Jeff Detwiler Named as an Inman Power Player

Jeff Detwiler, president and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies, has been named to Inman’s debut class of the Inman Power Players. The exclusive list includes industry executives, founders, innovators and visionaries who play a crucial role in shaping the future of real estate.

“I’m honored to join my fellow real estate leaders on the inaugural Inman Power Players list,” said Detwiler. “Long & Foster has more than 50 years of history, driving our industry towards new and better ways of doing business—our all-inclusive approach being one of the most well-known and desired among consumers. We’re thrilled to earn this recognition not only for what we’ve brought to the industry so far, but what we’ll continue to deliver going forward.”

Inman is one of the industry’s top media outlets, and the list was curated by its editorial team. Over 120 professionals were included on the list, including Gino Blefari, CEO of HomeServices of America, Long & Foster’s parent company.

To view the list, go to https://www.inman.com/power-players-awards/.

Long & Foster Leaders Named to 2023 Swanepoel Power 200

Jeffrey S. Detwiler and Larry “Boomer” Foster recognized in annual industry list

Two members of the Long & Foster leadership team have been named to the 2023 Swanepoel Power 200 – Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies, and Larry “Boomer” Foster, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. The Long & Foster Companies is the parent company to Long & Foster Real Estate, the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America.

Created by Stefan Swanepoel and Rob Hahn in 2014, the annual list recognizes those in the real estate industry who are considered the most powerful and influential.

Detwiler was named No. 32 on this year’s list, and Foster was named No. 136 on the list, which includes 200 CEOs, top executives and other leaders in the residential real estate industry.

“Those named to the Swanepoel list are innovative leaders in the real estate industry, and there are many worthy experts and professionals included,” Detwiler said. “Our goals at Long & Foster have always been honesty, integrity and innovation, and we are proud to have been named to the Swanepoel Power 200 list again.”

“Being named to a list that includes so many of our distinguished peers and top real estate industry professionals is an honor,” said Foster. “It also validates Long & Foster’s success and I’m very proud to be part of it.”

The rankings are based on several criteria including an individual’s personal influence, their tenure in the industry, the office they hold and the decision-making power of that office. Their company’s financial status, size and significance within the industry, as well as its geographic reach, are also considered in the process. Additionally, the individual’s future contributions to the industry are part of the evaluation criteria.

Gino Blefari, president of Long & Foster’s parent company, HomeServices of America, was ranked No. 1 on the list.

For more information about the Swanepoel Power 200 list, visit Swanepoel.com/power200/. For more information about Long & Foster, visit longandfoster.com.

Four Reasons Why Now’s a Good Time to Sell

While the housing market traditionally heats up with the weather, buyers are looking year-round. If you’re thinking about selling your home, here are a few reasons why now is a great time to get it on the market.

Appreciation. Your home’s value is based on the market, not the season. In the last few years, home values have increased by more than 20% in some areas, creating a significant profit for homeowners when selling.

Motivated buyers. Spring and summer are generally considered the “peak seasons” for real estate, but prospective home buyers that start shopping in January are serious, motivated and ready to buy.

Reduced competition. Inventory is already tight, and it can be even more restricted in the winter months. With fewer homes on the market, sellers face less competition. A home that’s in great shape and shows well will stand out.

Winter weather: Use colder temperatures to your advantage by making your home look and feel warm for showings with plenty of heat, warm lighting, a cozy fire and perhaps the smell of freshly baked cookies.

If you are considering selling your home, your real estate agent can provide you with a comparative market analysis of your home’s value. Plus, your agent can offer advice on how to get your property ready for market and guide you throughout the entire selling process, no matter the time of year.

Alternatively, if you’re planning to buy a home, your agent can help you prepare so you’ll be ready to make a winning offer.

Working with a Long & Foster real estate professional with local market knowledge and industry expertise will help you reach your real estate goals in 2023.

Long & Foster’s Tina Holt Recognized as 2022 Women in Business Honoree

Tina Holt, senior vice president and regional manager of Long & Foster Real Estate’s Hampton Road and Northeastern North Carolina regions, has been selected by Inside Business as a Women in Business Honoree for 2022.

