views for miles

Extraordinary self-sustaining Hill Country ranch hits the market for $8.75 million

A glorious and spacious Hill Country ranch fully equipped for off-the-grid living has landed on the market with a grand $8.75 million price tag.

The Lonesome Valley Ranch, located at 1430 Gibson-Best Rd. in Hye, sits behind a gated entrance on a short road for ultimate privacy. Past the gate is 260-plus acres of land, a one-acre pond, and four fully-furnished buildings ready to accommodate large gatherings or events.

The single-story main residence has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, while the two-story "barndominium" serves as a three-bedroom, three-bathroom bunkhouse and saloon. The bunkroom includes 10 bunk beds, so it's perfect for large groups. Both homes have wrap-around porches, extensive outdoor living spaces, and 360 degrees of Hill Country views.

Overlooking the pond is a two-bedroom, one-bathroom cabin with a connected 40-foot pier for guests to try their hand at fishing or take a dip in the water. Also within the pond is an anchored dock and a fountain.

The fourth building on the ranch, hidden among the woods, is an equipment barn and workshop with a loft, apartment, and caretaker's residence.

The ranch is fully capable of operating off-the-grid thanks to an extensive solar system, several backup generators, a deep water well, a supplementary 100,000 gallons of rainwater collection, a propane capacity of 4,000 gallons, and much more.

Lonesome Valley Ranch is truly an entertainer's paradise. With the benefit of having no restrictions, the next owners could choose to Airbnb the bunkhouse, host special events or corporate retreats, and more. According to the listing, the property could generate $200,000 to $300,000 yearly for the next owners, while still operating as a family compound.

Photo courtesy of DMTX Realty Group

The main residence on the property is a three bedroom, three bathroom single-story home.

Thanks to the seller's intentional preservation of the heavily-wooded areas of the property, there is an abundance of wildlife suitable for hunting. Other outdoor amenities provided include an NBA-sized basketball court, a tennis court, and a pickleball court.

The property is also neighbored by the award-winning William Chris Vineyards and Garrison Brother's Distillery. The ranch is an easy 20 minute drive from Fredericksburg, and less than four hours from Houston (about 230 miles).

David Murray from DMTX Realty Group holds the listing. More information about the ranch can be found on dmtx.com.

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Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines finally sell $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot Waco castle at nearly $2.7 million.

Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

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