Pleasanton, CA — November 7, 2025 — NextHome is proud to announce our newest addition to the franchise, NextHome Partners Realty, located in Henrico, Virginia. The brokerage joins the growing NextHome franchise that currently has more than 600 active office locations across the country.
NextHome Partners Realty supports clients throughout a busy corridor of Central Virginia, covering areas from the outskirts of Richmond to the Atlantic Coast. NextHome Partners agents are ready to help wherever client demand leads—whether that’s Richmond, Williamsburg, Henrico, Hanover, Chesterfield, Virginia Beach, Newport News, or other cities across Henrico and Chesterfield counties.
NextHome Partners Realty emphasizes partnering with the client throughout each step of their transaction, creating real estate experiences defined by trust and communication. This unique approach to real estate is led by the knowledgeable ownership team of Katherine E. McLean and Dara J. Friedlander. Both women are exceptionally talented at guiding clients through residential real estate transactions, including military relocation, luxury, investment, detached homes, condos, land, short sales, relocation, first-time home buying, property management, staging, and more.
Dara has been a Virginia real estate professional for more than 21 years, building a loyal following of repeat clients through exceptional service.
A lifetime local, Dara began her career in 2004. Dara’s love of real estate started with her beloved mother. Together, the family would load up the car and explore all the new home construction sites around town. As a child, Dara developed a keen eye for what worked and what did not in home building at her mother’s prodding to understand construction and design.
Then at 15 years old, Dara spent her summers shadowing a local REALTOR® and close family friend.
“My mom taught me how to look at a house and really understand it,” Dara said. “Real estate is a big piece of my history.”
Although she first obtained her real estate license in 1988, Dara spent her early professional years launching successful retail stores throughout the Henrico area.
In 2004, real estate recaptured Dara’s full attention. More than two decades later, a slew of awards, accolades, and repeat clients tell the story of Dara’s unparalleled talents. She became one of the earliest recipients of the prestigious RE/MAX Hall of Fame award and Dara is consistently a top agent at both the office and state level. However, her greatest accolade is her client’s long-term loyalty.
“I have several repeat and investment clients who I have been working with for more than 18+ years, and earning that trust is something I am more proud of than any award,” Dara said.
That shared interest in relationships-based real estate connected Katherine and Dara while working at the same brokerage.
“Dara cares about her clients–thats why people continue to refer to her,” Katherine said. “She looks out for her clients interests at all costs. It’s not about the numbers for her; it’s about the person.”
After spending 14 years as a teacher, Katherine obtained her real estate license in 2016. Her experiences moving numerous times throughout her husband’s military service gave Katherine a unique empathy for the home buying and selling experience. In addition to her heartfelt client care, Katherine is exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to Virginia’s wide-ranging contracts.
“Katherine is incredibly well-versed in multiple MLS systems across the state and knows contracts, laws, and details better than anyone I’ve worked with,” Dara said. “Even with my 20-plus years in the business, I trust her expertise completely.”
Katherine’s drive for excellent client service led her to look into opening her own franchise. After discovering all that NextHome had to offer, Katherine had to share the remarkable things she learned with Dara.
“When I read the franchise’s Humans Over Houses stories and saw how much NextHome has grown over the years, I was genuinely impressed,” Dara said. “NextHome is truly a one-stop source that puts people first—both literally and figuratively—and that makes a real difference in the client experience. The systems are seamless, the tools are top-notch, and the support helps our agents and clients thrive.”
Today, NextHome Partners Realty combines Dara and Katherine’s exceptional talents with NextHome’s support to give clients real estate experiences they want to talk about with their friends and family.
“Real estate is the residual of the relationship,” Katherine said. “If you treat people well, and focus on relationship building the business will come. That’s what we want to emphasize–we are the real estate company that wants to partner with you, and focus on building trusting relationships that last a lifetime.”
Please join us in congratulating Dara and Katherine on the opening of NextHome Partners Realty in Henrico, Virginia!
Interested in being a part of the NextHome Real Estate Franchise? Contact VP of Sales Charis Moreno at Charis@NextHome.com.
Each office is an independently owned and operated business.