2012 saw it all: from Hurricanes to Elections and everything in between.
2012 was quite a year. I can tell you that there was so much going on in Northern Virginia, it was pretty intense around here: take a “Derecho Storm,” mix it with a frankenstorm, then add a heated election and you have some interesting times ahead. I worked with some of the most amazing people to help them buy, sell and rent property across Northern Virginia from Alexandria to the Shenandoah and all of the way down past the Occoquan and everything in between… and in real estate… I’ll be the first to tell you that no transaction is ever the same, but this year, was super-interesting with all of the natural “interruptions” that we faced in NoVa! My clients were super-troopers through it all!
From meandering rivers to rolling foothills of mountains, I have seen it all this year in Virginia Real estate, and who can forget some of the 
awesome events like the Derecho Storm that had us all on edge with gale-force winds that tore through the DC Metro area with a vengeance leaving century old trees uprooted and Arlingtonians and Washingtonians without power for weeks on end. At every turn after these storms came through, I was always there to make sure my clients had someone to lean on, and if they were out of town, I gave them a call to let them know what was going on with their property! Just when we thought we were in the clear, so to speak, then came Hurricane Sandy- the phenomenon that so many dubbed the Frankenstorm- which was uber-intense for the Eastern Seaboard, as we all know. I had four closings working during that time, and it was incredible to watch the strength and patience of my clients, and the team we had in place. Thankfully, there was minimal damage to our area on Virginia;however, patience was definitely a virtue at this point! It is times like these where your clients realize that they have good people on their side getting things done behind the scenes! High-five, “team!”
Election time came and went, and it was so interesting to watch and listen to all of the political banter and projections, especially as it pertained to real estate. The questions buzzed around like fireflies… “What’s going to happen now?” ;”Are rates going to plummet or skyrocket?”; “Is the DC Metro area the place to buy or rent?” Election times are always heated, but this year- well, it just seemed a bit different for some reason. Here we are 
now, Obama in his seat and we move forward into 2013…I want to recap some of the highlights from 2012 from my point of view, as I am so thankful everything, and love what I do; hopefully that shines through to all of you as well.
Here is my 2012 Northern Virginia Real Estate Year In Review:
Continued to help clients buy, sell and rent Northern Virginia Real Estate in a hot market. I personally took nearly Five Million Dollars worth of Northern Virginia Real Estate inventory off of the market this year!
Taught a very successful and fun First Time Home Buyers’ Class with RGS Title and my colleague Will Wiard at Arbour Realty and I’d love to do it again!
Started writing a column for Agent Genius, which was so much fun!
Had a couple of listings on the Orange line which went under contract in less than a week and a few more listings that we equally as adorable that set the market!
Worked closely with Conway Energy and his team to aid in some amazing LEED and EarthCraft -which means all new green construction projects in Arlington.
Participated as a member with the Nauck Revitalization Organization to help bring a cohesive plan to the community.
Sat as the Chair of the Oversight Committee along with Dr. Alfred Taylor on the Nauck Community Services Center to bring on a fresh direction to this wonderful non-profit’s programming.
All the while, Marina Ospina and I kept it real every third Thursday with our Green Drinks Arlington environmental professionals’ happy hour, which is going into its fourth year! We rounded out the year with our Third Annual Art+Pints Bazaar featuring local Artists and free-trade vendors who helped us raise money and food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. This year, we raised five hundred seventy five dollars and one hundred twenty-one pounds of food were donated to AFAC.
Most importantly, I met some amazing new people, friends and clients, who I now call friends who welcomed me into their lives and entrusted me with one of the most important decisions they will ever make, buying a home. In 2013, things are going to get better and better in Northern Virginia and I certainly hope to keep doing what I do and providing the same top notch service beyond the sale to each and every one of my clients.
Happy New Year.
*Awesome cover photo and my sassy picture by SweetRootVillage.
