The Proudcastle Philosophy (Note: Proudcastle comes from the German name Stolzenburg, which besides serving as Kathy’s married name, just happens to perfectly describe our real estate philosophy): No matter how grand the palace or quaint the cottage, big or small, old or new, we believe everybody’s home should be their castle—a solid place of warmth and security, of dreams and memories and enduring happiness. We’re speaking of something more than a shelter, we’re speaking of home. Or at least that’s the way we feel about our Proudcastles. If you do too, we’d love to work with you. We bring nearly forty years of combined experience at helping people find and sell their home. From first time buyers and sellers, to seasoned owners looking to new horizons, through booming economies and bad, we’ve relished our role in guiding clients and friends safely and happily through the gauntlets of hype and hard-sell, to the Proudcastles we also call home. Kathleen Stolzenburg Kathy has returned to real estate after an interim career focusing on her other great passion, helping animals. During that time, she managed programs for the non-profit group, The Nature Conservancy, guiding donors in their desires to protect habitat for rare plants and animals. In her spare time she also served as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, tending to injured and orphaned animals and helping them back to their wild homes. Some would ask, why now real estate? To Kathy’s mind, it’s actually just another way of helping others find their home: “I actually feel that I'm making more of a difference now, and in a much more direct way. The satisfaction that I feel when I help someone sell their home--and make it a pleasant experience--or find the home of their dreams and then negotiate a transaction perfect to their needs, is just the best. I've always been a relationship person, and for me the ultimate satisfaction is in making new friends while accomplishing something so important for them along the way.” Kathy still stops to rescue any injured animals she finds; it’s just her nature. And it’s that same caring nature that now has her tirelessly scanning the neighborhoods and testing the markets to find the perfect home or homebuyer for her human friends in need. Jean Rousek Jean has been a Realtor for more than thirty years, along the way achieving her GRI, CRS and broker designations, as well as the premier standing as Life Member Top Producer. Born in Nebraska, Jean married and eventually settled in Northern Virginia, where she honed her distinctive Realtor’s style and helped raise her only child, Kathy, who has grown to be her best friend and business partner. Jean in her experience has seen just about every situation imaginable in the realm of buying and selling one’s home. Housing booms and busts, hidden gems and lurking nightmares, she has navigated real estate’s smooth and stormy times alike, and come away with a confidence that can’t be forged or faked. Chances are, Jean has been around your block, or the one you might be looking to move to. She knows a diamond in the rough from a disaster in the making, and making sure you get the diamond is the keystone in Jean’s philosophical foundation: “I simply will not put somebody in a home or neighborhood I wouldn’t let my own daughter live in.” As those who’ve benefitted from her experience can vouch, there isn’t a more calming voice in the business.