Old Trail Ranch to sell in J.P. King auction.

DURANGO, Co. -- When the time came to sell his 140-acre Old Trail Ranch just east of Durango, Jeff Blandford decided to sell the same way he bought it in 2000 - in a J.P. King auction.

"It worked for me as a buyer. Now I'm going to see it from the seller's perspective," said Blandford, who has hired J.P. King Auction Company to manage the June 16 sale.

When Blandford purchased the ranch in a J.P. King auction in 2000, it was called Sacred Stone Ranch. Blandford, a builder and real estate developer based in Phoenix, wanted to use it as a personal and business retreat, and he set about the work of transforming it into what is now Old Trail Ranch.

"It's really a very different place than it was when we sold it before," said Craig King, president of J.P. King. "Jeff built a guest home, had stonemasons there for two summers putting in tons of Arkansas stone, and he did extensive landscaping, even bringing in about 250 trees," said King.

When it was time to sell, Blandford never even listed the property before deciding to sell it in a J.P. King auction.

Blandford will sell the ranch in four parcels:

--The main house, which has four bedrooms, five baths, an elevator, stables and riding trails on 35 acres.

--The guest home on 35 acres.

--Two 35-acre parcels.

Individuals interested in more information about the upcoming sale may contact J.P. King at 800.558.5464 or visit the company's web site at www.jpking.com.

J.P. King, headquartered in Gadsden, Ala., is the nation's leading auction marketing firm specializing in the sale of mansions, ranches, condominiums, developments and other high-value properties. Recent sales have included mansions in Summit County, Colo., Portland, Ore., and Ponte Vedra, Fla., as well as condominiums, homes and home sites in Michigan.