Deffenbaugh estate is biggest listing for Dunn & Holland

Teresa Dunn and Jim Holland, who comprise the Dunn & Holland Team of Crown Realty, aren’t novices when it comes to selling rural estates, it’s their specialty. They have listings for rural land, ranches, horse properties and land for developmental in Kansas and Missouri and some of those properties are listed for well over $1 million. But their biggest residential listing — and the biggest one ever for the Kansas City area — is the estate of Ron Deffenbaugh, officially known as RDD Ranch.

This estate includes more than 100 acres of prime land on Johnson Drive in western Shawnee, along with a custom-built 13,000-square-foot mansion, a 40,000-square-foot outbuilding and an eight-stall horse barn, all surrounded by a custom high-security wrought-iron fence. The listing price of $14 million for this single-family residential property exceeds any ever listed in the Kansas City area but Dunn said it would cost more than $19 million to reproduce it.

The house and grounds were the home of Ronald Deffenbaugh until his death at age 73 in August 2014 attributed to complications of a 2007 accident that left him a quadriplegic at age 66. He was best known for establishing Deffenbaugh Industries, a commercial and residential waste disposal, recyling and portable toilet business that operates in several Midwestern states but he also owned and operated a rock quarry. He sold Deffenbaugh Industries the same year as his accident.

Deffenbaugh built his home five years ago and it was specifically designed to accommodate his disabilities and house his attending staff. But those design features are well hidden and don’t detract from the mansion’s splendor. The 21-room house includes five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and four half-bathrooms, as well as five fireplaces.

The main floor has an open design and includes a great room, living room, library, master suite and another bedroom. An elevator descends to the lower level that includes a home theater, indoor/outdoor pool and hidden tornado room.

Luxurious touches are found throughout, such as Brazilian cherry wood floors accented with marble tiles, a 24-foot ceiling in the great room that also has a built-in saltwater aquarium and a 120-square-foot TV screen in the media room behind red velvet curtains. Another big-screen TV is between the great room and kitchen concealed in a waist-high credenza that rises at the push of a button.

The geothermal heating and cooling system has concealed tubes under the floors to warm them. And heated towel racks in the master suite add an extra touch of comfort.

A central oxygen system has a port in every room, concealed in cabinets, that ensured it was available when Deffenbaugh needed it. A backup generator provides power to that system and the house, in case of a power outage. The lower level of the home also houses a walk-in refrigerator and walk-in freezer, as well as a commercial washer and dryer.

The manicured grounds surrounding the home include waterfalls and fountains, providing a restful ambiance.

The trustees for the Deffenbaugh estate knew it would take a special real estate agent to sell the property and required agents to submit proposals for the listing. Dunn and Holland feel honored that they were the ones chosen for this special task. Holland said it is a double honor since they work for Crown Realty, one of the few independent real estate agencies in this area.

Word of the estate’s availability has traveled around the world through news stories and Internet news sites, as well as through the Dunn & Holland Team’s extensive marketing.

“Everywhere I go, people ask me about it,” Holland said. “When it was first announced last March, everyone was talking about it. What an honor to be trusted with this sale.”

That interest wasn’t just from people who are fascinated by the property, it also comes from those interested in purchasing it.

“We’ve been contacted by qualified buyers from all over the world who are interested,” Dunn said. “The trustees require that we make sure anyone who tours the estate is a qualified buyer.”

Dunn and Holland believe selling the Deffenbaugh estate is just one more way for them to serve others, which is the foundation of their careers. They want to find the right buyer for a particular piece of land and then help that buyer in finding the best use for the land.

“I really enjoy getting to know the clients,” Dunn said. “I like to have a personal relationship with each of my clients. My focus is finding the right buyer for a property listing or finding clients the right property to buy, one that truly fits their needs and dreams.”

Holland, who lives on the same farm in south Johnson County where he grew up, knows the rural community in Johnson and Miami counties. Dunn has 15 years of experience selling real estate and is an expert in all of the legalities involved with real estate transactions.

Holland has years of experience as a Johnson County businessman and working with political entities from the local to the national level. He is past president and CEO of Holland Corporation, a major Kansas City-based Midwestern contractor and site developer. He feels his decades-long business experience translates well into helping his clients sell or buy property.

If the RDD Ranch isn’t exactly the estate that buyers are seeking, the Dunn & Holland Team has numerous other estate listings in Kansas and Missouri, including homes on acreage, farmland for investment and land within the metropolitan area that could be developed for a variety of uses. Their experience working with local units of government is helpful to clients who want to buy land that needs to be rezoned.

Those interested in working with Dunn and Holland to find their perfect rural estate or ranch, or to list one to sell, may call Teresa Dunn at 913-271-0352 or send her an email at teresadunn@crownrealty.com. Jim Holland can be reached at 816-509-2242 or jimholland@crownrealty.com.

This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Deffenbaugh estate is biggest listing for Dunn & Holland."