Local homebuilder, Miller & Smith, is signaling its 60th year in business by building
on common ground for a very particular 55+ niche buyer at Nationally Award-winning
community, Birchwood at Brambleton in Ashburn, VA. The builder, who has been building in the
community since 2001, is opening up the luxury of choice with four distinct home styles to
satisfy the diverse needs of this unique market.
From large single-family homes, two unique courtyard style designs and the elevator
brownstones, running the gamut to meet the need with variety. With vastly different ways to
live, residents have access to the universally appreciated amenities that both appeal to the
entire Brambleton neighborhood and those that are specific to active adults. The sense of
community has been permanently set with decades of imagination fueling its success. Over two
decades later Brambleton has won countless awards, including most recently Best in American
Living in 2019 at the International Builders’ Show.
“Brambleton is highly sought after, so we see buyers who both have a connection to the
community and to Miller & Smith,” says Eric Hansen, long-time Sales Manager for Miller &
Smith. “We are seeing people moving to be closer to their children who live in Brambleton, and
we are seeing folks who currently live here and are looking to stay, but with a better home to
age in place. Bottom line, they trust Miller & Smith’s homes.”
Miller & Smith also has a reputation that precedes them, both within the community of
Brambleton and throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland. Since 1964, the Virginia based
homebuilder has helped over 20,000 homebuyers in 130 different communities find their way
home. Earning over 500 awards for design and construction excellence, along the way.
According to Hansen, the 55+ homebuyer at Birchwood is not only familiar with this legacy, but
it also aligns with their particular requirements as they search for their final homes.
“This buyer sees the quality of what they are getting in a Miller & Smith home, they know our
reputation, their friends see it as they drive through our existing communities that have tripled
in value,” says Hansen. “Each one of our communities is so unique, so you’re not going to see
the same house being built in multiple places. So, ultimately, you’re not competing with
yourself.”
As homebuyers prepare to sell their homes and settle into a brand-new home after 55, Miller &
Smith recognizes the emotion involved in the process. It is in the relationship building that adds
to the reputation of this builder, who has seen return customers come back to their final
Brambleton neighborhood. The connections to home, community and even the homebuying
process is the trifecta that keeps Miller & Smith competitive after six decades in business and
over two decades in this community.“
This is someone’s home and they need to feel it,” says Hansen. “So, it’s in the careful listening
where you can find that match in the home that is right for them. You must truly believe in that
process, and I do.”