Meet Rachel And Her Offices

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So my name is Rachel Van Zanten. I work for Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty. Um, we're located in the down- we've got actually a couple offices. Um, we're downtown Leesburg, and then we're also in downtown Middleburg. Um, you might have seen our storefronts. And then I think we are opening one in Winchester, downtown Winchester. So every charming little city you go to in northern Virginia, you'll, you'll see us, so. Awesome. I can't wait to learn a little bit more about your story.

Phoenix Boomtown Origins In New Builds

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Can you take us back to the beginning of your career and what first drew you into real estate? And it goes back, so we're, what are we? 2026, right? Uh, goes back to 2000, so 26 years ago- Wow if we're counting. Yeah. So, um, I am from San Diego, California originally, and my parents moved us to Phoenix, Arizona back like 1999, 2000. I was just graduating high school. Don't tell anybody that. Um, and we-- it was kind of this like new frontier, and Phoenix was booming. It was a boom town. So we moved there because just the quality of life was just so much more, I think affordable for my parents. There was four of us, so, you know, putting four kids through school, college, marriage, sports, all the things, right? They wanted something that was just a little bit more affordable, and Phoenix was affordable. It was low maintenance and, um, it was mostly like a retiree kind of town until they started really building. So I went to school there, went to ASU. I had to wait a year, so I'm, I'm a little behind my class because I wasn't a resident, so I didn't get, you know, I had to pay out-of-state tuition even though I lived there. So I had to wait one year in Maricopa County just to, go to school and get the non, not have to pay out of, more out of pocket since I didn't live there. Mm-hmm. That, if that makes sense. Mm-hmm. So, had a, a year go by and was kinda twiddling my thumbs thinking, "Okay, what am I gonna do? I need to get a job." So, um, I ended up started, I started working for a builder called Hancock Homes. They were new construction. They were way out in the west part of the valley. We lived in the valley, that's what they call it, and we were way, way out there. So, I would, still kinda living at home and hadn't started school just yet, so I got my first job working with them. Awesome. Yeah. And what was the, what was it like, you know, when, or what was- I guess what drew you to real estate? I don't know. It, it was kind of one of these random things. Like, I always... I liked it, but I never thought I'd have a career in it. Mm-hmm. So I was going to school to become a lawyer. My dad really wanted me to- Mm be a lawyer. That's all of my s- college prep classes were to become an attorney. I didn't know what kind of attorney, maybe real estate attorney. Um, but never, like, in sales of real estate. Like, that just wasn't what I was thinking about. I got the job because they were paying pretty good money at that time, and it was flexible hours, and I didn't have to work nights and weekends, right? All my friends wanted to go out on the weekends, you know, all the things, so I wanted to have my, my nights and weekends off. So it was a pretty, like, stable... You know, I'd work during the day, maybe some Saturdays and Sundays with the other sales reps that were in there, and there was a bunch of us girls. And I ended up, you know, meeting a lot of friends that way, um, and also kind of learning about the build process- Mm-hmm when I was there. So that's kind of what drew me in. Yeah. That's awesome. And what kept you in the real estate field? I was making such good money believe it or not. Back then we-- It was-- Back then it was like lotteries to get a home. I mean, it was crazy. It was such a, like I said, it was such a boom town. And you could buy a home, I mean, I'm talking like three, four-bedroom, brand new build. It was all builder grade stuff at that time, but still, I mean, you could buy a home for under $100,000. Wow. $97,000 was like our highest end home. Wow. And we were production builders, so we were just... I mean, it was one would go up, then the next one, then the next one, then the next one. It was definitely very, very affordable. So yeah. So just kind of watching that process, I was like, "Ooh, okay. Well, I'm making really good money, and now I can start paying for my college." I ended up paying my whole college tuition. I never took out a loan 'cause, we were doing so well. Yeah. I was like, "Okay, let's, let's keep this going." Yeah. That's awesome. And then starting out in Arizona, what kinda brought you to the Virginia or to Virginia? I mean, obviously real estate... I ended up, you know, becoming a realtor, re-resell real estate back in Arizona and, um, you know, I, I met a boy. He lived here. Loved Arizona- but ended up moving out for a boy and, uh, continuing real estate out here. And obviously I was-- it was almost overwhelming because coming from Phoenix, which is built on a grid, newer city, right? Newer than Fairfax, Virginia. They've been around a minute, right? Yeah. Um, not under- not knowing, you know, it was a little bit of a culture shock, and it was a little bit of a, a price shock too, because I was used to homes being a certain price, and I came out here, I was like, "Whoa, okay." Yeah. And what was, what was the, what's the biggest-- was that the biggest difference? Like the, the difference in the pricing between the markets? Yeah, I mean, price is, was huge here. I mean- Mm I, you know, you weren't-- there wasn't a whole lot of like new construction at, when I move- when I got here. I mean, there, there was, but it wasn't-- I, I don't think it was prominent. You didn't know about it as much, as much as you do now, right? So when you'd search on the internet, you really couldn't find a whole lot. Mm-hmm. It was like whatever was listed was listed, and a lot of builders didn't use licensed real estate agents. They used someone in-house that would sell their product. Mm-hmm. Which was totally legit, legal. You could do all that. Definitely the price points, I was thinking in my head, "Hmm Well, if I'm commission-based, and these are a lot more expensive, then this might not be a bad deal for me. So I stayed in the game even though I didn't know anyone. I had no network. I had no nothing. I was literally transplanted from one part of the country to the other part of the country. Yeah. What was that experience like for you, you know, coming from a place where you were already established and then moving here and kinda having to build your new client base and meet all these new people? What was that like for you? Scary. It was very scary. I didn't know anybody. Mm-hmm. I mean, I knew who I was with, but that, and his friend group. But I mean, other than that, I had to kind of go out and put myself out there and meet people,

