Mendocino property made famous by HBO fails to sell, headed to auction

After failing to find a buyer on the open market, The East Ranch, a massive property in Mendocino County is headed to auction.

The ranch is an astounding 1,745 acres in Mendocino County, comprising 10 parcels. The estate also boasts star power: HBO’s “Sharp Objects,” a miniseries based on the Gillian Flynn novel by the same name, was filmed here.

Its main residence is a 7,500-square-foot Victorian-style mansion. The vintage charm of this home’s design is no accident: The five-bedroom, five-bathroom house is a replica of an 1885 San Francisco Victorian. Listing agent Kathy Tang of Compass told SFGATE that the property was built by Rudy and Linda Light. “They spent months looking for a ranch with a Victorian home but couldn’t find anything, so they built their own,” Tang wrote in an email.

In a 2015 article about East Ranch, The Wall Street Journal wrote that the Lights “built this 7,200-square-foot Victorian home in the 1990s, but strived to mimic the architecture and details of a house from a century earlier, using replicas of antique push-button light switches and 20 different moldings.” Also according to WSJ, the couple spent $1.34 million to purchase the property in 1986 and over the next decades of ownership spent more than $5 million additional dollars on improvements. 

Even today, many of the interior features look vintage, with dark wood wainscoting, hardwood floors and a curving stairway rising from the entry hall. A library and a Victorian farm kitchen add to the nostalgia. The home is set on a hill overlooking a giant pond.

In addition to the main house, East Ranch includes a 4,900-square-foot barn and a gazebo built in the style of the main house. On the grounds, in addition to an outdoor kitchen area, there are patios and gardens, six ponds and seven natural springs. One of these ponds is 18 acres and sports its own suspension bridge. Tang said “a herd of elk helps keep the grass down” on this tremendous swath of land.

The adjacent parcel, consisting of 71.27 acres, is bordered by East Road and West Road. It is on this parcel that you could sit along the banks of the Russian River.

The estate also offers an opportunity for a sizable winemaking operation, with over 50 acres “primed for wine cultivation.” Or, new owners could become cattle ranchers. Tang said the family that owns the property now, only the second family ever, has been doing just that: “The current herd of cattle supports a local organic, grass-fed beef program,” she said. 

Property records for 11531 East Road show the home listing in 2016 at $8 million before being withdrawn from the market. The property was listed again in July of 2023, asking $8.5 million. Now it will go to auction with no reserve (meaning no minimum bid) on Feb. 3, hosted by DeCaro Auctions International. Private previews of the property will begin on Jan. 13.