Rehoboth auction draws crowd 30 years ago
Online auctions are commonplace in 2026, but that wasn’t the case in 1996. However, that’s how the winning bidder for the house at 1 Queen St. in Rehoboth Beach operated during a highly publicized and competitive auction for the oceanfront home. The bidder monitored the auction online and communicated via cellphone with Carol Wilson of Prudential Preferred Properties, who placed the winning bid of $1.854 million.
According to the May 3, 1996 article by Cape Gazette co-founder Trish Vernon, “Anyone with a World Wide Web browser could access the auction for viewing only, while software newly created by Cornell University also allowed those with the right hardware to engage in video conferencing.”
The auction drew a lot of attention, and local nonprofits took advantage. Anyone wishing to tour the home prior to the auction was charged $50, which generated $4,000 for Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth. Those who attended a catered party the day of the bidding paid $100 per person, garnering $2,400 for the Rehoboth Beach Public Library capital campaign.
The home at 1 Queen St., built in 1983, appears to be mostly the same today. After the 1996 sale, it was sold again in 2001 for $3.025 million. Following the Sussex County reassessment last year, the estimated value of the home and property is now $5.36 million.
