I'm so lucky that I get to represent amazing sellers with unique and outstanding properties. And every so often, something really special pops up, not that the others aren't special in their own right, but there's a real story, and a history, and an essence to experience.

That can certainly be said of my latest gem, Twin Oaks, an historic inn and now boutique winery, centered around an incredible 1893 stone house, which was the subject of a meticulous restoration just 23 years ago.

​Welcome...to Twin Oaks.

I have had the privilege of spending time at this property, walking the same floors which Washingtonians trod in the early 1900's, after arriving by train via the (now defunct) Washington & Old Dominion Railroad. Imagine how, a century ago, the best way to escape the summer heat of the capital was to spend time in the higher elevations of Bluemont, Virginia, overlooking the Shenandoah Valley to the west.

Fast forward to today, actually to 1997, when a fire engulfed the property which was at that time owned by a builder who subsequently sold the derelict property to its current owners.

​Their original plan was to restore and sell this old edifice, however following a trip to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Evers caught the wine bug, no, not a debilitating disease, but a new found passion for planting and growing grapes. In fact Donna's forefathers were winemakers of note in Croatia, and that DNA had clearly been passed down the line.

And so, in the early 2000's, early vines were planted and later a tasting room built, to complement the winery beneath the stone house.

I could not be more honored to be co-listing Twin Oaks with Donna Evers, an incredible lady and the energy behind his 25 year odyssey.

It's hard to imagine a Virginia property with finer views, and even harder to capture the essence of those views of iconic Old Rag with a camera, when the human eye still possesses the finest optical technology.

When my co-listing agent, Charlie Thies, and I first drove up the one mile, asphalt driveway to the top, being pressed into the backrests of my SUV's seats, we were truly astounded and mesmerized by what we found. A property originally built in 1973 and gradually expanded upon during the intervening years by fastidious owners with a passion for the unique, and the very special.

There we were, high up in this wonderful county, just minutes away from the quaint town of Washington, Virginia, home to the incredible Michelin 3 star restaurant hotel, the Inn at Little Washington, which additionally holds a Michelin Green Star, for restaurants which uphold sustainable and eco friendly culinary practices. In fact, Reality Mountain has also served as 'spillover' accommodation for the Inn, when weary lovers of gastronomy found no room at, yes, the Inn! The B&B special use permit conveys with the sale of this property, an unusual and much more difficult to obtain benefit today.

The house, which more resembles a castle, faces almost due south, ensuring that the massive double height windows provide its owners and guests with sunrises and sunsets and everything in between. The property lies within 50 serene acres, all in Open Space Easement, and has 8 bedrooms, including several self contained suites, 6 gorgeous full bathrooms and 3 half baths, on over 8,000 finished square feet of living space.

​The many different areas of the home, and its extraordinary layout, mean it takes quite some time to know where everything is, and how they are linked, such as the second floor enclosed walkway to one of the mini apartments. So much so that we created this 3-D floor plan to help the visitor travel through Reality Mountain.

Charlie and I are thrilled to have been entrusted with the global marketing of Reality Mountain, to secure the next stewards to take this magnificent property into the future. 

While on my first airline trip since the start of the COVID pancemic, to visit my about to turn 21 son in June 2022, who was interning in Wichita, Kansas, I took a phone call from a researcher at the Fox Business Channel which had picked up our exquisite Llangollen listing. "We'd like to feature Llangollen in the next season of Mansion Global." he said. "Do you think your clients would be interested?".

That call resulted in a day long July film shoot in Upperville, Virginia, at the 1,100 acre property with its magnificent house, spanning two centuries of development from its original patent house, built in 1795 through additions in 1830, 1918, 1930 and finally 1990. Apart from a little accidental embellishment claiming that George Washington stayed there, which he did not, although he did survey the original land at and around Llangollen, the piece beautifully showcases this very special equestrian property called Llangollen. Enjoy! ⬇️ 

From time to time, a truly iconic property, full of history and aura comes to the market, and our Llangollen estate is a case in point.

Located just outside the quaint village of Upperville, Virginia, Llangollen sits on 1,100 acres of beautiful countryside, in conservation easement, and dates to 1795 when the original patent house was built, in order to abide by the terms of the formal prescription of the lease to the first grantee which required that a dwelling be constructed.

Upperville was the scene of an American Civil War battle which preceded Gettysburg, and the fields surrounding Llangollen saw plenty of action. Locally infamous John Singleton Mosby, romantically referred to as the Gray Ghost, is purported to have spent time at Llangollen, meeting in the downstairs pub seen below.

The thousands of acres on and around Llangollen were originally surveyed by a young man by the name of George Washington, better known forever as the founding father and first President of the United States of America.

Guests at the property during the nineteenth century included the Marquis De Lafayette who made it his base on the east coast during his grand tour of the United States, as well as our third President, and drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello has been studied by the present owners of Llangollen in order to properly decorate this fabulous house.

The Civil War years and the reconstruction period immediately thereafter were not kind to southern estates like Llangollen, which had previously relied on the abhorrent practice of using the enslaved to farm the land and produce its crops. Decades passed before subsequent stewards took ownership, and began its slow rehabilitation. But it was not until 1930, when John Hay 'Jock' Whitney, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, President of the Museum of Modern Art and, later, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom purchased Llangollen as a wedding present for his fiancée, Elizabeth Altemus and restored and significantly expanded the beautiful property, creating a new southern wing off the manor house, and building the impressive and quite unique horseshoe barn pictured below.