The Women in Business Achievement Awards were created to celebrate women who have been successful in their business and careers, have made a significant impact on the business community and local economy and have served as mentors and examples to others.

By honoring these women, we seek to encourage other women to trust their abilities, strengthen their self-confidence, and become thought leaders and trailblazers in our region.

A Realtor since 1993, Holt came to Long & Foster’s Oceanfront/Coastal office in 2013 as a branch manager. In 2017, she took management of another office in Virginia Beach, as well as three locations on the Eastern Shore. Always looking to further the company’s footprint, Holt was quickly able to expand service into Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well as Northeastern North Carolina, including the Outer Banks.

When questioned for the Women in Business article, Holt provided some amazing advice. “Don’t compare yourself to others. Be authentic, transparent, and approachable. Just be you and know that if you take care of the people, everything else will take care of itself,” said Holt.

Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.

Amber Valenzuela to Lead Long & Foster’s Perry Hall Office

Amber Valenzuela has been named managing broker of Long & Foster Real Estate’s Perry Hall office, located in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Amber is a highly knowledgeable, experienced leader,” said Larry “Boomer” Foster, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “I’m confident that her leadership and support of the agents in the Perry Hall office will ensure their ongoing success of helping local buyers, sellers, renters and investors meet their homeownership goals.”

A real estate veteran for over 15 years, Valenzuela started her career as a sales associate in Long & Foster’s Perry Hall office. In the years since, she gained substantial experience in residential and multi-family sales, bank foreclosures, and property management. Her ability to generate and build relationships, manage multiple projects at once, and effectively negotiate for her clients helped her achieve success as an agent, and she ranked as one of Long & Foster’s top producers from 2010 to 2017.

“This provides a great opportunity for Amber to share her passion and talents for the business with the Perry Hall agents,” said Cindy Ariosa, senior vice president and regional manager of Long & Foster’s Baltimore and Western Maryland region. “Amber’s leadership skills combined with her focus on education and training will lead the agents in the Perry Hall office to even greater success.”

Valenzuela translated her sales expertise into a new role as a trainer with Long & Foster’s Professional Development team, which she joined in 2018. She taught numerous Launch courses in the region, helping agents learn the sales strategies and skills to achieve success.

“I’m excited to take on this new role to lead the real estate professionals in the Perry Hall office,” said Valenzuela. “I look forward to helping new and experienced Realtors to reach their highest potential by providing them with Long & Foster’s latest and greatest tools, technology and training.”

Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit L ongandFoste r.com.

Long & Foster’s Cindy Ariosa Elected by Bright MLS as Chairman of the Board of Directors

Ariosa serves as chair for the second consecutive year

Long & Foster Real Estate congratulates Cindy Ariosa, senior vice president, for being elected to the Bright MLS Board of Directors as Chairman of the Board for 2023. Ariosa will serve as chairman for the second consecutive year and has been a member of the Executive Committee for six years since Bright MLS was formed.

Bright MLS is the leading multiple listing service (MLS) in the Mid-Atlantic representing over 100,000 real estate professionals in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, who serve more than 20 million homeowners in its footprint.

“It is an honor to continue serving Bright’s subscribers and shareholder associations as board chair,” said Ariosa. “2022 was a transformational year for Bright in terms of the company’s joint venture announcements, as well as the significant progress made in the areas of expansion and partnerships that are equally aligned with a superior experience and returning value to our Brokers. Now, as we approach 2023, I join my fellow executive committee members in welcoming the new members of the board to Bright MLS. Our work positioning Bright as the most innovative MLS in the industry will be greatly enhanced by their insights and experience.”

Ariosa has been with Long & Foster for more than 20 years and serves as senior vice president and regional manager for the Baltimore/Eastern Shore/Western Maryland regions. She has grown the company in her region from 22 to more than 40 offices. Specializing in business development, coaching, technology, recruitment and retention, Ariosa has led 1800 sales associates to reach over $5 billion in sales.

“As an outstanding, dynamic leader, Cindy will again bring her vast real estate knowledge to successfully guide Bright MLS throughout 2023,” said Larry “Boomer” Foster, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “We congratulate Cindy on this appointment to the board and are proud of her commitment to the industry and for continuing to serve in this leadership role.”

Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.

