proebayer

Isaac Anzaroot of New York City -- who bought the former home of Gen. Edward F. Jones less than four months ago -- said he opted for eBay rather than a local real estate agent because he wanted to "give the world" a chance to bid on the West Side property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"We had some visions for it, but it doesn't look like we're going to make it happen," said Anzaroot, who operates Anzaroot Properties LLC with his wife, Donna Simovitch. "It's a little risky, but I'm confident that I'm not going to lose money."

Anzaroot Properties purchased the property on a cul-de-sac at 9 Asbury Court for $125,000 on Feb. 14 from a mortgage company, according to Broome County records. It was posted on eBay last week.

The highest of 19 bids -- which started at $1.25 on Wednesday -- was $42,700 by Saturday evening, and the site had been viewed more than 1,600 times. Anzaroot said the auction will end June 23. In the eBay description, the owners estimated property taxes at: $1,497 for school, $2,219 for county and $1,060 for city.

The owners already sold a seven-tier electric chandelier from the mansion's foyer on eBay for $2,125 to an Alabama bidder in April, Anzaroot said Friday.

Originally, the couple thought about living in the house, but then changed their minds, Anzaroot said. At one point, Anzaroot advertised the property as student housing in a Binghamton University publication.

Before the Brooklyn couple purchased the 21-room mansion, Binghamton resident Robin Alpaugh said he had contacted a real estate agent about the property, which he had wanted to buy and restore. Alpaugh said he was told the landmark had been sold.

Alpaugh was surprised to hear of the eBay auction. "I would only hope that this could possibly be a good thing if somebody local ends up with it and works to restore it," said Alpaugh, an Empire Development Corporation employee. He is not interested in bidding.

"I'm surprised at the current way it's for sale," added John Darrow, a Chestnut Street resident whose yard adjoins the former Jones mansion. "I would think he would sell it through a real estate agent."

Though the mansion is listed on the National Register, private owners may alter the property, dispose of its contents and sell it without restrictions, Broome County Historian Gerald Smith has said. A historic marker and wrought-iron fence -- which was falling down, according to Anzaroot -- have been removed.

Jones, a commander in the Union Army, built the mansion circa 1881 when he settled in Binghamton after the Civil War.

The eBay description said the house has a three-story staircase, a wraparound porch, stained-glass windows, 13 bedrooms, five-plus bathrooms and 11 fireplaces in 7,000 square feet of livable space.

The listing also touts the property as suited for a bed and breakfast, personal residence, law offices or restaurant. The site is zoned R-5, high-density residential. Its former owners -- Steven E. and Joanne K. Austin -- invested thousands of dollars in the property and operated a bed and breakfast before filing for bankruptcy in 2004.

Jones, who died in the early 1900s, served as New York's lieutenant governor from 1886 to 1891. He started a company on Clinton Street in Binghamton that manufactured household and industrial scales before going out of business in the early 1920s.

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060528/NEWS01/605280322/1006