Moving To Virginia Without A Network

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because 99% of my real estate business, and I would think this goes across a lot of agents, is the relationship. Mm-hmm. I say I'm in the relationship business, I just happen to sell houses. Yeah. I happen to build houses. There you go. So the relationships come first. So I had to kinda make a lot of relationships and get to know a lot of people. And that's hard because I didn't go to school out here. It's like when everyone kinda goes to college- Mm-hmm and like everyone know- nobody knows anybody, right? You're, you're meeting everybody for the first time. It's like being older and like trying to find a friend group of girls and, other couples. Yeah. So it's a little... Yeah it, it was, it was definitely a learning curve, and it was a little hard. Plus, I didn't talk like everyone else. I had a little bit more of a you know, I came from the Valley- Yeah of California. Like, we had a lot more different slang than they did here. Right. So I definitely stood out. Mm-hmm. It was, "Yeah she's definitely- Yeah she's definitely not a local, that's for sure." Oh, man. Yeah, and so your background in new construction and design has become a differ- has become a differentiator for you. How does that experience influence the way you approach a property or advise your clients? Gosh. So yeah, real-- like design I've done a lot of design work, and I learned that through the building process. I think a lot of, You know, and they don't teach it when you get your real estate license. Like, they don't teach you how a house is actually built, how when a developer or a builder purchases land, right? And all of the instrumental kind of building blocks that goes from buying land and then putting homes on it. So I just immersed myself into that process and really wanted to know, like from the acquisition of the land to, um, all of the benchmarks that have to be hit through the counties, feasibility studies permitting, architecture, you know, site work, you know, putting, new-- if it's well and septic, turning it into public water. Like all of those things are these fundamental building blocks of building on raw land sometimes. So I just really immersed myself into getting to understand and know that on a very deep level, so when I speak to clients and they feel like, "Well, I think this is my only choice," there's actually other choices, and it's walking them through, "This is how it works. This could be for you or not." "Depends." Some people are all in, and some people are like I... Maybe I'll have someone else build it, or maybe I'll walk into a community and build kind of a a, a replication of something that I like, right? And I'm not starting from scratch." So I think giving clients, you know, a different options on real estate than just buying someone else's house- Mm-hmm I think is key in this market, and especially with millennials as we watch the baby boomer age, aging out, right? And they're transitioning onto the next chapter. Millennials are coming in and saying, "Okay, I don't know if I want that 1979 colonial, all brick with the big lawn." Uh, uh, you know? They want something fresh and new and like move-in ready. They're just a d- it's a different generation now than it was- Mm-hmm where people bought homes 'cause they needed to be good schools, close to work. Yeah. Nobody cared what the kitchen looked like. Good schools, close to work. Good commuting, right? Now it's they buy 'em for lifestyles. That's what they're doing with homes these days. It's, yeah, my work doesn't have to be right down the street, but is it near my favorite gluten-free bakery? Is it near my grocery store? Are we putting a movie theater in? Do I have my Pilates studio in my home? I think the game's changed, and either you're on board with it or you're not. Yeah. How do you keep up with things changing so constantly? Oh, yeah. That's... it's crazy. I, I think I'm pretty, cool for my age. I don't know. I have an eight-year-old son, and he doesn't think so. But I, I think I try to stay on the cutting edge of design. I love fashion. I love interior design. So I think, seeing... And it's not just, like, doing, like, an HGTV home. Like, that was a big fad. But it's also, like, what are the... You know, I, I go into tile stores. What's the cool new stone that's in? What's, you know, the new quartz that's coming out? Um, what are the new light fixtures? Like, I like all of those materials and things like that. So I think being up on that kind of end of interior design helps, whether you're gonna resale your home, and we can do a couple of light little edits to freshen up the property, or if you're gonna go full-blown all in and build something, right? We can go to the design

