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When I took the listing for Lost Creek Ranch in Wyoming, I knew that the late owner had wished for the next steward of their beloved property to continue operating commercially, enabling future generations to experience both Jackson Hole and the West as it once was.
The 50-acre compound had touched so many lives, from past presidents to VIPs to those who just wanted to play cowboy for a week.
Aside from the experience one could have on the property, the setting was second to none in our area. The border of Grand Teton National Park was on the western side and the Bridger-Teton National Forest surrounded the rest. It was literally a private island, surrounded by a sea of wildlands.
It looked dead on with a 180-degree view of the world-famous Teton Mountain Range. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “These are the first mountains I’ve seen that look like mountains should.”
Crown jewel
This is a crown jewel property, one that could demand a premium, if I could get the story right. I had won the competitive listing presentation, and my neck was on the line as my price for the property was 60 percent higher than my peers. It was worth every penny, but now I had to prove that I could achieve it.
I dug deep into the history, which spanned almost 100 years. I found a surviving family member who unlocked the past and provided family memorabilia to use in the visuals. I connected with retired employees and past GMs. They all informed the narrative with colorful anecdotes from the past lineage of ownership.
In more recent times, the ranch has been a cover feature in Architectural Digest and was the location of the opening episode of the third season of Modern Family.
My takeaway: I need to pay reverence to this property, as it embodies much of what has made Jackson Hole a world-renowned locale.
Creating visuals
The next step was shooting the visuals to match the developing storyline. As an aspiring photojournalist, I always shoot my properties.
The property requires days, if not weeks, to capture. You see it in all different lights, from sunrises to starry skies, from the back of a horse to floating down the river. It profoundly informs you about the property and ultimately helps me know how to show it.
Working with the design team, we crafted the video, brochure and listing website. There was a lot on the line: It needed to resonate with a buyer on the first pass emotionally, it needed to appeal to real estate journalists who would be our springboard to getting the story out and it needed to be authentic to the brand — something that would make anyone who had experienced Lost Creek say, “You nailed it.”
Hundreds of collective hours were spent honing the pitch, and we launched on July 5. A day later, I received an inquiry from a past guest whose family spent 10 years at the ranch. He was most interested, and as he hung up, they planned to fly out for a showing.
More inquiries came in from billionaires, international hospitality companies and private buyers. The showings started in earnest, and I could tell the marketing was working. Within minutes of buyers being on the property, they could not stop drooling at the view and painting pictures of how they would evolve the property for their use.
Yet the family that first called, touched by the experiences of Lost Creek Ranch, knew the brand, literally and figuratively, and ended up being the buyers. Having paid reverence to the property in the marketing stirred up their memories. It brought them back to what they loved about being guests.
The client goal was achieved: We found the perfect buyer, another steward of the property for the next 100 years.
Exceptional results
Media outlets, including Mansion Global, Robb Report, Forbes and many others, responded to the story I offered. The property appeared in 15 online, offline and social outlets, which together had a reach of 4.55 billion total audience.
The media presence reinforced the property’s value. Lost Creek Ranch was recently featured as the fourth most showcased listing worldwide on Mansion Global.
Lost Creek Ranch is my second listing to have achieved this level of recognition and engagement. In 2020, Cody Creek Sanctuary, a 65-acre Jackson Hole property with a resident elk herd, spring creeks and a traditional log home, ranked third in the Wall Street Journal’s annual House of the Year reader poll.
Latham Jenkins is a residential luxury real estate broker in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Connect with him on Instagram or Twitter.
