Washington Business Journal Honors Long & Foster Founder
The Washington Business Journal honored P. Wesley Foster Jr., with its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor recognizes Foster’s contributions to the real estate industry as co-founder of Long & Foster Real Estate. The Washington, D.C.-based publication presented the award to Foster during its annual CEO of the Year and C-suite Awards event at the Watergate Hotel.
In advance of the awards, the business outlet interviewed Foster in his office at the company’s headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia, and published a video with an accompanying article headlined “Why Wes Foster won’t slow down.” The video and article offered a glimpse into Foster’s over 50-year real estate career and his transition into a new role as chairman emeritus of The Long & Foster Companies, parent company of Long & Foster Real Estate.
Jeff Detwiler and Cindy Ariosa Named to Annual Swanepoel Power 200
Two members of the Long & Foster leadership team–Jeff Detwiler, president and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies, and Cindy Ariosa, SVP and regional manager of Long & Foster Real Estate’s Baltimore, Western Maryland and Eastern Shore region—were named to the 2018 Swanepoel Power 200. The list recognizes those in the real estate industry who are considered the most powerful and influential. Detwiler was named No. 31 on this year’s list, and Ariosa was named No. 139 on the list, which includes 200 influential CEOs, top executives and other leaders in the residential real estate industry. The list was created by Stefan Swanepoel and Rob Hahn.
CRES Now Part of General Brokerage
Effective Jan. 1, 2018, Long & Foster’s Corporate Real Estate Service has become part of Long & Foster’s General Brokerage team. Vicki Hamp, who has been part of Long & Foster’s relocation teams for over 20 years, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of CRES. Hamp will oversee the CRES division, reporting to Boomer Foster and Gary Scott. In addition, Camille Mims will move from her role as a regional vice president, overseeing Southern Virginia and North Carolina, into a new position as vice president of CRES. The new structure not only allows Long & Foster to better support our agents, but also brings together CRES and General Brokerage in a shared focus on generating more incoming referrals for our agents and helping them facilitate more outgoing referrals across our networks.
Prosperity Celebrates $1 Billion in VA Loan Fundings
In the three years since launching its VA Home Loan Advantage program, Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC, (Prosperity) has saved active-duty military members and veterans over $4.5 million in origination and appraisal fees. The full-service mortgage banker has funded over $1.1 billion and closed 3,349 VA home loans since Nov. 11, 2014, when the program first began.
The VA Home Loan Advantage program continues to be offered to all Prosperity clients purchasing or refinancing a home using a VA loan. The program waives the company’s standard origination fee and provides eligible clients with a lender credit to pay for the cost of a home appraisal.
Introducing the New Look of Long & Foster
In the lead up to its 50th anniversary, Long & Foster Real Estate has refreshed its classic and iconic brand identity. After extensive market research and internal analysis, the real estate firm unveiled its new logo and for-sale signs for both the traditional and luxury markets. The company updated its color scheme, deploying a simpler and more modern palette of red and blue. It also introduced updated typography for its marketing and advertising efforts, and the company reinforced its commitment to its heartfelt tagline of Long & Foster – For The Love of Home™.
Long & Foster Forms Corporate Partnership with VCU Athletics
Long & Foster Real Estate has formed a new corporate partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Athletics Department. The multi-year partnership is the first large-scale sponsorship that Long & Foster has done with the local Richmond university.
As part of the partnership, VCU has renamed the multi-purpose room at its state-of-the-art Basketball Development Center as the Long & Foster Conference Room. This facility is used for business meetings during the workweek and it serves as the hospitality suite for VCU’s major donors before basketball games. Long & Foster also will have a suite at the women’s and men’s home basketball games, and its real estate agents will be able to invite their buyers and sellers to join them in attending the popular sporting events.
CRES Division Leads Luxury Homes Tour for Chinese Delegation
Long & Foster’s Corporate Real Estate Services (CRES) division hosted a delegation of Chinese journalists and private investors on a luxury cruise around the Eastern Shore in mid-November. Guests included members of U.S.-based Chinese media and prospective Chinese investors interested in purchasing luxury real estate on the Eastern Shore. The delegation was hosted by Pandra Richie, now-retired president of CRES, and Eric Chen, director of Asia Pacific initiatives for CRES, as well as other representatives of Long & Foster. The day began at Annapolis Yacht Sales in Stevensville, Maryland. There, the group boarded a luxury power yacht, provided by Annapolis Yacht Sales, and enjoyed a scenic ride on Prospect Bay with stops at luxury homes along the way.