Real estate brokerage wins honors for being a great place to work
The Washington Post has named Long & Foster Real Estate as a Top Workplace for 2024. This list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience and its component themes, including employees feeling respected and supported, enabled to grow and empowered to execute, among others.
“I’m so proud of our Long & Foster family for earning this extraordinary recognition,” said Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “Our teams work every day to make our company the successful and impressive organization that it is, living our cultures in their professional and personal lives, and this award is a true testament to each of them—our esteemed real estate agents and employees.”
More than 8,800 organizations were invited to participate in this year’s Top Workplaces program in Washington, and over 400 were surveyed. Of those participating, 250 winners were identified by Energage, grouped by employment size.
“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”
Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate has been featured in the June 2024 issue of DC Modern Luxury as a distinguished ‘Power Player’.
Joined by the area’s top power players, Thiel was chosen by DC Modern Luxury as the powerhouse president of Long & Foster Real Estate. The article takes a deep dive into the favorite part of her job, mentors who influenced her career, positive ways she uses her power in the community and the most valuable life lessons she’s learned along the way.
Thiel’s expertise encompasses strategic business development, operational excellence, and fostering a culture of exceptional customer service. Under her leadership, Long & Foster has consistently achieved top performance metrics. Known for her dynamic leadership style and deep industry knowledge, she continues to shape the future of real estate in the DC area and beyond.
To view a full list of DC Modern Luxury’s Power Players for June 2024, click here.
The Long & Foster Companies, parent company of Long & Foster Real Estate, hosted its 29th annual Community Service Day for its corporate headquarters staff on June 5.
The annual community service event allows hundreds of employees at the company’s home office in Fairfax, Virginia to serve their community for a day. In past years, these activities included cleaning up, refurbishing and repairing nearby parks, schools, shelters, and homes, gathering and packing wholesome snacks for schoolchildren, donating and preparing kits of hygiene items for a shelter and providing other assistance to local organizations that offer crucial services to the community.
For the second consecutive year, the company’s headquarters employees supported Habitat for Humanity, a global organization that helps families build strength and stability by creating affordable homeownership opportunities. Employees worked together to build ten Adirondack chairs to be sold in one of Habitat’s local resale stores. Employees also assembled welcome baskets to present to new homeowners, which included kitchen and cleaning supplies assembled in laundry baskets.
“Like Long & Foster, Habitat for Humanity recognizes that homeownership is one of the strongest tools for building intergenerational wealth and stability,” said Patrick Bain, president and chief executive officer of The Long & Foster Companies. “We’re proud to partner with Habitat to help low-income families break the cycle of poverty with a safe, decent home to call their own.”
For more than 50 years, Long & Foster has been dedicated to giving back to its communities. The company is also committed to the success of its sales associates by being an industry leader in providing the latest and best tools, technology and training.
March 2024 sale marks highest priced home sold in region for the month
Long & Foster Real Estate has announced that Cabell Childress, a sales associate from its Midtown office in Richmond, Virginia, successfully represented the purchaser in the landmark $3.55M sale of a breathtaking estate home in Mooreland Farms. This sale, finalized in March 2024, stands as the highest priced home sold in the region for the month.
Cabell Childress
Located at 204 South Mooreland Road, this grand cape residence is set in the prestigious Western Henrico area along the River Road corridor. The estate has over 5,700 square feet of luxurious living space, featuring six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two half bathrooms, and an array of high-end amenities including a heated saltwater pool and a pool house.
“We congratulate Cabell on selling this outstanding property for a record-breaking price and his consistent success in the real estate business with Long & Foster,” said Dawn Bradley, senior vice president and regional manager of the Richmond and Charlottesville/Staunton regions. “Cabell truly has put together a business model for the Cabell Childress Group team members that produces great results without compromising quality to his clients.”
Childress, who was the exclusive selling agent for this property, was instrumental in securing the home for the buyer. The client approached Childress after viewing an engaging property video on a real estate site, showcasing Childress’s effective marketing strategy in an intensely competitive market characterized by multiple offers and few days on the market.
Living Room
“This was the highest priced home sold in our region for the month of March,” said Sarah Freeman, managing broker of Long & Foster’s Midtown and Westham offices. “We are proud of Cabell for his dedication to serving his clients. His results-oriented buyer strategy got this home under contract, affirming Cabell’s and the Cabell Childress Group’s achievement as an elite team with Long & Foster since 2008, consistently outperforming their previous year with sales up 13% in 2023, having sold 300+ homes and $142M in sales volume for 2023 and with $65M under contract so far in 2024.”
An exceptional testament to unwavering quality, this Mooreland Farms residence is a property of unparalleled distinction. A renowned team of artisans—Mako Builders, interior designer Suellen Gregory, and landscape architect Marcia Fryer—collaborated on a meticulous multi-year renovation completed in 2021, ensuring every detail was perfect.
