Ex-U.S. senator’s ‘dream’ home is near Lake Tahoe. See the ranch he’s selling for $3.4M

A former U.S. senator has just put his dream home, a 185-acre ranch located one hour from Lake Tahoe, up for sale for $3.4 million, according to Outdoor Properties of Nevada.

Nevada Republican Dean Heller, 64, served in the U.S. Senate for nearly eight years from 2011 to 2019. He was a U.S. representative from 2007 to 2011.

He bought the Smith Valley, Nevada property in 2010. There are four homes on the property, called Heller Ranch. Smith Valley is about one hour from South Lake Tahoe and 90 minutes southeast of Reno, Nevada. The home hit the market Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Heller grew up hunting and fishing so buying the ranch was a longtime dream, he said.

“Living in Smith Valley on this beautiful ranch has been a childhood dream come true,” Heller said in a news release. “We love to hunt, fish, ride ATVs and go horse packing in the area. But we have seven grandchildren now and we want to be more involved in their lives. So, it is with a mix of nostalgia and hope that we offer this ranch for sale, trusting it will find a new owner who appreciates its unique character and potential.”

The main residence spans 4,200 square feet with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The home features high ceilings in the living room with a custom rock-mantle wood fireplace. There’s a large kitchen with a marble island and fantastic views of the ranch. The outdoor pool is off the kitchen area.

The other houses include a 1,100-square-foot guest home, 1,500-square-foot bunkhouse and a 1,286-square-foot manufactured caretaker’s dwelling.

Heller Ranch contains 120 irrigated acres of grass hay fields, a fenced horse-riding arena, four-stall horse barn and dedicated tack room with saddle and bridle racks. The acreage has an equipment shed, hay barn, heated cattle barn and an oversized heated shop with two RV-sized doors, as well as other structures.

Heller’s bought the ranch in 2010 as a horse property for his wife Lynne Heller, who raises and trains horses.

The Hellers improved the hay farm, adding irrigation and doubled the grass hay production, according to the news release from Outdoor Properties of Nevada.

“Heller Ranch is currently an income-producing ranch and has potential to be even more profitable with rental income opportunities in addition to the hay production,” listing agent Todd Renfrew of Outdoor Properties of Nevada said in a statement.

Heller was born in Castro Valley in California and graduated from the University of Southern California.

Heller, a former stockbroker who lost a re-election bid in 2018, used the farm as a frequent backdrop for campaign ads, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

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