Obtaining the services of a real estate agent is much more than "finding someone to sell your…read morehome". This is especially true if you are selling an inherited property as I was earlier this year. A good real estate agent will know the area, know the laws and rules and will help assess your home and get it listed and sold for a "good price". A great real estate agent is a counselor, a partner in your effort, someone who "has your back" throughout the process in addition to doing all of the real estate work. Philippa Main is an *outstanding* real estate agent and an even better person. My father passed away leaving a home in Woodbridge, Virginia - the home in which I grew up and which contained almost 50 years of possessions. I contacted Philippa in March of 2026 to discuss its potential sale even as the house was in significant disarray while I engaged in the slow process of cleaning it out and sorting through the many things my parents had accumulated over the years. When she visited the home, I looked around and threw up my hands. Philippa looked around and said, "we can make this happen." I sought her out specifically because she mentioned having expertise in sales of homes that are inherited - a particular niche that involves a delicate dance of handling family dynamics, wills, probate laws and determining what, if any, money should be put into renovations or improvements that will get a reasonable return on the investment. From our first conversation over the phone - which she took time to do in the middle of a busy weekend - Philippa was incredibly personable, easy to talk to and anticipated many of my questions and many of my concerns as we talked. By the end of our conversation, I felt like I was chatting with a friend who had expertise I needed. Over the following three months, she was a (rapidly-responded-to) text or phone call away as I navigated getting the house ready for sale. She helped outline a schedule and a plan to list the home. She connected me with a large network of trusted service providers from junk removers to contractors to painters to flooring experts from whom I obtained estimates and some of whom I contracted to help clear out the house and prepare it for sale. While she always reiterated that she would back any decision I made regarding the house, I always sought her counsel when making major decisions such as whether or not to spend money on renovations and, if so, which ones were most important. Of course, there were obstacles - some amusing, some less-so - but Philippa helped me handle each one with a confidence borne of having "seen it before". That is an incredibly valuable thing when dealing with a stressful situation. In the end, the home was listed in June and had nearly seventy showings in three days. The house sold for well over its asking price and after all of it I know some things: The home could have been sold by another agent. But few, if any, others could have been a partner in the process the way Philippa was for me. She was a trusted resource, a confidant, a person who knew when to inject humor into a situation and when helping me vent was what was needed - she understands people and the process of selling an inherited home in addition to being a brilliant real estate agent who knows the area and who knows how to get the job done. I couldn't recommend her more for ANY real estate work but, especially, if you face the task of preparing and selling an inherited property.

Philippa is a phenomenal realtor. She is very knowledgeable about the Arlington market and is…read moreespecially skilled around selling inherited homes. Her warmth comes though on every interaction. If you are selling a home in northern VA or selling an inherited home in this area, I highly recommend reaching out to Philippa. She is very generous with her time and skilled at what she does. You won't be disappointed!

I am very happy to be providing this great review in favour of Champion title and settlements…read moreparticularly Samantha Yow for providing a very seamless service and support making this very challenging process of home purchase absolutely smooth. Samantha made sure that all my anxieties were addressed with her calm reassurance and professionalism throughout. Both my wife Usha and myself really thank our stars for having found Champion title and settlements who true to their name act like real champions addressing all concerns of the client with ease and competence and seeing the process through with minimum fuss Wish them very well.

Champion Title was recommended by our realtor and I'm glad we went with them after doing our due…read morediligence comparisons. Chris, in particular, was excellent -- she was patient, responsive, and explained everything clearly. Most of my interaction with Champion seemed straightforward and simple. That, to me, was the way it should be.

We knew we needed a property survey but weren't sure what type (property boundaries versus house…read morelocation). I got in touch with Robert and he explained the different types very well and the prices for each. He was able to access the county records and then come out the following week and worked very efficiently. He emailed us the completed survey with seal and signature a few days later.

Robert was great. I got a quick response to my request for services. He was on time and did a…read morethorough job staking the property lines.

Our experience working with Jin Wickwire to sell our home has been nothing short of wonderful. Over…read morethe past 13+ years, and across multiple moves (this was our third home in Virginia alone), Jin has consistently been thorough and professional--from the earliest pre-planning stages all the way through post-closing. This most recent sale came with several contingencies that could have delayed or derailed the process. We were understandably worried, but Jin took each one by the horns and resolved them one by one. Thanks to her skill and determination, we closed right on schedule. How else can we describe her? Simply fabulous. Her team was equally wonderful and a pleasure to work with. Thank you so much, Jin!

We don't usually leave negative reviews, but our experience with our former landlord and real…read moreestate agent, Jin Wickwire, unfortunately ended on a very disappointing note. While the home-buying process itself was smooth, our move-out experience was the complete opposite. As a family with young children, we were repeatedly questioned and made to feel uncomfortable over normal wear and tear......things like minor drywall nicks that are expected in any home with kids. These were already being addressed on our end with a contractor, as we had communicated. Despite agreeing to cover repairs and forfeit a $3,000 deposit, we were met with unnecessary comments and a level of aggression that felt unprofessional and unwarranted. It was especially disappointing given that we chose to work with her over many other options, expecting a level of trust and respect in return. We believe in accountability and were fully willing to take care of any legitimate damages....but respect and professionalism should go both ways. Based on this experience, we would not recommend doing business with Jin.

Kristy, with The Spear Realty Group, was nothing short of amazing with the sale of our townhome. We…read morehad an unexpected need to sell a home quickly and Kristy was unbelievable through the entire process. She helped with every aspect of getting it ready to go to market quickly and was in constant communication along the way. It could not have been a better experience. We will continue to use The Spear Realty Group in any of our future real estate needs.

