At Home in the Countryside

At Home in the Countryside

Sebastain Langenberg with Marshmallow. Attire from Country Classics, C. & D. Rigden and Son of Middleburg.

Photo by Doug Gehlsen Middleburg Photo

Thirty-one-year-old Sebastian Langenberg grew up in nearby Amissville, attended Wakefield School in The Plains and graduated from Wakefield Country Day School in Flint Hill. He’s also a graduate of the University of Mary Washington with a degree in Classics and “I knew I wanted to stay here and have a farm where I could raise my family.”

He also started to play polo at age ten and still competes. And that Classics degree led him to another more scholarly pastime. He can read and write ancient Greek, and has taught classes for youngsters on the same subject.

The most challenging part of my work is to serve, educate, inspire, and inform during a global pandemic in a way that is sustainable and non-polarizing in a charged political environment. It is my work and life’s blood to bring everyone together—to learn from and listen to one another, uphold academic rigor, reenforce bonds, break down walls, and find truth in the past, present, and future.

Sebastian and his wife, Sophie, purchased land just outside town in 2015 and named it Poplar Path. They’ve now accomplished their goal of staying in the area with their 17-month old son, Berend. “We’re so lucky to have achieved that dream and hope to give Berend a similar upbringing to my own,” he noted.

A real estate agent for the past seven years, he’s now team leader of the Langenberg Real Estate Group at Middleburg Real Estate.

“I like working with first-time home buyers and helping them navigate the process to find the home of their dreams. I take my job guiding them very seriously.”

In 2021, Sebastian completed 24 transactions in six counties. “There were a number of families moving to the area from the city,” he added, “and I was happy to help them learn more about our rural way of life.”

Sebastian knows plenty about life in these parts and he’d like to see his son enjoy similar experiences.

“A lot of people have known me since I was very little. Seeing me now with a child of my own still throws people for a loop. It means a lot to me to raise Berend in a place where I know we have love and support from our friends and neighbors.”

As Berend grows up, Sebastian hopes Middleburg “will be the same,” at least in terms of being able to ride, fox hunt, go to the races at Glenwood and watching the Christmas Parade.

That said, “encroaching development” remains a concern, but conservation efforts “protect us but more has to be done to ensure that future growth comes about the right way.”

In addition to his work and family Sebastian, donates time and eggs to the local charity, Seven Loaves.

“The thought of a local family, especially children, having food insecurity is very hard for me to imagine. I regularly donate our eggs to the food bank and contribute financially. I would encourage all Middleburg residents to make it part of their routine to donate an item or two when they go grocery shopping.”