Italian buys ghost town through eBay

San Antonio: Putting up a winning bid of $3.8 million (Dh13.9 million), an unknown Italian buyer has purchased a 5-hectare, unpopulated and one-house town in Texas through the online auction site eBay.

But before Bobby Cave, who currently owns the town of Albert, signs the deed, he must first figure out if the winning bid is legitimate. Cave said unlike the usual items bought through eBay, there are no contractual obligations when it comes to real estate. "It all turned out great," said Cave, 47, an Austin, Texas, real estate agent. "There's just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a cheque for three million."