Picturesque 10-acre family retreat in hill country: $599k
Has main house, 3 guest houses, barn, greenhouse, vegetable garden with sprawling
flower gardens and fruit trees… and it is located next to Blanco River.

Have you been looking for a small ranch in the hill country? If so, you’ve likely been disappointed. If you find the right land, the house is often so run down you’d be embarrassed to have friends come for a visit. Or you find a great house, but it may only have an acre or two. And the opposite drawback is so much land, the price sails way into the seven-figure range.

Welcome to Lavender Hill Ranch, a well-earned name as the family (now retired) once ran a lavender farm on this land. The address is 1378 River Run, Blanco, TX 78606. One of the home’s most appealing attributes is where it is located–right out at the edge of town just 1.6 miles from the courthouse. All of the improvements sit at the top of a small hill which gives a sense of being out of the city, but you still get reliable municipal services–water and sewer which means no septic system to contend with.

If You Like Flowers And Gardens


This is a manicured ten acres of ranch land. There are small footpaths that connect all the houses with splashes of color everywhere. If you were in a helicopter looking down, you’d see that all of the structures are built around a massive central garden that is lush and mature. There are not just flowers, but also vines, ground cover and fruit-bearing trees like peach and pecan. The magnolia trees produce aromatic white flowers in the spring that make the entire garden smell like perfume. And there is one garden feature that is captivating–a large, rose vine covered pergola and seating area. Any woman who sees it instantly thinks WEDDING! There is a well on the property that supplies all of the water (for free) for the vast gardens. The well is so strong it supplied the irrigation for the entire lavender farm. Want fresh vegetables from your own garden? There is a deer-proof veggie patch in the field next to the greenhouse. (FYI: for years, the family has relied on the trusted services of a local gardener and all-around ranch hand, and he is happy to perform the same duties for the new owners).

Architecture Is Called Compound Style


Architects want the freedom to design living spaces, and they love enough land so that all of the home’s square footage does not have to be under one roof. Called compound style, here you have a total of five separate structures–main house, three guest houses/barn and equipment shed. Each guest house(see below) has its own bedroom and bath. Just take a look at the top left photo–that is one of the guest houses. It has a stand of shade trees in back and its own garden in front.

Let’s face it, detached guest houses are preferred by host and company alike because everyone has privacy. For example, imagine this scenario if guests come for a weekend visit to the ranch. Your routine may be as follows. You get up early. Make coffee. Go for a run next to the river. You come back, get a shower. You go out to pick fresh flowers for the breakfast table. You pull out all the pots and pans for a big country breakfast–eggs, bacon, oatmeal and you fire up the oven to bake biscuits. There is no way you can uncork all of that energy if your guests are trying to sleep in the bedroom next to yours. This way, you can get everything ready and buzz them next door when breakfast is being served.

The owners used a professional builder from Fredericksburg to construct the house, and the quality is evident everywhere. The home was built in about 1997. The exterior is stone with a metal roof. The front door is solid wood with metal banding and hinges. And here is one of the telltale ways to spot quality–all interior doors are solid wood–no hollow core used here. There are tall ceilings and ribbon walls of glass for natural light.

The main house has about 1,800 square feet and includes two bedrooms, fireplace, office, huge family room, and laundry. You can spill out on multiple sides to terraces, porches and gardens. See a photo of the kitchen below. Two of the rooms are especially large. The master includes an attached sitting room that would be ideal for reading or for use as an exercise space. And you must already be thinking about entertaining family during holidays, summer vacations and birthdays. The dining room here is extra long–easily seating twenty, and there is a built-in hutch at one end where you can lay out extra dishes and desserts. If you buy Lavender Hills Ranch it will be the new location of every family reunion for generations to come.

Ladies, What About Using One Of The
Guest Houses As A Studio?


One of the reasons you move to the hill country is to slooooow down. Move here, and you get a new “clock”. It is called ME TIME. Get creative, and consider one of the guest houses as your studio to paint or do other artistic crafts. Or use one for your office. He can have the one in the main house, you can claim one of the guest houses as yours! This also means you can decorate that space without it including a mounted deer head or framed photo of a race car. And if your guy has a thing for tools and equipment he’ll be in heaven when he sees the barn and equipment shed (the open-sided shed is about the size of a six-car garage, not only wonderful for tools, but it will swallow every tractor, mower, front-end loader, old farm truck or jeep he could ever want. This means he, and all that noise, will be out of your hair.

The Crown Jewel–Blanco State Park

The exotically scenic Blanco State Park is so close it almost touches the perimeter of this land. As a matter of fact, one of the neighbors routinely takes a long, healthy walk from his place right into the state park grounds. The Blanco River runs right past this property and through the park. You can fish for rainbow trout in the fall. There are waterfalls, hiking trails, kayaking and a wildlife viewing station. If there are young children in your immediate family, can you imagine how excited they will be if you walk them over to the park to go fishing!

If you plan on using your own agent, please call this person now to set an appointment. This is the kind of seller you want to deal with–very determined to sell. The price started at almost $800,000, and it is now $599,000. The seller is represented by Stan Barron Properties at 512.626.4911.

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ABOUT ERIC VERDI: In addition to showing Frederick homeowners how to sell their home for as much as $30,000 more than other similar homes on the market by treating your home as a ‘business’ and by taking a Value-Driven Approach instead of the traditional Price-Driven Approach… Eric Verdi also publishes a Monthly Newsletter, “The Eric Verdi Letter”with a segment entitled ‘Stories from the Street’ where he weaves real life real estate transaction stories into a learning experience for readers. Eric is committed to the highest in customer satisfaction and giving each client individualized and specialized attention; make sure you check out the Testimonials.In addition, Eric is a committed supporter and contributor of The Zachary Warfield Scholarship Fund, an annual scholarship to deserving High School Seniors both locally and in California, raising over $21,000 in 2014 for these amazing students. To connect with Eric, enter your details to the right and Eric will personally respond within 24-48 hours.