New Construction Insight And Design Edge

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center together, and I can really kind of point you in the right direction of how to, couple your cabinetry with your hardwood floors, with your fixtures. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes. Yeah. How do you keep your- Or how do you guide your clients through that process as well, you know, within w- for people reselling their houses like the interior design process and also the selling part? Like, how do you kinda keep them or guide them through that process? Um, well, it can be daunting and it can be overwhelming. Most people wanna sell their home. If it's a resale, they're like, "I don't-- I'm selling it, so I don't wanna do anything to it." But if we go back to what I said earlier, millennials who are buying the homes now don't really care, 'cause they're fine, right? You're not gonna mess with their, three trips a year and their mental health. They are very much like, "Listen, if you can maybe do some paint, some up- minor upgrades so we can come in and do a couple of other things," that helps It's palatable at that point for a buyer. Not so much for a seller. Sometimes they're like, "What? My house is great. It's been close to my work, and it's, great commute, and it's in good schools." That's not filling the bucket anymore. So it's really helping them understand where the market is and what the buyer profile of their home is, and I think that helps them, kind of understand, okay, what the things that we need to do pre-market before we go on the market- Mm-hmm and sell. Awesome. And so you've described yourself as being in the relationship business and just happening to sell and build homes. What does that philosophy look like in practice when you're working with your clients? I think the client always comes first. When I sit down with someone, it's-- we may not work. You may not like the way I do things, and that's okay. That's why I think an initial meeting, getting to know each other, and just having a conversation about what your goals are, what your lifestyle's like, whether you're selling, where... if you're selling, where are you moving to? Why are you moving? Really digging in deep and finding their-- the reason why they're doing what they're doing, why they're buying or why they're selling. I think that's the goal before it's showing them beautiful homes, right? 'Cause a beautiful home's gonna sell itself. That's... Forget about the price or anything like that. That's a done deal. They know in their head they need to sell and they're gonna buy or they need to buy because they wanna move up or their family's getting bigger. But it's looking for those needs, finding out the real why, why they're doing what they wanna do, making sure they understand the market and that you know, we, we take down a lot of notes with them and figure out, okay, where are we gon- where do we wanna be? How do we look at pricing? And what is your lifestyle gonna be like, and how do we make this all work- for, for them? Yeah. And then would you say educating your clients is also a big part of what you do? Huge. It's so big. I think people hear so many things on TV, and then they believe them, "oh, the economy," it's like the sky is falling. I'm in it every day. The sky isn't falling. We're all good. We're all okay. Everything's gonna be great. Everything's fine. We're... it-- you're just doing the largest... I think they say, babies being born, a death, a move, purchasing a home. I mean, these are big life- chapters. Right. So yes, it's a very big chapter in someone's life. It's a very expensive component of someone's life, so we wanna make sure we get it right, and that's why, like, really sitting down with them and talking with them is just a huge key in making sure that we're copacetic and we understand each other and we're on the same page. Yeah, especially with so much information or so much access to different information online. Totally. I think it's so important to sit down with a professional that knows what they're talking about, that's in it every day. Absolutely. Yes. And with real estate becoming increasingly influenced by technology and AI, how do you see the way people search for homes or even search for real estate agents change? So AI is, exploded, and I mean, I sold homes before AI, and yes, I sold homes, before there was the MLS, I mean, at large. That's how back... You know, you'd have a big book in front of you. So we've come exponentially such a far, far way from where things were. I think, people have to embrace it. It's part of us now, just like our phones, just like the internet, just like all the things, right? So it's embracing it, but it's also people use it now as a daily tool, so if your agent isn't up on how AI is transforming the way people search... For example, I'm a buyer, and I wanna live in Loudoun County, and I want a side load garage, and I want nice landscaping, and I want a pool that's nine foot deep on one side, but also has a part where my three-year-old can

