Lynn Wiley: A Real Estate Love Affair

Lynn Wiley

Lynn Wiley: A Real Estate Love Affair

By Leonard Shapiro

There are many reasons Lynn Wiley got into the real estate business more than 30 years ago, but it’s not hard to pinpoint several that are always at the top of her list.

“I love the opportunity to meet people and assist in filling their wish list and making dreams come true,” said Wiley, a long-time Lynn Wiley resident of The Plains who recently joined Middleburg-based Sheridan-MacMahon Realtors.

“Buying or selling a home is a major decision for the vast majority of people,” she added. “An agent gets to know the client and many times they become friends. That’s the bonus part of the job.”

Wiley has made countless friends over her career, not to mention made many dreams come true.

A native of southwestern Virginia, she’s lived in Norfolk, Richmond and Lynchburg as an adult. Her real estate career began in the fall of 1989. She had recently married the late and much-admired Jim Wiley, then working as an agent for Thomas and Talbot.

Lynn Wiley was new to the Middleburg area and initially began looking for a sales job in the Northern Virginia suburbs until the reality of the Washington area’s suffocating traffic became all too clear.

“I quickly realized my tolerance for congestion and slow traffic were not a fit, so I started looking for a position close by,” she said. “Jim had been involved in real estate all his life and suggested I pursue a real estate license, learn the local geography and find a company where I could learn the business.

“By the summer of 1990, I was licensed and learning. From there my interest level accelerated and eventually Jim and I opened James L. Wiley II Real Estate Inc. in 1992 in The Plains. We worked together for over 20 years until Jim retired.”

Lynn Wiley did not, moving to what was then known as Armfield, Miller and Ripley Real Estate. “They were so great to work with,” she said, “and offered the support I needed at the time.”

Wiley also has always been interested in architecture and land design, and she said seeing and showing properties clearly has helped enhance that interest.

“I am so fortunate to have landed in a beautiful part of the country, where the vistas are amazing and the people appreciate their surroundings,” she said. “Finding someone a home or selling one, its all about being in the right space and place.”

Wiley also finds herself in other rewarding spaces and places around the countryside, a major reason she decided on her new firm.

“Being a part of the community where I live and work is important and giving back to the community is part of what makes a community tick,” she said. “I’ve worked on projects through the PEC to improve habitats and keep our community from becoming over-developed.”

Wiley has been a key figure in the Middleburg Spring Race Association to help provide a first-class steeplechasing venue. And she’s much involved with the Middleburg Community Center.

“I find being at Sheridan-MacMahon, these interests are supported,” she said.

Not to mention making even more home-owner dreams come true.

Property Writes: Historic Halfway Farm Offers a Full Measure of Spectacular Amenities

One of countless breathtaking views at Halfway Farm.

The privacy-protected views and charming historic residences at Halfway Farm come to the market for the first time in nearly 60 years. With 107 acres located just four miles from Middleburg and The Plains, the historic property offers a variety of residences of character within a rich array of natural resources and rural amenities.

The residential enclave and farm buildings are tucked far off the Halfway Road. With beautiful views of pasture, farmland, and Turner Mountain beyond, alignment to the east provides extraordinary light across the farm, particularly at sunrise and sunset.

Halfway Farm and its neighbors are under conservation easement, promising unspoiled enjoyment of this rural beauty for generations to come.

The main house, circa 1820, is a classic Virginia stone and stucco residence with four bedrooms, four baths, living room with fireplace, library with fireplace and bar. There’s an

An overhead look at the historic property.

The expansive formal dining room.

The library with exquisite antique paneling.

The living room includes an often blazing fireplace.

enclosed porch, dining room, open kitchen, solarium, and laundry room. Beautiful antique floors and rich pine paneling give great character to the house.

Three lovely dwellings flank the main house. There are two one-bedroom guest houses and a spacious stone cottage, with one bedroom and dressing room, a second bedroom or office, one bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and mudroom/laundry. Lawns and gardens within the enclave offer privacy to each dwelling.

Sited off the stable entrance, the farm manager’s house also boasts great views, with three bedrooms, three baths, open living room and kitchen, enclosed porch, and a deck. This area includes a stable and large machine storage shed and workshop. A separate stable entrance serves the farm manager‘s house and farm buildings.

The farm features 39 acres of pasture that is fenced for horses, 19 acres in hay and two stables with a total of nine stalls, feed and tack rooms. The 45 acres of mature forest include poplar, sycamore and oak trees, and is crossed by the Little River. It also contains a dramatic three-story rock quarry that offers scenic walks. Two ponds are managed for wildlife, including kingfishers, herons migrating ducks.

For more than 60 years, Halfway Farm has been a historic fixture in the heart of the Orange County Hunt. For many years, The hunt’s Christmas meet on the property has been a popular fixture, and in June, the farm also hosts the local U.S. Pony Club camp for very young riders.

With nearly every farm on the Halfway Road now under easement, the beautiful views, farmland, forest and wildlife will be preserved for succeeding generations.

Halfway Farm

Sheridan-MacMahon Realtors

Property: Halfway Farm, The Plains, Virginia Price: $3.975 million Listing Agent: Helen MacMahon 540-454-1930

Lynn Wiley resident of The Plains who recently joined Middleburg-based Sheridan-MacMahon Realtors.

The Little River runs through the property.