Long & Foster Ranked Among World’s Top Training Companies

Long & Foster is the only residential real estate brokerage honored by Training magazine in 2023

Training magazine, the leading publication for learning and development professionals, has named Long & Foster Real Estate to its prestigious list of the world’s top training companies for 2023—the Training APEX Awards. Long & Foster not only ranked among some of the business world’s top companies, but also is the only residential real estate brokerage honored in this year’s awards.

“Since our founding in 1968, we’ve become known as the brokerage that not only teaches new sales associates how to succeed in the business, but also provides the insights and education for well-established agents and teams to build and grow their careers,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, CEO of The Long & Foster Companies, parent company of Long & Foster Real Estate. “Internally, our training programs have always been well received, receiving high ratings from attendees, and now, we’ve earned one of the highest honors in the global training industry.”

Long & Foster’s teams have long focused on having the best trained and best equipped real estate agents in the business. The company provides sales associates with a wealth of marketing and technology tools, as well as a variety of business development, continuing education and other learning opportunities—many of which are offered to our agents for no cost.

“It’s an incredible honor that we’ve earned, thanks to the many talented training and development professionals on our team,” said Larry “Boomer” Foster, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “I appreciate all the hard work they’ve done to create such tremendous training programs for Long & Foster and our sales associates.”

Lee McGinnis, vice president of Long & Foster’s Professional Development division, added, “It is a core value of Long & Foster’s and our Professional Development team to continuously increase the professionalism of our agents through new and innovative training content and platforms. We are honored to receive this recognition and look forward to adding even more value to our sales associates, and in turn, consumers across the East Coast, in the upcoming year.”

Training magazine will recognize all the honorees of its Training APEX Awards at a ceremony in February 2023, at which point the publication will announce the final rankings. To learn more about the awards, visit trainingmag.com/training-magazine-announces-its-2023-training-apex-awards-winners/.

Long & Foster is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.

Winter Home Maintenance Checklist

Ready or not, winter has arrived – and we may soon see snow. In winter, not only do you have to take care of yourself, but it’s important to take care of your home. Our winter home maintenance checklist includes some items to do now to prepare your home for the cold weather ahead.

Prepare for winter storms. Check your snow shovels, gloves, car window scrapers, and replace as needed. Whether or not you’re expecting snow, it’s always a good idea to keep the pantry stocked with food, bottled water, candles and flashlights in case of power outages.

Prevent frozen pipes. Set your thermostat to at least 55 degrees (especially if you’ll be away). Leave your bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors open to warm exposed pipes.

Disconnect garden hoses. Shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets. Then, turn on the outside faucets to drain any remaining water to prevent it from freezing. Roll up hoses and store them indoors until spring.

Clean humidifiers. Prevent spreading harmful bacteria and mold in the air by changing the water daily and disinfecting your humidifier at least once a week. Most filters can be cleaned with cool running water and then air dried. If you have a central humidifier, don’t forget to turn it on.

Avoid drafts. Caulk and weather-strip your windows and doors to improve your home’s overall comfort level and energy efficiency. Check your attic insulation to see if it has deteriorated or flattened which can reduce its efficiency and may be an indication that you need to add more.

Brighten your interior. Wipe lightbulbs with a damp cloth dipped in a mixture of one ounce of dish soap, a quarter cup of white vinegar, and three cups of water. With shorter days in the winter, this task will not only brighten up your home, it will also increase energy efficiency and save money.

Once you check these items off your list, you’ll be ready to sit back and relax with family and friends by a cozy fire.

Long & Foster Welcomes Dart Homes

Top-producing real estate team joins Bethesda office of Long & Foster

Dart Homes, a leading real estate team in Montgomery County and the D.C. metropolitan area, has joined Long & Foster Real Estate, the nation’s No. 1 real estate brokerage, as part of HomeServices of America. Led by Nathan Dart, Dart Homes comes to Long & Foster from a competing local brokerage, where they built a thriving business over more than two decades. Dart Homes will work from Long & Foster’s Bethesda office at 7700 Old Georgetown Road.

“The entire team at Dart Homes and I are thrilled to join Long & Foster,” said Dart. “We’ve worked alongside Long & Foster for years, and we’ve always been impressed with their commitment to their clients and their success, as well as the support their agents receive from the brokerage—from marketing and technology to business and professional development. We’re excited to take advantage of all that Long & Foster has to offer to even better serve our clients and grow our business.”

