Cisco Co-Founder Sandy Lerner Sells Virginia Farm For $19.8 Million

Cisco co-founder and tech trailblazer Sandy Lerner has listed her Virginia estate, Ayrshire Farm, for $19.8 million.

Lerner purchased the early-20th-century property in 1996 for $7 million, when the manor house had sat vacant for nearly a decade.

Over the next three years, she transformed both the home and its operations, spending tens of millions restoring it into its current state.

Since then, Ayrshire Farm has served as Lerner’s full-time agricultural venture, raising heritage livestock and shaping statewide standards for ethical and sustainable farming.

Property Highlights

Price: $19.8 million
Location: Upperville, Virginia
Size: 17,000 square feet on 571 acres
Beds: 11
Baths: 13
Notable Features: 1912 fieldstone manor, 4-foot-thick walls, restored cypress windows, 12 fireplaces, English conservatory, full structural and systems overhaul, underground utilities, Certified Humane and USDA Organic farm operations, orchards and pastures, expansive Blue Ridge Mountain views, proximity to Middleburg and Washington D.C.

Inside the Manor House

Originally built in 1912, Lerner restored the manor house with a focus on honoring its architectural roots while bringing it into the modern era.

The result is a residence that retains its historic character yet operates with long-term sustainability in mind, a transformation captured in the posts from TR Sotheby’s International Realty and the Wall Street Journal.

The manor house itself was crafted from fieldstone quarried on the property and reinforced with steel, an early showcase of innovation that originally introduced electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heat at a time when such comforts were rare.

Over the years, Lerner rebuilt its infrastructure from the inside out, adding new electrical and plumbing systems, central air, custom cabinetry, and a modern communications network.

Twelve restored fireplaces, original beams, and meticulous masonry now line interiors that balance preserved history with contemporary ease, allowing the home to live as beautifully as it looks.

The Grounds

Beyond the Manor House, the estate unfolds across 571 acres of working land and protected countryside.

Ayrshire Farm even became the first property in Virginia to earn both Certified Humane and USDA Certified Organic status, serving as a benchmark for ethical agriculture with its orchards, fields, and grazing pastures.

Even with its operational purpose, the landscape carries the refined beauty of the Virginia Piedmont including rolling hills, equestrian spaces, and long open views, all just a short drive from Middleburg and Washington, D.C.

Full Video Tour

Heider offers a more detailed look at Lerner’s farm in their video tour, capturing the full sweep of the property, from the long, private drive that winds toward the Manor House to the open fields and pastures framed by peak-autumn trees.

It’s the closest you’ll get to experiencing the estate as Lerner has for the past 30 years, seeing how the land moves, breathes, and reflects the life she’s poured back into it over decades.

Why is Lerner Selling?

After years of restoring, protecting, and shaping Ayrshire Farm, Sandy Lerner is now ready to part ways with it.

At 70, she’s intentionally slowing down and simplifying her life, choosing to retain a smaller 222-acre cabin property while placing 571 acres of the farm on the market for $19.8 million.

With its historic architecture, ecological focus, and sweeping Virginia landscapes, Ayrshire remains a rare opportunity for a buyer who wants to continue the stewardship Lerner started and preserve one of the Piedmont’s most meaningful estates.