Jennifer Layton

They say that people are happiest when they love the work they do. I didn’t find my calling until I was in my 40s but it had been staring me in the face my whole life. I grew up in the Navy and my family moved every three or four years. Everywhere we went, no matter how small or run-down our base housing was, my mother always made it feel like home…like we had been there forever. I started a career in government contracting in the mid 1980s because it was the thing to do. I worked at the Pentagon and the Naval Research Lab, which sounded exciting but it was truly boring. I didn’t feel that I was accomplishing anything of value. After I got married, I decided it was time for a change. I worked as an administrator for a small real estate company in Northern Virginia. Still, I wasn’t quite happy. I had children, moved to Fredericksburg and became a full-time mom. I loved it! I would think back to all the places I had lived as a child and it would always remind me of how important it was to make my home a sanctuary…a place to feel safe, loved and accepted no matter what. I had created that for my family and didn’t even realize it had happened. It was so ingrained in me that it came naturally. I think this may have been my mother’s greatest gift to me. So, if I tell you that this isn’t business, maybe you’ll understand. Yes, I have done very well in the business of real estate but it isn’t because I’m "all business." It’s because I’m "all personal." You need a sanctuary, a place you love to come home to, a place to feel safe and happy no matter what kind of day you’ve had. Let me get to know you, understand your goals, witness your family dynamic, listen to your history…then I can show you how the purchase or sale of your home fits into your life.