Selling more than 13,000 acres of ranchland is no easy task. With Imrie Ranch in SW Washington, the sheer size of the property was only the beginning.
There was a nearly 70-year legacy to respect, 38 individual parcels to understand, and complicated title and access questions that had accumulated over generations. At the center of it all was Jane Lee, a longtime friend and neighbor of the ranch’s late owners who, as trustee, carried the responsibility of selling the property on behalf of an estate whose proceeds would largely benefit charitable organizations.
The Right People at the Table
The assignment began when estate attorney Antoine Tissot, managing partner at Gorge Legacy Law in The Dalles, Oregon, introduced Jane to Philip Mascher, a real estate advisor with Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty known for his integrity, local knowledge and trusted relationships throughout the community. Antoine understood the responsibility Jane carried as trustee. Proceeds from the eventual sale were designated primarily for charitable beneficiaries, including The Seattle Children’s Hospital and local school districts, making both the financial outcome and the integrity of the process especially important.
Philip immediately recognized that a property of this size and complexity would benefit from a broader range of expertise. He enlisted fellow Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty broker Laura Piccard, with marketing support from Tina Jacobson, both members of the firm’s Farm, Ranch & Vineyard division. Together, they brought specialized experience in significant land and agricultural properties, complementing Philip’s local knowledge, established relationships, and deep understanding of the assignment.
“From the beginning, I knew a property of this scale deserved a team with land expertise,” Philip said. “Bringing Tina and Laura into the assignment gave Jane the benefit of different perspectives and experience, while allowing all of us to stay focused on what mattered most: protecting her interests and achieving the best possible outcome for the trust.”
That decision set the tone for what followed. Rather than treating Imrie Ranch as an individual assignment, the brokers approached it as a collaborative effort, bringing in the right expertise and resources as the complexities of the property and transaction unfolded.
That collaboration extended to the Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty marketing team. Together, they developed a dedicated property website and sophisticated marketing materials, while leveraging the global exposure of the Sotheby’s International Realty network to introduce Imrie Ranch to a highly specialized audience well beyond the local market.
“On a property of this scale, you have to think beyond conventional real estate marketing,” Tina said. “Having the resources of Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty network behind us allowed us to bring the story to the market in a much bigger way.”
For months, activity was limited, but the team remained patient. They understood that the universe of buyers with the means, interest and vision to acquire almost 13,000 acres was inherently small. The goal was never simply to generate activity. It was to make sure Imrie Ranch was positioned for the right buyer when that buyer emerged.
Then serious interest arrived.
Preparing Before There Was a Buyer
While the ranch was being marketed, equally important work was taking place behind the scenes.
Imrie Ranch consisted of 38 parcels, some contiguous and others part of a complicated patchwork. Certain parcels were intended to transfer to family members, while longstanding access arrangements added another layer of complexity. Historic records also revealed past proposals and negotiations involving potential pipelines, solar fields and wind turbines, requiring the team to determine what, if anything, remained relevant to the property and its title.
Rather than wait for a buyer to uncover those issues, the brokers began preliminary title work early, collaborating with AmeriTitle in White Salmon, Washington.
“We started on the preliminary title work prior to any offers coming in,” Laura said. “A lot of due diligence was done on our part up front because there is so much to a property like this that needs to be reviewed.”
That early preparation became increasingly important once a buyer emerged. What began as preliminary title work developed into months of collaboration among the brokers, AmeriTitle, the trustees, Antoine and the buyer’s attorneys as hundreds of pages of records were examined and questions involving the property’s 38 parcels were addressed.
It was detailed work that few people would ever see, but it helped keep an extraordinarily complicated transaction moving forward.
Protecting the Trustee
Perhaps the most consequential decision came from Antoine.
Because Jane was acting as trustee for an estate with multiple charitable beneficiaries, Antoine wanted to protect her from bearing sole responsibility for such a significant decision. From the beginning, he recommended that any accepted offer be subject to court approval.
No one knew at the time how important that foresight would become.
After months of limited activity, Trust for Public Land submitted an offer that was negotiated and accepted subject to court approval. Then a private cash buyer appeared with a significantly higher proposal.
Because court approval had been built into the transaction from the outset, the competing offer could be considered without placing the decision solely on Jane. The matter would go before the court.At the hearing, Jane, Antoine and Philip were present along with representatives of the interested parties. The court reviewed the proposals and gave the buyers an opportunity to improve their offers.
What followed was something no one had anticipated.
The bidding began.The parties increased their offers several times, creating what amounted to a live auction inside the courtroom. The bidding reached approximately $7.8 million before the private buyer increased the offer once more to $7.825 million.
The court approved the sale. A legal strategy originally designed to protect the trustee had also created the circumstances for competitive bidding that ultimately produced a sale price $575,000 above the ranch’s $7.25 million appraised value and original list price. With the proceeds largely designated for charitable organizations, that additional value made the outcome even more meaningful.
In August 2026, approximately 11 months after Imrie Ranch came to market, the transaction closed at $7.825 million.
For Jane, it marked the conclusion of an enormous responsibility.
“From the beginning, I felt a tremendous responsibility to do what was right for the trust and honor the legacy of the ranch. Philip, Tina and Laura understood that this was about much more than getting a property sold. They surrounded me with the right people and made sure I never felt like I was navigating these decisions alone.”
For Philip, Tina and Laura, the Imrie Ranch sale reinforced something exceptional advisors understand well: the best representation often begins long before anyone knows just how much it will matter.
Philip Mascher
Licensed in OR & WA
Hood River Office
Cell 503-853-4695
Laura Piccard
Broker
Lake Oswego State Street Office
Cell 503-200-9853