Category: Country Living

This entry originally was posted on our homestead website here.

Are you considering taking the plunge and getting into homesteading, looking to move out onto some acreage, or ready to sell your country estate? Adrienne can help you now!

5 years ago we moved out to the country, and looking back on that time, there are so many things that could have been better about our experience searching for and purchasing our homestead. One of the challenges that made finding the perfect piece of land difficult was that we did not have a real estate agent that knew about country living. Trying to search for a perfect homestead using internet searches and online resources can be really challenging, as so many listings may not have many details listed online about things that are relevant to homesteading.

We were shocked when it came time to start touring potential properties because our agent had only allocated around 20-25 minutes per property. For anyone who is interested in moving to the country, you know that the actual house on the property is only a small part of the things you care about, but our agent at the time did not understand this. We were then rushed to get through looking at the physical house and barely had anytime left to explore the land. When we did have time to walk around the properties, our agent could not offer any insight into what potential uses were available on the land and how we might utilize the available resources on each property.  Other things we would have liked in a real estate agent as we were looking for our homestead was one that could provide information about potential land use options (tax deferment), agricultural zoning, neighboring property operations, and better understanding of the value of land.

Just as finding and buying the perfect homestead can be difficult without the right real estate agent, so too can selling your homestead or country estate. In our neighborhood we have seen properties sit on the market for 1 or 2 years because the home owners opted for a real estate agent unfamiliar with country living and unknowledgeable about how to properly market and price the home. An agent that is unfamiliar with country living may look only at the physical house and offer advice only related to staging the home, when potential buyers may be equally interested in the features of the land.

As many of you know, in addition to homesteading, we have been actively involved in real estate investing in Loudoun County over the last 5 years. We have been involved in numerous purchases, sales, and rentals of our personal properties. After all those experiences we decided that just as we have made our knowledge and experience from our homestead available to the larger community through classes and our website, we have decided that now is the time to take our unique combination of experience and skills and help others find or sell their homestead through a full-service real estate business.

If buying or selling your homestead or country estate is in your future, please give Adrienne a call or email to see how she can help you get the best possible experience!