Heated Saltwater Pool
The inviting foyer welcomes you through a paneled archway, leading to a custom lacquered dining room. The chef’s-grade kitchen, featuring an oversized marble center island, flows into the living room, where a see-through gas fireplace connects the space to an adjoining sunroom. The expansive family room, complete with a coffered ceiling, wet bar, built-ins, and a wall of glass leading outside, forms the heart of the home. The first-floor primary suite offers a lavish marble bathroom with a soaking tub and an aromatherapy steam shower, plus an expansive walk-in closet. Upstairs, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a laundry room, and an office provide ample space for family and guests.
The exterior design is equally impressive, featuring a heated saltwater pool, outdoor fireplace, pool house, uplighting, meticulously-laid hardscaping, an impressive brick wall, and a circular driveway. A few of the other outstanding features of this home include a generator, custom Martin-Star cabinetry, Lutron lighting, state-of-the-art sound, irrigation, and security systems.
To learn more about this exceptional property and explore other listings, visit Childress’s website at LongandFoster.com/CabellChildress.
Long & Foster is one of the nation’s top real estate companies as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.
RealTrends’ The Thousand list ranks top teams, individuals for 2023 sales
Long & Foster Real Estate congratulates its sales associates and teams who have been honored as the best in the nation, according to the latest RealTrends’ The Thousand list. The industry news organization recognizes the country’s highest producing teams and individual agents by sales volume and transaction sides in its annual list, which was published May 31 in a special advertising section of The Wall Street Journal.
“Congratulations to these top-ranking real estate professionals for this accomplishment and helping to make Long & Foster one of the nation’s top real estate companies, as part of HomeServices of America,” said Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “Rankings on RealTrends’ The Thousand reflect the high standards and quality service our agents continually provide home buyers and sellers.”
Top Real Estate Teams by Team Size
Mega Teams
The Yeatman Group (TYG) of Midlothian, Virginia, No. 63 by Volume and No. 52 by Transaction Sides
KK Homesof Fishersville, Virginia, No. 43 by Transaction Sides
Top Individual Real Estate Agents
Kyle Hause of Newport News, Virginia, No. 64 by Transaction Sides
Charity Cox of Staunton, Virginia, No. 122 by Transaction Sides
Meghan O. Clarkson of Chincoteague Island, Virginia, No. 177 by Transaction Sides
RealTrends compiles rankings for the Top Thousand based on applications submitted from hundreds of sales professionals and brokerages from throughout the United States. The Thousand includes the top 250 individual real estate agents ranked by both volume and sides, for a total of 500, as well as 500 teams, divided by team size and again by sides and volume – which equals 63 top teams per category. An independent third party verifies submissions for accuracy and whether an applicant is an individual or on a team. Long & Foster teams and individual agents have been recognized on the RealTrends list for more than a dozen years.
Nearly 150 Long & Foster Real Estate sales professionals were recognized on the RealTrends Verified list of the country’s top real estate agents, released on May 31. The report, which was previously known as America’s Best, ranks real estate professionals by sales volume and transaction sides for the 2023 calendar year, noting the leading agents in each state.
“I’m thrilled for our many sales associates and teams who were named to this year’s RealTrends Verified list,” said Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “These talented real estate professionals are passionate about what they do and dedicated to providing the best service possible to their clients as they guide them on their journeys home, and I’m proud and grateful they have chosen to call Long & Foster their real estate home.”
RealTrends ranks agents in a variety of categories—individual agents by sides and volume, small teams by sides and volume, medium teams by sides and volume, large teams by sides and volume, and mega teams by sides in volume. In total, over 50 individual Long & Foster agents and more than 80 Long & Foster teams were honored on the list.
The full report of the RealTrends Verified agents, which includes dozens of other distinguished Long & Foster real estate professionals, is available here.
Long & Foster Real Estate has had a lot to celebrate recently! Not only did Long & Foster earn the prestigious honor of No. 1 Top Workplace in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this month, but also the Governor of Virginia shared his enthusiasm for the brokerage’s exceptional workplace and this tremendous honor.
A partnership between the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Energage, a third-party data analytics firm, the Top Workplaces program measures company’s leveraging feedback from their own team members. Long & Foster’s agents’ and employees’ enthusiasm and pride in the company shined through in the survey, placing the company at the top of the list among large organizations.
“Your own employees have affirmed your dedication to creating an exemplary workplace by providing a high-quality work environment, a suitable work-life balance, and great training opportunities and benefits. Not only does this award recognize your commitment to the highest standards in business, it will also inspire other employers to reach new levels of excellence,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin shared in the letter to Patrick Bain, President and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies.
Read the full letter below and learn more about Long & Foster’s achievements in Top Workplaces here.
Experience Long & Foster Real Estate’s new Avalon, New Jersey location, now open at 2907 Dune Drive. Spanning nearly an entire block, the innovative and modern Long & Foster offices are joined by Prosperity Home Mortgage, Infinity Title and Long & Foster Vacation Rentals.
“Our Avalon office is so much more than a place to work—it’s a place for our agents to learn, grow, network, collaborate and build meaningful relationships with our local community, while also building their own businesses,” said Ralph DiGuiseppe III, senior vice president and regional manager of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware regions.
