Builder puts $2.5m house on eBay

A $3 million coffee bean plantation in Kona, Hawaii, or a 120-foot sailboat and charter business in the Virgin Islands.

That's what Paul Pehoviak could get if he accepted one of the eight trades offered in exchange for the $2.5 million Southborough home he spent one year renovating.

The 51-year-old Ashland developer wanted to tap a far-flung market when he placed the sprawling luxury home on eBay.com with a monthlong listing that will expire tomorrow.

He is hoping that, if nothing else, Southborough's premier private institutions will entice a buyer.

''The market is worldwide. It was my thinking that someone will in fact recognize the location, recognize St. Mark's and the Fay School, and will make a connection, and will want to pick it up," said Pehoviak, who specializes in renovations and condominium conversions. ''I think it's a great concept. It's to boost it, to give it mega-power."

The house at 4 Wyndemere Drive, which sits on 2.6 acres of south-facing rolling land on a cul-de-sac sprinkled with several other multimillion-dollar homes, is one of only 18 Massachusetts homes listed on the online auction site as of Tuesday. Most were properties in Boston and Cape Cod, and three were for more than $1 million.

''Frankly, real estate on eBay is a very small category," said Hani Durzy, spokesman for eBay Inc., which is based in San Jose, Calif. ''It's always been relatively small."

While eBay Motors is the company's largest category -- boasting $14 billion worth of annual auto-related purchases and sales -- real estate may be one of the smallest.

In the suburbs west of Boston, about 85 percent of homes are sold by real estate brokers, said Bradley Mason of Century 21 Stony Brook Realty in Southborough.

Mason said he didn't see eBay threatening his industry. ''A realtor helps to sell a house because they present the house, they market the house," Mason said. ''You can have a house that has a fantastic sunset view, but you won't know that if you look at it online."

The Southborough home features 7,000 square feet of floor space with five bedrooms, including two master suites; six full bathrooms; an entertainment wing on the second floor; a kitchen with granite and top-of-the-line, stainless-steel appliances; and a 40-foot in-ground heated pool with an outdoor shower.

''It's totally picturesque and private," Pehoviak said of the land, which features wild turkeys in a daily appearance about 4 p.m.

Despite all its glory, the home has been on the market since March. Twelve showings and a 400-person party later, there is no buyer.

So, Pehoviak took his brother's suggestion and listed the house on eBay at the end of September, the same time he dropped his asking price from $3.3 million to what he says is his ultimate low of $2.5 million.

Pehoviak had never bought or sold anything on eBay before shelling out the $150 fee to list the house for 30 days.

It is not being offered as an auction or direct purchase; interested buyers must contact Pehoviak before a sale can take place.

The average sale price of homes that sold in Southborough over the last six months is $684,680, with only one selling for more than $2 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

When Pevohiak bought the house in May 2004 for $1.1 million, it was 3,200 square feet. He said he spent more than $1 million to more than double the size and make it more opulent.