A native Washingtonian, Dart joined Dart Homes—previously led by his father—after he graduated from the University of Maryland. Dart had grown up in the real estate industry—his father was a top agent in Maryland for many years, and it was a natural career progression to enter the business himself. Since then, Dart has built Dart Homes into a 12-person operation that consistently ranks among the best teams in the greater D.C. region. Dart himself has also earned honors for his sales results, being named to Washingtonian’s annual list of the best Realtors and placing among the top associates at his previous brokerage.

Since its founding, Dart Homes has been known for serving clients with the best technology and most innovative practices, while maintaining their commitment to honesty, integrity and professionalism. That approach has enabled them to secure over 70 percent of their business from past clients and referrals, an impressive figure in any industry.

Combined, the licensed agents and client care specialists at Dart Homes have closed thousands of transactions for their buyers, sellers, renters and investors, and they have hundreds of years of experience combined.

“Like Long & Foster, Dart Homes works as a team to help each member succeed. It’s a commitment to collaboration and to each other that is reflective of our own culture of trust, family and excellence, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to have them as part of our family,” said Larry “Boomer” Foster, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “I look forward to helping Nathan and the team to grow their business in the years ahead.”

To learn more about Long & Foster, visit longandfoster.com. To learn more about Dart Homes, visit darthomes.com.

Long & Foster Appoints New Leadership in Southern Maryland

Stephanie Erhueh to serve as managing broker and Tony Thomas as sales manager at the company’s Waldorf and Tapestry offices

Long & Foster Real Estate, the nation’s No. 1 real estate firm*, has appointed a new management team in two of its Southern Maryland offices. Stephanie Erhueh, a real estate professional since 2015, has been named managing broker of the Tapestry office in Largo, Maryland. Erhueh currently manages Long & Foster’s Waldorf location and will continue to oversee that office while taking on new responsibilities in Tapestry.

Erhueh is joined by Tony Thomas, who has been hired as the firm’s new sales manager in Waldorf and Tapestry. In his new role, Thomas will support Erhueh and Long & Foster’s agents in both those offices.

“It takes highly knowledgeable and skilled leaders to support real estate agents in today’s competitive environment,” said Kenneth Fagan, senior vice president and regional manager of Long & Foster’s D.C., Montgomery County and Southern Maryland regions. “We are confident that with Stephanie and Tony at the helm of our Waldorf and Tapestry offices, we’ll continue to achieve success for our agents and their clients.”

Starting as a sales associate in Long & Foster’s Ft. Washington office, Erhueh immediately excelled at the business, earning the title of Rookie of the Year and Rookie Top Producer in Long & Foster’s Southern Maryland region in 2016. Her successes and industry knowledge led to a new role as a trainer in 2017, teaching new agents how to grow their careers with Long & Foster. During that time, Erhueh continued to run her successful sales business, ranking as Long & Foster’s No. 2 agent in Ft. Washington for 2018.

The following year, Erhueh earned her Graduate, Realtor Institute (GRI) designation, as well as a promotion to managing broker of the Waldorf office. There, she leveraged her talent for coaching and mentoring agents, boosting the office’s sales results. She also recruited new Realtors, with the Waldorf location experiencing the largest percentage growth of all other Long & Foster offices in the region.

“I’m excited and honored to continue leading the Waldorf office and to achieve similar successes at Long & Foster’s Tapestry office,” said Erhueh. “I look forward to building both offices and taking the company brand to the next level in Southern Maryland.”

A Realtor for over a decade, Thomas started his career as a stockbroker and financial advisor with American Express. He transitioned into real estate in 2009, entering the business during a challenging market. Leveraging his research expertise and talent for numbers, Thomas excelled in tough times and built a top-producing business. He later started a team to teach others how to succeed the way that he had done. In 2018, he joined Long & Foster’s Woodley Park office, where he ran his sales business and began training and mentoring dozens of Realtors.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to pursue my passion for teaching and mentoring sales agents,” said Thomas. “I look forward to helping coach even more agents, now as sales manager at our Waldorf and Tapestry offices.”

Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.