Whitney and his wife divorced after ten years of marriage, during which time they developed a formidable racehorse breeding operation, and introduced polo to the property, a sport which Jock excelled at, and which remains to this day, by way of a world class facility with three polo fields and an arena.

Liz Whitney remained at Llangollen until her death in 1988, marrying several more times and in 1989 the property was acquired by businessman and former Nixon Whitehouse official, Roy L. Ash, who founded Litton Industries and was the 21st Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and his wife Lila. The Ash's took on the huge task of restoring Llangollen to its original glory and extending the house on both ends, creating a modern kitchen off the original patent house to the north and the library/guest room wing to the south.

Llangollen is ready now for its next’s  'custodians', and represents an exciting opportunity to own a rare piece of history and real estate, just an hour from Washington Dulles International Airport, and DC just beyond.

Land in Great Falls, Virginia is scarce, making our latest listing on Edmonston Road even more desirable. The 5-acre lot was recently 'perc' approved by Fairfax County for a 6-bedroom home, and is a short walk to the Potomac River - check out the video...

The term 'perc' refers to how well the soil percolates and therefore how well it will absorb waste water from a house in to the septic drain field. The better it percs, the more bedrooms are allowed to be included in a new build - it is assumed that each bedroom will accommodate two people using the waste water system.

It's not always easy to properly show raw land in a video, but we were fortunate timing-wise in that spring greenery was coming in, but not yet fully in leaf. Also, with the Potomac so close by, drone video nicely demonstrates the proximity of the river. And literally down the road, 2.7 miles away, is one of my favorite restaurants, the famed L'Auberge Chez François, the perfect place for haute cuisine anytime!

Take a look at the listing information page and give me a call if it might be of interest. But be quick - properties such as this one, which is priced at $1,800,000, don't last very long.

This wonderful new listing on very quiet Ada Road, is just three and a half miles from Interstate 66 and the town of Marshall, Virginia.

Listed at just $595,000, the all brick ranch rambler was built in 1995, and sits on 5 tranquil acres, with a large fenced backyard and freeform in ground pool.

Incredibly, there are almost 4,000 finished square feet on two levels, with the three bedrooms, including the primary bedroom with attached primary bath, on the main, entry level. The main level also includes the open plan kitchen overlooking the family room, a formal living room and formal dining room and second full bath.

The lower level is truly an entertainer's dream, with its full wet bar and wine room, games area, media area, sitting area, dining area, bonus room, office and laundry room.

Take a look at the listing information page for more detail and the video below!

My listing of the beautiful Belmar Farm on Saint Louis Road, Middleburg just closed, with happy listing clients and delighted new owners.

The home was built by local custom builder, University Group, in 2005 and consists of almost 8,000 finished square feet on three levels. The land upon which the house sits is quite simply spectacular, with incredible views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the 25 acre site.

 I must mention the buyers agent with whom I worked on this transaction, Mary Illes, who was absolutely fantastic to work with, and whom I am very grateful for bringing such lovely clients. 

The first Saturday in December has marked what has become the famous Christmas in Middleburg event, stymied only last year by the pandemic, but back in full force this year.

To help safeguard against transmission of the latest Omicron variant, the Middleburg  Town Council decided to limit paid parking, and therefore visitor numbers, to 1,000 cars in the three main lots, two outside of town and one at the Salamander Resort & Spa.

​Incredible weather and a desire to get out into the open air meant that Middleburg  enjoyed one of the best ever events, with improved visitor dining options and excellent signage all through town.

From our wonderful elevated Washington Street location, we were able to enjoy both the early morning horse and hounds review followed by the parade just after lunch.

The evening before Christmas in Middleburg witnessed the annual town Christmas tree lighting at the Pink Box visitor center, another much anticipated, although far more local, annual tradition.

I'm thrilled to be listing shortly this lovely property on Calumet Lane, in beautiful Bluemont Virginia. With over 16 acres of land, including both woodland and level grassland, and a new 2-stall Amish barn, this property is a nature lovers dream. 

The house was modeled on a waterfront design, in which the main rear facing windows capture the splendor of this stunning countryside setting.

Expected date on market is August 10th, with interior photos and full video tour coming between now and then, so stay tuned!!

​​We are delighted to bring Monte Subasio to the luxury real estate market, a sophisticated estate on 23 lush acres in beautiful Bluemont, Virginia. This quite exceptional property was built to exacting standards in 2008, for an owner with an extreme eye for detail and engineering excellence. 

Designed in the Georgian Revival architectural style, and built using steel I-beams and support trusses throughout, the 11,700 finished square feet main house features five bedrooms, including an expansive master bedroom wing on the main level; five full bathrooms and four half bathrooms; a formal dining room and living room; a family room and an adjoining library, each overlooking the back garden and pond; a large chefs entertaining kitchen with professional grade appliances and breakfast area; a large laundry room; a fully finished lower level with a stone surround fireplace, bar, wine cellar, custom ice cream parlor and meditation room; a 14’ x 40’ indoor salt water lap pool with French doors overlooking the back garden...continued below

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A four-car attached garage with 9’ wide doors and a full length unfinished second floor is accessed via a short covered breezeway, while a second, three-car detached garage with finished second level is a short walk away. The three-stall barn with heated tack room is finished to the same high standards of quality as are seen in the main house, and includes a finished second level. The grounds feature a ‘secret garden’ as well as manicured topiaries and hedges, all culminating with views of a serene pond - $2,995,000

Floor plans