Country Lifestyles

ICONIC W.T. WAGGONER RANCH MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO A HISTORIC MILESTONE AND FINALITY OF SALE WITH NEW OWNERS POSSIBLE IN 2015.

Published

9 years ago

September 17, 2015

NTFR

VERNON, TEXAS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ICONIC W.T. WAGGONER RANCH MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO A HISTORIC MILESTONE AND FINALITY OF SALE WITH NEW OWNERS POSSIBLE IN 2015.

“New Owner Likely in Existing Pool of Interest” Says Court Appointed Receiver

Vernon, Texas (September 16, 2015) — Michael Baskerville, Court appointed receiver for the W.T. Waggoner Ranch Estate, announced Wednesday that the prospective new owner of the Ranch was very likely already in the existing pool of interested qualified buyers currently completing due diligence on the mega ranch, while preparing to make their best offers.

Baskerville said he was confident that the estate’s brokers, Bernard Uechtritz and Sam Middleton, had fulfilled the job they had been asked to do. Uechtritz and Middleton were selected and unanimously approved by W.T. Waggoner Estate Shareholder directors Wharton and Willingham in 2014, and further approved and appointed by the Receiver and 46^th district court of Wilbarger County to market and sell the ranch.

“The worldwide marketing of the Ranch has been unprecedented and has resulted in a tremendous level of expressed interest, offers and in person visits from an abundance of well qualified national and international prospects that are ready, willing and able to buy and own the W.T. Waggoner Ranch,” Baskerville said. “The brokers have done a first-rate job at exposing this ranch to the world, and have left no stone unturned. We are on schedule marketing wise and as a result have recently issued an official call for offers to be presented in October in the final phase of this process.”

Middleton said, “There had been 6 to 700 inquiries since the court approved our selection last year by the shareholders to have Bernie and I market the estate internationally. That number has been filtered down to a dozen or so real contenders, but these last few have done the work, seen the ranch and are for real and ready to buy the ranch”.

Uechtritz stated “Pursuant to our listing and marketing agreement, I have recommended to the receiver that since we had reached such a fever pitch and peak of interest through our marketing, and in parallel, such a high level of legitimate expressed interest in the ranch, that we should make a call for offers as required, and Sam and Mike agreed with me, so those offers are due in October.”

Baskerville said things could move quickly on closing a deal. “From the offers received, we will negotiate final terms and conditions and proceed to petition the Court for a confirmation hearing and final acceptance of the best offer and subsequently we expect to proceed into what will essentially be a short closing period thereafter,” he said.

The winning offer when presented to the judge has to be contingent-free — meaning there are no remaining inspections needed, there are no issues with financing or money, and it can’t be subject to any remaining due diligence issues such as title reports or surveys; the estate will convey title to all assets under the power of the receivership.

“All of the due diligence and investigative things relative to moving forward with purchasing the property have been done. Qualified buyers have already been doing that or are in the last phases of doing so. They’ve had various teams of people from accountants and lawyers and due-diligence specialist teams coming in and investigating the condition of the property,” Uechtritz said in a telephone interview. “At this point, we are only dealing with the dozen or so real contenders, that are truly qualified, verifiable and whom are genuinely interested. These range from state, national and international identities.”

It is possible that the confirmation hearing could be held by the last week of October or first week of November. If that offer is acceptable to the receiver, then they will move to a contingent-free closing period which would be a 30 to 45-day period. “Hypothetically, the deal could close in December this year,” said Baskerville.

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About the W.T. Waggoner Ranch

Founded by Dan Waggoner in 1849, his son, famed cattle baron W.T. Waggoner, continued expanding the ranch to the 510,000 acres that will soon be offered to the international marketplace. Owned exclusively by the Waggoner family, this is the first time the 800-square mile estate has ever been listed for sale. The W.T. Waggoner Ranch is the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Nearly 800 square miles and about the size of Rhode Island, the ranch encompasses six North Texas counties, offering two main compounds, dozens of additional homes, 20 cowboy camps, enormous lakes, hundreds of award-winning quarter horses, thousands of heads of cattle, 1,200 oil wells, and 30,000 acres of cultivated farm land.

About Bernard Uechtritz & Sam Middleton

Bernard Uechtritz and Sam Middleton were selected by the families and shareholders of the W.T. Waggoner Ranch Estate by unanimous agreement and confirmed by the receiver and presiding judge in the decision to enter the open market internationally to sell the iconic ranch and its related assets. Sam Middleton is a third generation broker at Chas. S. Middleton & Son of Lubbock, Texas. Bernard Uechtritz is an International Real Estate Advisor for Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty in Dallas, Texas.

About Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is the oldest privately held real estate boutique in Dallas. With six offices in Dallas, Lakewood, Uptown, Ranch and Land, The Ballpark and Southlake, and more than 250 associates, the firm specializes in significant properties, from historic to contemporary, ranch to waterfront. The company’s deep-rooted connections, cutting-edge marketing and global strategies bring the extraordinary to all clients. President and CEO Robbie Briggs independently owns and operates Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. For more information, visit

http://www.briggsfreeman.com.

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Country Lifestyles

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Published

21 hours ago

April 28, 2024

NTFR

By Dal Houston

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To make things even worse, because those who disagree with you are now considered enemies, the sentiment seems to be that it is only fair and proper to destroy them, because they are the enemy, again with the fear of ridicule for being weak if we do not fight.

With all that said, and seemingly unrelated, I am a big John Wayne fan. From watching him dive into his role as a cowboy, to marveling at his time portraying a soldier or appreciating his acting gig as a sailor, there is seldom a week that goes by without me watching at least one

To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

Country Lifestyles

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NTFR

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To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

Country Lifestyles

Lacey’s Pantry: Strawberry Sorbet

Published

6 days ago

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NTFR

By Lacey Vilhauer

Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water

Directions:

Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.

To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.