WITH tenders due by tomorrow evening at 5pm sharp on the French embassy buildings on Ailesbury Road, it's time for Ireland's richest to put their best foot forward. Despite all the dreary pessimism about the property market, there are likely to be up to a half dozen heavy hitters chasing the city's most expensive home.

No matter how many envelopes arrive in Lisney's offices, it will take weeks, if not months, to sort out the men from the boys. The French government is going through the process with the usual red tape approach, not to mention a dash of Gallic indifference to the wealth and importance of some of the punters. Each and every viewer had to submit their passport for scrutiny by the French before they were let across the threshold and seemingly some were turned way. The odds are that the offers will be shuttled back and forth to Paris, particularly if the deal involves a swopping of homes - something the French seem to favour. Lisney is keeping its sang-froid in this most important of sales, which attracted worldwide attention because of the huge price tag, the size of the house, and the fact that the ambassador admitted to having to contact his wife by mobile phone in order to find her in the 40-room mansion.