Expanding Real Estate

In the western United States there are vast quantities of Federal land (national forests, parks, range lands etc.) and lesser quantities of State owned and managed lands, not to mention numerous Indian reservations. Given the multiplicity of agencies, their missions, public and private owners and managers, real estate agents must have excellent working knowledge of who the players are, how the various systems work, what the rules, regulations and even the unwritten customs are. Real estate agents working in rural land markets should have knowledge of water rights, mineral rights, access issues, fish and wildlife resources, and the legal and tax aspects of land transactions. They should have a nuanced understanding of local communities…. their amenities, their shortcomings, indeed their personalities.

Our team at Sweetwater Ranches differentiates itself for several reasons. First, we represent only buyers, avoiding the conflict of interest inherent in representing both sellers and buyers. Second, our background running conservation organizations and participating at the highest levels of wildlife management allow us to bring unique opportunities to the fore and to view them through a differentiated lens. Third, our background as principal investors and ranch owners/operators enables us to offer thoughts and advice in a manner that is very distinct from a traditional broker’s role as an intermediary.

Our team at Sweetwater Ranches strives to be more than just a brokerage representing buyers. While that is a unique niche in itself, we emphasize the conservation of land and its overall management. We work with restoration plans for aquatic, forest and range resources. We are happy to facilitate plans with land trusts and conservation properties. Your search for high quality Montana lands will be met with our expertise in ranching, hunting, fishing, and in conservation. What you are looking for, we will find.

Dan Vermillion is running a business and investing in fishing lodges all over the world. Ben Pierce and Robert Keith have worked on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley respectively, and have now turned their attention to sourcing out great ranch opportunities to invest in. Robert has also used his entrepreneurial expertise to find and run three Beartooth funds. He is the leader in this industry, buying properties all over the West. Bob Kiesling knows environmental and natural resource policy issues and moved into creating nature sanctuaries and conserving natural areas as founding executive director of the Big Sky office of The Nature Conservancy. We are more than brokers. Our business model and our practices reflect our values. We strive through conservation to make the resources around us healthier with hard work. Below, are photos of our team in the field!