Foster began his real estate career in 1963 as a sales manager at Minchew Corporation, a home building company.

In 1966, he moved to Nelson Realty as vice president of sales before founding Long & Foster.

[4] It is part of The Long & Foster Companies, a family of businesses in the real estate and financial services industries.

In September 2017, Berkshire Hathaway's HomeServices of America bought Long & Foster.

The company has multiple lines of business that support buying, selling and owning real estate including the sale and purchase of residential (existing and new construction) and commercial properties and land; mortgage, title and settlement services, insurance and home warranties, home inspections, moving services, property management, vacation rentals, new home sales and marketing for builders and developers, and corporate real estate services for relocation and business development.