I was born and raised on a dairy farm in England, a small village called Morchard Bishop. It was hard work from the moment I could walk almost, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I am a hard worker; my son tells me frequently that I don’t have an “off” switch. Not sure if that is good or bad but it is where I learned my work ethic. I came to the United States in 1984 as a legal alien and became a citizen in 2009, yes it took that long!
I have lived in Prince William County for over 30 years, I bought my first home in Dale City sight unseen from New Hampshire where I lived for 5 years. Since then I rented a home while going through a divorce, bought another brand new home in Dale City, built a home from scratch on Dumfries Road, sold it and bought a Condo in Potomac Club in Woodbridge where I currently live, my personal dealings with real estate helped me when I decided to study for my real estate license.
I have been in the people business all my working life, customer service, pro-active problem solver, that’s me, I’m not happy unless my customer/client is happy. I am big on communication, even when things aren’t always going right. I believe that people appreciate and deserve the truth even when it’s not what they want to hear. I believe we can get through anything if we work together for the common goal. These are traits I believe to be important when choosing a Real Estate agent.
I learned to be extremely organized and time management was a necessity when I worked in the advertising department of the local newspaper for 17 years, the all-important deadlines, they are critical in the world of Real Estate. When buying or selling a home there are many moving parts and it takes these skills to get everything pulled together in order to get to the settlement table.
I chose to work for National Realty LLC, the company headquarters is in Reston and then I have my home office here in Woodbridge. A little bit about the owners of the company and why I chose them as my brokers….
Hartke Brothers History
The owners, Keith and Paul Hartke have been in the Real Estate business for 30 years each. Their father, U.S. Senator Vance Hartke moved the family to Falls Church from Indiana when he was elected to the US Senate in 1958. The brothers opened their own independent Real Estate company in 1985. In 1995, they opened two Century 21 franchises. In 2000 Coldwell Banker purchased all their 200 agents and leases. Under a 3 year non-compete, Paul Hartke was made Coldwell Banker Internet Director and Keith Hartke was made Managing Broker / Vice President for the Coldwell Banker Great Falls office. In 2003 they opened National Realty. In 2006, they purchased the Hartke Building. They are very responsive and invested in making sure their agents are successful, through training and guidance.
I would love to have the opportunity to help you if you are in the need of a realtor to assist you in the selling of your home or on the hunt for a new place to call home.