Educating Clients Through Big Decisions

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play and, not be in the deep end. Um, I want extensive landscaping. I wanna be in a good school district. I wanna be about four miles from a Wegmans. They can get so finite in what they're looking for that one or two homes may pop up Where on the MLS, I can't put in that kind of finite information. It's a more generalized, broader search. So AI is kind of reaching those pieces of the internet, scrolling through, finding keywords, finding data points that are putting pictures and words together for my search for my side load garage in s- section of Loudoun County, for example, and I'm 4.5 minute-- miles away from my Wegmans. Mm-hmm. Great, here's five homes that fit your search criteria. Oh, and by the way, I wanna be under $1.2 million. Great. Here you go. And it's gonna do it in probably seven to eight seconds, where me putting a search together is gonna probably take me, you know, probably about 25 minutes, but I'm still not gonna get as finite as that. So it's definitely something we need to embrace, and with all of our listings, new construction or otherwise you know, we make sure that they are AEO and SEO, which I had no idea what even that meant, so whatever. I'm learning, too. But I had all of that in my descriptions. So when someone searched, they knew it was a side load garage. There's just certain key terms and certain things that you can put in there that will come up on a search, and it, it goes for the social media as well. Yeah. I de- yeah, I definitely think AI is super useful as a tool to, you know, help with everyday tasks, but I definitely don't think it can replace, like, a human connection. Yeah. 'Cause I feel like everybody's always looking for a connection with another person. I think you're so right. Real estate is such an emotional business. It's someone's home. Mm-hmm. It's somewhere they raised their children. It's where someone could have passed away in. It's some-- It could have been the first thing they purchased when they got that big job. Home just is such a footprint on someone's

AI Home Search Plus Human Trust

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identity and soul. I don't think AI can take over our jobs as agents because AI has no emotions. It's a, it's a robot. It's a- Right you know, it's a, it's data. It's, it's taking in and filtering through data. Where they're not, understanding that, hey, this person m-may be selling because maybe they're going through a divorce, they don't wanna sell. And what does that look like for them? I still think the human connection is never gonna go away in this business. It just, it doesn't, and it, a-and I don't think AI's gonna ever take that over. Absolutely. And you mentioned that you have an exciting development coming to downtown Leesburg. I do. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? I can, just a little bit. Yes, just a- little tease little sneak peek. Yeah. Since you're down in downtown Leesburg. Um, where the old piano store used to be on Market Street, so 206 East Market, um, we are building 10 luxury condominiums. And, um, same developer through The Hotel Burg is gonna be the same developer there. Very exciting. Um, we've done some floor plans together, and we've, um- He wanted my input a little bit, which I thought was really cool. Um, so we've collaborated just a little bit, and I think these floor plans are just gonna be, really incredible. I don't wanna give away too much- Mm-hmm but maybe some kind of secret rooms or something. I don't know. Oh, super exciting. So stuff that hasn't really been done yet here in the downtown area. And Leesburg has come so far, I think, since in, since last decade. The past five years even, I, I'd say, um, it's kind of going through this renaissance, and it's really cool to watch all the new stuff come up and all the boutiques, you know, thriving and new restaurants and just... I mean, we, we do the-- My office does the the garden show in April every year. I can't even tell you how many people came out for that. I was-- It was-- Pe- the streets were packed. I mean, it was, it was awesome. So I'm glad that it's getting that kind of attention. Yeah. So it's just really cool to be a part of all of this and to build something and leave kind of a legacy like when my s- I told you I had an eight-year-old son, we drive by, past something, "Oh, my mom was involved with that build." Like- Yeah that's kinda cool. That's super exciting. And what, what has it been like to watch the market change in Virginia, over the years? So I came in 2013, and, I c- we had... They call it, you know, the Great Recession. I don't-- A lot of people haven't lived... I have younger brothers and sisters that barely, they didn't even live through it. I did. I think I bought my first house in 2010. So from 20- from 2006 to, like, 2016 was, like, a real dark period. I moved to Northern Virginia area in 2013. We were-- It wasn't... I mean, it was w- doing well here, but prices were still down. There were some effects here. Um, I feel like we're a little bit sheltered in this area, but there was definitely some, some effects to that in this market. But I think since we've gotten out of that, we're, I mean, way past that, and with all the new development and new-- because of all the new industry that's come here. So much new industry over the last four or five years. So that's brought people out here, and a lot of counties have changed their zoning in terms of population density, right? That's another big benchmark for builders as well is, "Okay, if we build something, can we even build it for this many people? How does this affect traffic? How does it affect our schools? How does it affect our roads," right? "How does it affect more people being on the grid, more electricity being used?" So all those things come into play when you're you know, building and thinking about that. So yeah, I- I think that's- Yeah. That's so interesting. I feel like there's a lot of pieces that people don't think about in real estate. Yeah. Yeah. So many things. And then since being in-- or f-f-from being in the market for such a long time, how have the experiences working with so many different people changed your view on,

