The sale of the week has to be the half-acre plot in Dalkey which made no less than £935,000 at auction yesterday. Auctioneer Frank O'Donnell described the site on Ardbrugh Road as "the last remaining opportunity to build on Dalkey Hill". Whether or not it is, Mr O'Donnell fared even better than he expected - having quoted a guide price of £750,000. Don't be surprised to see a run of back gardens coming on the market in this hilly location. While the purchaser in this case is paying dearly for a long-distance sea view, the owners of a number of high profile seaside houses in the Dalkey-Killiney area must be wondering what has happened to the market. No less than four lavish detached houses on the coast have been withdrawn at auction in the past fortnight. Lisney is now looking for private bids of £1 million-plus for 4 Coliemore Villas, Coliemore Road, Dalkey, which was withdrawn on Tuesday; Cliff Castle, also on Coliemore Road, at £3.5 million; Victoria House, on Victoria Road, Killiney, at £3 million; Fortlands, on Killiney Hill Road, now for sale at £4 million, and The Grove, Killiney Hill Road, which is available at £2.85 million. It could well take a rush of pop stars and computer software millionaires to clear the backlog before the autumn season gets under way.