We recently worked with Kristy to buy our first ever house. We're a young couple and Kristy was…read morepatient with us and willing to explore almost all of Northern Virginia for our dream home. she never pressured us or made us feel uncomfortable with the process of buying a house and allowed us to take our time. Kristy advocated for us and has even had great recommendations for other parts of the house buying process. We are so grateful to have worked with her and will for sure use her in the future. 10/10!

Awful. First off after they agreed to price and took pics they waited a week or 2 later to tell us…read morethey put on Zillow (we could have done ourselves) and told us that it will be s couple months until they find a buyer (NEVER told us this upfront and it's been longer waiting-STILL waiting) and you can NEVER GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM EVER). F- 0/10

I was referred to Lee by a former colleague. I have recently completed my consultation with his…read morefirm and am pleased to say that my husband and I will be moving forward with his company for our real estate needs as we relocate out of state. I am always weary when moving forward with new businesses and had a ton of questions that Lee was more than patient to answer without making us feel like a burden. He and his wife make a great team; they are very knowledgeable and professional and unlike other bigger companies we have researched, they always return our communications in a timely fashion :)

Very disappointed - Neither Mr. Stockman nor his office even had the courtesy to communicate that…read morehe could not or would not be available on a legal issue regarding my apartment lease. I am a member of ARAG (a type of legal plan) where I found his name and a very high rating. I did not create an ARAG case because I planned to pay his fee so I cannot rate him in that portal. We lost valuable time because of the lack of courtesy. Use your own judgement when seeking the help of an attorney.

Our realtor highly recommended Stockman Title. We as the buyer's trusted our realtor. After we…read morepurchased the home, a very costly, avoidable and serious issue came up with our home after the sale, that required us to hire an attorney to handle as a result of Stockman Title and our realtor. Very important and critical conversations and e-mails were exchanged between the Atoka realtor and the title company that we were never even privy too. We find this very unethical. We were purchasing the home and why were we not included in these conversations and e-mails?  Again, we were not included in these e-mails and conversations. We were the homebuyer's signing our lives away. Because of this single conversation that we were not privy too, a very important transaction as part of a home purchase was not conducted, and resulted in us having to hire an attorney, costing us a lot of money. Our attorney had to resolve this issue, which was lengthy and which could have been totally avoided if we were included in these conversations. Never once did Stockman Title explain anything to us about this specific item, even though he took our money for specific insurance coverage, if this issue and/or item should occur. We had advised Stockman Title since the beginning of the transaction, that we wanted to purchase additional title insurance coverage. We found out later, that the title company insurance coverage would deny the claim based on this unexplained item not being performed during the home purchase transaction. Our attorney had to resolve this matter which was very lengthy and costly. Our attorney has sent letters to Stockman Title and our realtor based on this issue. Stockman did respond, which we have to say is better than that of our realtor and broker. However, he does not accept any responsibility and advised that our realtor informed him that we did not want to perform this item, even though we never said that and were again, not included in any of these conversations. We have previously purchased 2 other homes and the title company always spoke with us directly. We were never excluded from any conversations- or emails. If we were included in this conversation, this never would have happened. In our other home purchases, the title company/agent automatically ordered this item, which is why we were not aware of how important this item was. Stockman Title contends that they were given misinformation by our realtor and why did they both again, not include us in or verify this information. Be very careful when choosing to deal with this company.  We would hate to see this happen to someone else.  As a result, we had to hire an attorney and pay his fees to rectify this unfortunate and avoidable situation that we never should not have been in.  As a buyer, you hire these professionals (Stockman was highly recommended by our realtor) and pay them to do their jobs and protect your interests, as they are the experts. If we knew it all, then why would we need Realtors and Title Companies?

Joe Newcomer is a realator fot Jobin Realty. He sold our house in one week. He was very…read moreproffesional in all expects from start to finish. Everything from posting it on u-tube which was a fabulous virtual tour to the pictures posted on the MLS. If you need a true expert make sure you contact Joe Newcomer to take care of your realtor needs. Thanks again Joe, Roy and Hilda S.

Old American Title in Sterling does a great job. I have used them before, but last week I had a…read morerepeat client settle with them. The client is an overseas investor who settles using a local relative as power of attorney. We've done a couple of settlements before, previously with another settlement company in the same office park (convenient location for the POA). Both of those were excrutiating. Mystery fees popped up... Poor customer service, the list goes on. This was the smoothest closing with them yet. Phew. So pleased. Everything was done in advance - no last minute anything. Fees were exactly as previously quoted. No surprises. They even cut down on the writing required by the POA to make sure things moved a little quicker. Wow. What a much more pleasant experience. Thank you Mary and Chelsea! (PS - If you want them to come to your home or business for the closing, they will. They also do electronic filing for sales in Loudoun & Fairfax Counties allowing them to disperse at the table. This means REALTORS and Sellers can be paid before leaving rather than waiting for a check. A nice plus for those folks.)

Closing on a home loan is traditionally one of the most stressful experiences there is. Chelsea and…read moreher team and Old American Title took all of the stress out of our ridiculously, overly complicated closing. They kept us in the loop every step of the way, and we could not have been more pleased.

Buying or selling a house is one of the biggest decision a person can face and despite all the…read moretools that are available there is no replacement for a person you can trust and who has your interest at mind. The team at Homes365 truly has their client's interest at mind and does not stop working with you when they encounter the first hurdle. They provided honest guidance using their experience in real estate investment. The entire team at Homes365 was very responsive, patient at answering all kinds of questions and working tirelessly to make the best decision for their client. I would use Homes365 for all my real estate needs and recommend them to anybody who could use their services.

From the owner: Selling Agent, Buying Agent, Real Estate Investmentsread more