Three high-profile commercial sites and a prime lifestyle section went under the hammer at The Comm yesterday morning, with none attracting bids from the floor.

A small group attended the Bayley’s Whakatāne auction of 19 The Strand, better known as the Whakatāne Hotel site; 47-43 The Strand, a development site that was previously home to the Beacon and Mann Print and was once earmarked for a hotel; 59 Main Street in Edgecumbe, an industrial site with several long-standing tenants including Peppers; and 201 Kokako Heights, a lifestyle section at the pinnacle of the Matatā Conservation Estate.

There were no bids on the 2687-square-metre Whakatāne Hotel which has five tenancies and brings in income of $277,000 a year. It was passed in, opening the door for the conditional buyers who have already shown interest in purchasing.

The auction of the 1271sqm empty section on the corner of The Strand and Wairere Street, which comprises five titles, opened with an auctioneer bid of $700,000, which was increased to $750,000 before the auction closed to give potential buyers an indication of the expected level of offers.

There were similarly no bids on 59 Main Street, which brings in $200,000 a year in rental income with vacant sheds providing opportunities to increase this.

This property is now priced at $2,200,000.

An asking price has also been set for 201 Kokako Heights, a 1.9876-hectare lifestyle block with 360-degree coastal and rural vistas, after an auctioneer start bid of $550,000 failed to ignite further offers.

This property is now priced at $599,000.