Washington’s Most Expensive Listing Is a $28M Cattle Ranch on Vashon Island

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Seattle is no stranger to luxury real estate—typically waterfront mansions bought and sold by executives at Amazon, Starbucks, Boeing, and Microsoft. So it’s no shocker that Washington’s most expensive listing is located just outside Seattle.

However, this pricey property stands out: Clocking in at nearly 526 acres, Misty Isle Farms is a working cattle ranch and estate on Vashon Island.

“To have 500 acres this close to Seattle is very, very rare,” listing agent Brad Vancour says.

Vashon is a 22-minute water taxi ride from downtown Seattle, or 10 minutes by helicopter. The 13-mile-long island of 11,000 residents has three public schools and more than a dozen family farms. In the early 1990s, residents fought off attempts to build a bridge connecting Vashon to the mainland—keeping the island’s quirky, rural character intact.

The property was the home of Thomas J. Stewart, who founded the food distribution conglomerate Services Group of America, one of the largest privately held companies in the country. He died in a helicopter crash in 2010.

Misty Isle Farms is simply massive. It features a 6,500-square-foot main home and seven additional houses for guests and employees. There’s a 12,000-square-foot car showroom, 60-acre arboretum with 3,000 trees, eight miles of trails, 11-stall barn, golf driving range, chipping and putting areas, private landing strip for smaller airplanes, and roll-away helipad for daily commuting to the city.

Aerial view

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Living room

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The property is anchored by the five-bedroom, 4.5-bath ranch home built in 1980 with views of Mount Rainier. The step-down living room has a two-sided stone fireplace and bank of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the backyard, swimming pool, and 3-acre artificial lake.

The master bedroom features large windows on three sides and a reading alcove. There’s a walk-in closet and master bath with soaking tub and walk-in glass shower.

Deck and pond

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Stewart was known on the island for hosting extravagant fundraisers for local branches of the Republican Party, and for funding fireworks displays over Quartermaster Harbor, according to a profile in the Seattle Times. In 2006, he moved his company’s headquarters to Arizona. The following year, he put Misty Isle Farms on the market for $125 million—which at the time was one of the most expensive residential listings in history.

After his death, his family relisted the property in 2015 for $43 million, reduced the price to $33 million last year, and cut the price again in January.

Stewart began assembling Misty Isle Farms in 1978, with the purchase of a 164-acre property that was originally intended to serve as an Arabian horse ranch, says Vancour. Stewart gradually bought up neighboring properties. Today, the property encompasses 44 individual parcels of land.

Misty Isle Farms has historically been home to 200 to 250 head of Black Angus cattle, which Stewart raised as all-natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef.

“It’s rare so close to the city to buy a property with so much privacy,” Vancour says. “You have cattle and organic farmland. It truly is an oasis if you’re into the organic lifestyle. The island gives you additional privacy. It’s very unique.”

• For more photos and details, check out the full listing.
• Homes for sale in Vashon, WA
• Learn more about Vashon, WA

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