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Cisco Founder's Virginia Farm Hits Market For Nearly $20 Million

  • November 24th 2025

by UrbanTurf Staff

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An aerial photo of the listing.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sandy Lerner, co-founder of Cisco Systems, has placed her sprawling Virginia estate on the market. Located in Upperville, the 571-acre property known as Ayrshire Farm is listed for $19.8 million with Daniel Heider of TTR Sotheby's. 

Lerner, who parlayed her tech fortune into a passion for sustainable agriculture, bought the property in the mid-1990s and transformed it into a working farm that is both USDA-certified organic and Certified Humane — the first in Virginia to hold both designations. The manor house—approximately 17,000 square feet—dates to 1912, with original fieldstone walls, cypress windows, and 12 fireplaces preserved through an extensive restoration.

The land with the listing supports heritage-breed livestock, orchards, and regenerative farming operations designed around soil health and humane treatment of animals. The property also includes stone barns, staff housing, greenhouses, a glass-enclosed conservatory, and a series of interconnected farm buildings. 

There is also an interesting cinematic component to the property: Alfred Hitchcock's 1969 film Topaz was filmed on the property. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/cisco_founders_virginia_farm_hits_market_for_nearly_20_million/24100.

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