The office is managed by Debora Weidman Philips, who has been a part of the Long & Foster family for many years. She leads the 42-agent team with education and training programs, helping them take advantage of the many company-provided solutions to ensure their ongoing real estate success.
“We are thrilled with our new office space,” said Philips. “The office is in a brand-new building in the best location on the island at 30th Street and Dune Drive. The office enhances the ‘family vibe’ among our agents and affiliated partners and we’ve had many from our community walk in to visit us.”
A grand opening celebration was held on May 22 at the new office.
“Long & Foster is committed to investing in our people, so that they can best serve their communities while growing their careers with us,” said Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “By reimagining our approach to workspaces, we’re able to celebrate the mobility of our industry and even better support the core of our business—our agents, employees and clients.”
Long & Foster Real Estate is one of the nation’s top real estate companies as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has named Long & Foster Real Estate as a Top Workplace. This list is based solely on agent and employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience.
This was the first time that Long & Foster has been named to the list in the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley, and the all-inclusive real estate brokerage earned first-place ranking among large companies. In addition, Long & Foster received a special honor for its commitment to living its corporate values—respecting one another, listening, taking ownership, celebrating success, participating, and being real.
“I’m so grateful for the amazing agents and employees who work diligently every day to make Long & Foster the successful and impressive organization that it is, all while living our culture and values,” said Ralph DiGuiseppe III, Long & Foster’s regional manager and senior vice president in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “These are tremendous honors for us as an organization, especially since they’re based on the feedback of our own teams.”
Nearly 6,000 organizations were invited to participate in this year’s Top Workplaces program in Philadelphia, and over 200 were surveyed. Of those participating, 152 winners were identified by Energage, grouped by employment size—Large (500+ employees), Midsize (150-499 employees) and Small (149 or fewer employees).
“I’m so proud of our Long & Foster family in the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley for earning this extraordinary recognition,” said Jackie Thiel, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “This award is a true testament to our agents and employees who work hard every day to provide our clients with the best possible experience.”
You can read more about the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Top Workplaces program at https://sponsored.inquirer.com/top-workplaces-2024/. If you’re looking for a workplace to call home, visit LongandFoster.com and click on Careers.
Property located in convenient and prestigious American University Park
Nestled on a coveted cherry blossom-lined street of American University Park, this gorgeous property emerges as a beacon of luxury living. Constructed in 2020, it offers an unparalleled blend of sophistication comfort, and timeless elegance.
Located at 4220 Van Ness Street in Washington, D.C., the property is conveniently situated just five miles from downtown D.C. This over 8000 square foot home, with seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and one half bathroom is listed by Kara Chaffin Donofrio with the McLean office of Long & Foster Real Estate, exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties and is offered for $4.595M.
“This home is warm and welcoming on nearly a quarter acre with the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence as a close neighbor,” said Chaffin Donofrio. “The location and neighborhood is truly ideal – close to many schools and is walkable to the Metro, American University, local coffee shops and restaurants.”
Arriving at the property, you’ll first notice its stately appearance, well-manicured landscaping, and custom-paved driveway with ample parking for your guests.
You’ll greet your guests in style in the foyer with enticing views of the first-floor rooms featuring intricate crown molding, wainscoting, and arched thresholds, creating an ambiance of refined elegance. Strategically placed windows and white reflective trim allow natural light to flood the rooms, showcasing the gleaming hardwood flooring and accent features.
It will be easy to cook for a crowd or have your catering team prepare a meal in the chef’s kitchen, with its Carrara marble countertops, stainless steel gourmet appliances, and Wolf six-burner-plus-griddle gas range with dual electric ovens.
The kitchen seamlessly flows into the adjoining breakfast room and family room with a charming corner fireplace. In warm weather, open doors to the family room to extend your party onto the deck with a pergola and ceiling fan to enjoy views of the picturesque backyard.
Your family celebrations and dinner parties will be remembered in the light-filled dining room with gorgeous custom molding and built-in cabinetry. For quiet time or to work remotely, there is an American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant first-floor office with an adjoining full bathroom, which could be used as a bedroom, adding convenience and versatility to the layout.
Upstairs, discover a luxurious primary owner’s suite with a private balcony and a spa-like bathroom with designer marble and heated floors. Three additional bedrooms offer ample space and privacy, with the third level providing an open space with two bedrooms, and a full bathroom, which could be used as an art or yoga studio, playroom, or additional living space.
The lower level of the home offers a large entertainment space and a fully-equipped kitchen, ideal for hosting gatherings. A separate bedroom with a full bathroom provides guests or family members with a private retreat. An au pair suite/guest apartment above the spacious two-car garage offers vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, Carrara marble counters, and a balcony.
Out for added flexibility and privacy, a large fenced-in backyard with two gates offers tranquility and security. A few of the many other features of this outstanding home include a two-car garage, spacious motor court with ample parking for up to seven cars, a 220-volt EV charging outlet in the garage, fire sprinklers, an irrigation system, and retractable awnings.
Long & Foster is one of the nation’s top real estate companies as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.
