Listing of the Day
Location: Whitefish, Montana
Price: $10.5 million
This week we’re looking back on the Listings of the Day that garnered the most attention from our readers in 2016: a Paris penthouse, an English mansion, a Montana estate and a Texas waterfront playground. On Friday, readers can vote for their favorite property of all.
Up now: A five-bedroom lakeside lodge in Montana
This romantic, wood-clad lakeside lodge was built in 1990 as a love nest for Kiefer Sutherland and his soon-to-be-wife Julia Roberts. Unfortunately, she called off the wedding three days before they were due to walk down the aisle (in a story rather reminiscent of her own movie, "Runaway Bride"), allegedly leaving him for his good friend, Jason Patric. Fortunately, the property’s appeal has been much more enduring than their relationship, and the home has made it into the four most popular Listings Of The Day from 2016.
Now known as Golden Bear Ranch, it’s one of the most desirable estates in the small, relaxed Western town of Whitefish, Montana, and was completely remodeled in 2015 by the current owner.
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As you might expect of a property originally designed by A-listers, it’s secluded and private, surrounded by towering alpine trees, with a winding path down a slope from the house to a boathouse on the edge of the still Whitefish Lake.
The property didn’t sell so it is back on the market at the lower price of $10.5 million, down from $11.995 million.
It has garnered plenty of interest, though, said agent Kelly Laabs of Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty, "from international buyers, wealthy families wanting a legacy property for their families to enjoy for years to come, families already living in the area but wanting to move up to something more grand, and even an investment group out of Nevada."
He added that it’s "one of only a few properties on the lake that you could erect a large tent and accommodate a wedding or family reunion… It has so many different gathering areas that several hundreds of people could all enjoy at the same time without having a crowded feeling."
Stats
The house is 8,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and six bathrooms over three floors. It sits on five-and-a-half gated acres, with over 200 feet of what Mr. Laabs believes is the nicest level, pebble beach Whitefish Lake has to offer.
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Amenities
Wine collectors are well catered for with a cellar built from reclaimed wood, resembling an old mining shaft. So are big kids: there’s a games room, complete with retro pinball machine and pool table and a nine-hole frisbee golf course. If you fancy a dip in the lake there’s an outdoor shower for when you clamber out, or you can just stick to the hot tub. The 2,200-square-foot guesthouse has two bedrooms and bathrooms, while the boathouse on the water’s edge has its own kitchen, bar and bathroom and Murphy bed to accommodate extra guests.
Neighborhood Notes
Whitefish is a small town in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana that appeals to outdoorsy types on the edge of Glacier National Park. It’s just 10 minutes from skiing at the Whitefish Mountain Resort. "Vogue" has tipped it as one of the U.S.'s best destinations for skiing, describing it as unpretentious but arty., It has its own theater company and a literary magazine, Whitefish Review. In the summer months it's all about biking, hiking, kayaking and paddle boarding.