s a good thing the Guilford County Board of Commissioners told county staff a few months ago to widely advertise the sale of the old Monticello Community Center property at 5009A NC-150. Staff was expecting to sell the land to the first bidder for $100,000, but, now, in something of a bidding war, the latest offer stands at $240,000.

The property contains a run-down gym and some other structures and Guilford County government was spending a lot of money each year mowing the lawn and landscaping the unused property. So, the commissioners wanted to get it out of the county’s hands and into the hands of people who pay property taxes.

North Carolina law requires that new upset bids for county-owned property be subject to other upset offers – and the last high bid for the former community center land stands at $240,000.

But if you want to get in on the bidding war, you still have time.

Anyone with enough money to buy the property can submit a sealed upset bid to the County Clerk to the Board of Commissioners Office on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Court House at 301 W. Market St. in downtown Greensboro by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1. (Of course, don’t bring it by on Thursday, Nov. 24 or Friday, Nov. 25 because county staff will be out of the office eating turkey and turkey sandwiches on those days.)

The sealed bids will be opened on Friday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. and the highest qualifying bid will be the new offer. That new bid will then be put out for upset bids. To qualify as an upset bid, the new offer must be at least $252,050 and be accompanied by a deposit equal to five percent of the amount of the new offer in the form of a cashier’s check or certified check. Other conditions also apply. If a qualifying upset bid is received by the county, the new offer will be advertised and the process will go on. The acceptance of any bid is conditioned on the approval of the Board of Commissioners. Inquiries about the property sale should be directed to Guilford County Real Estate Project Manager Chelsea Swaim at 336- 641-5296 or cswaim@guilfordcountync.gov.

About