Leesburg Luxury Condos And Market Shifts

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just how you operate? I... There's a saying in our business, like nev- not every transaction will be the same, right? No two transactions are ever gonna be the same. So I, whether good, bad, or in between, and usually they're good, check my reviews, but, I think you have to-- I learn something from every transaction that I do, right? Everything I sell or buy, I learn something. We don't know everything. I think people want us to know everything, but we don't, right? And, you know, some homes are built, ver- long time ago, and there's some fantastic agents that are, deal with only historic homes. It just kinda depends on, you know, what you're buying or wanting to sell and, and having really the right agent for the job, right? The right tool for the job, the right agent for the job. So I think, yeah, I try to take a little, learn something new from each transaction that I do, and if there's something that I don't know, I definitely try to get educated on it. And, uh, obviously, the more transactions, the more you do, the more seasoned you become and experienced you become. Mm-hmm. But there's always something that I'm not gonna know. Yeah. Can't know everything. There's always something to learn from. Always. Yeah. And looking ahead, what are you most excited about in your business and in the Northern Virginia market, and what do you hope people will come to know you for? Obviously my background's new construction, so I think anything that's being built or going to be built is just very cool. It's just something new. It's fresh. It's exciting. Um, you don't know what it's gonna look like yet. You don't know what the new, designs are gonna be, and, and that kinda keeps me, up on my game. Um, so that's always exciting. And, the Northern Virginia market is just such a great market. It's always has been, you know? I don't think that's going anywhere. I think people know, w- we've set a precedence here. People know, and they move here from other parts of the country. I do a lot of relocation buyers too, 'cause I was a relocation- Mm person at one point, so I know what it's like to move across country. It's a lot. It's a lot. So yeah, just kind of, you know, explaining to them the market, and people know when they come here, "Okay, we know that there's great schools. We know that there's, we're an hour, if not less, to Washington, D.C. Like, how cool is that? I can go to any m- any monument, any museum. It's fr- it's awesome. You can't do that anywhere. So I think it's just a really cool area. Yeah. No, we are in such a great space. You know, we have DC, we have the mountains, and then- Oh, gosh we have the beaches as well. You got, you've got it all. Yeah. We got it all. We got wine country. You're right, you can go ride a horse. The next day you can be in the monuments. Yep. You can be, yep, or at the beach, absolutely. Yeah, there you go. And for someone relocating to Northern Virginia who may be overwhelmed by the market or unsure to where to begin, what do you think they should understand about the area before making a move? I think it's connecting with, you know, myself or a very experienced agent that's maybe, had to do that trip, and I did that. I mean, I went from one coast to another. That's a big move. Um, and not that they have to be from the other side of the, world, but, you know, if they are, that's okay, too. Um, I think it's getting with someone that's gonna really understand the market and what your lifestyle is, right? Where-- Obviously, where are you gonna be working, where, you know, if you have children or not, dogs or not, animals or not. Do you wanna be on a farm in Middleburg? Do, are horses important to you? Or, you know, do you wanna be in downtown Falls Church? G- getting up, getting your yoga class in- getting a cup of coffee. You know, it, it-- you can have every lifestyle across the board here. So it's really kinda knowing your lifestyle, where you wanna be, and, um, and I think things will start to fall into place and We will find the right- Yeah the right area for you, for sure. Mm-hmm. And then I do think you have an interesting perspective too, because you've went through the relocating process, so you have that experience to be able to guide them- Yeah a little bit better. Yeah. Yeah. And for anyone looking to buy, sell, or learn more about real estate, where can they find and connect with you? Um, my website is probably the best place to go. We do a ton of blogs. I think we have a ton of guides on relocating, new construction, first-time home buyer. So if you need any information at all and maybe you're not ready to speak with me just yet, you can follow me on social media as well. My website is www.rachelvanzanten.com,

Relocation Tips And How To Connect

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and you can follow me on Instagram, and I'm also on Facebook. You can just look up my name for Facebook, and then Instagram, I'm at, @rvzluxeproperties, and that's where you can find me there. Awesome. And as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that we haven't touched on today? Gosh, I feel like we, we could go on for hours. Oh, gosh. I don't know. I mean, I'm just, um... Yeah, I think with the new project coming downtown, we've got some other stuff in the works. I think we should stay connected 'cause it's-- there's gonna be some fun stuff coming up, so- Sounds exciting so stay tuned. Stay tuned. Awesome. Thank you so much, Rachel, for joining me on "The Alimond Show." I wish you the very best in all that comes your way in the future. Thank you so much for having me. This was fun.