Troll Haven, at a discount

Owners drop price as attraction is rebranded for new buyers

By Matthew Nash • November 19, 2014 2:55 pm
The Gate Keeper’s Castle in Bandy’s Troll Haven remains the most recognizable part of the 150-plus acres. It’s part of a package being sold by the Bandy family for almost $14 million.
The Gate Keeper’s Castle in Bandy’s Troll Haven remains the most recognizable part of the 150-plus acres. It’s part of a package being sold by the Bandy family for almost $14 million.

One of the most distinct properties in the Sequim area recently dropped in price significantly.

Owners of Troll Haven, on Bandy Farms in Gardiner, reduced the property more than $6 million from $20 million to $13.95 million.

With carved trolls and other creatures scattered about, the property boasts 150 acres and is part of 202 acres for sale with acreage near U.S. Highway 101 and in Diamond Point.

Broker Liz Davidson with Realogics/Sotheby’s International Realty said the sites are sold as one package or with a few of the homes individually.

“The trolls are well known,” she said. “It’s just so unconventional.”

As a whole, it includes 29 parcels, five single family homes, pole barns, plenty of quirks and of course the Gatekeeper’s Castle.

A site supervisor who wished to remain anonymous said the Bandy family dropped the price to meet the average price of property in the area.

“They want to be more competitive and wanted it to move,” the supervisor said.

Following a feasibility study over 1½ years, the supervisor said, the owners explored the vacation rental market extensively.

“They’ve been putting a lot of them (homes) on the market and doing weddings in the barn and they’ve found success,” the supervisor said. “They have a pretty neat business model and wanted to keep it open.”

The vacation rentals, which include an antique barn, castle and carriage keep have been booked consistently, the supervisor said, and there are weddings set into 2016.

“They recently made an effort to make it more family friendly with a haunted house and pumpkin patch,” the supervisor said.

The farm has been a fixture in Gardiner since 1977 when Gary Bandy began buying and building in Gardiner. It’s been on the market for a few years now. The Bandy family began moving the trolls and similar features deeper into the acreage or taking them out entirely, moving away from a tourist spot toward more holiday/event rentals. Passersby still can stop in the parking lot and see the castle and a few other sites but public access is given to tour groups with reservations.

Jeff Swegle, who has worked for Bandy in various roles on the farm, said physically the landscape hasn’t changed much over the years but there has been some remodeling and general maintenance.

The site supervisor said the Bandys continue to plant new trees and improve the landscape, which features several orchards, a few thousand trees, an acre of lavender, eight wells, solar and wind infrastructure, ponds and more.

“I could go on and on,” the supervisor said.

The biggest draw next to Sequim’s climate for potential buyers, Davidson said is the half-mile of Discovery Bay waterfront.

“Where are you going to find that (amount of parcels) with a half-mile of waterfront?” she asked.

Swegle said another draw is the privacy.

“It’s a 100-plus acres and most of it is fenced,” he said. “It’s just a nice place to go and relax with massive amount of fruit trees around.”

Davidson said the property continues to draw a lot of interest.

“It could be a gentleman’s farm, a holiday rental destination or put in as a development of sorts,” she said. “It really depends on what new owners would want.”

For more information about Troll Haven, visit www.trollhaven.org.