Two companies with over a century of combined real estate experience will join forces starting in 2024, resulting in a new business with more ways to “work better together” and better serve customers and communities. .
Classic Real Estate and Donald E. Fender, Inc. are merging to form ERA Donald Fender Classic Real Estate. The company will officially start its new operations on January 1, 2024. Both businesses were acquired by Jeremy Raby of ERA Real Solutions. Jenny Hilterbran, current owner and broker of Classic Real Estate, will serve as the company’s principal broker. (She emphasized, “I’m not retiring and I’m not sick.”)
LaVey acquired Donald E. Fender Inc. Realtors in 2016, according to current Fender broker Amy Davis. The company will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023. The company has now acquired Classic Real Estate and is celebrating its 33rd anniversary this year. — Two of the area’s largest real estate companies are merging into one of his.
“The ownership has changed, but the leadership has not changed,” Hilterbran said.
“We may be owned by Jeremy, but we are locally managed and operated,” Davis added. “All decisions are made locally.”
Classic and Fender offices made the official announcement at a joint Christmas party with agents and families.
Hilterbran and Davis both said the merger would allow them to be “stronger” and “better together.”
“We are full service,” Davis said. “We do property management, auctions, residential, commercial and land sales.”
Combined, the two offices have more than 30 agents, “basically one-third of the county,” Davis said. In addition to strength in numbers, Hilterbran pointed out that there is also the advantage of having a large number of agents with decades of service and countless awards. Together, the two real estate companies have more than 100 years of experience, and the auctioneer, Rick Williams Auction Company, has been in business for his 45 years.
Classic agents include Hilterbran (broker), Jonathan Abernathy, Randy Butler, Shannon Chain, Robin Coomer, Katie Condo, Tracy Hancock, Jared Howland, Judith Newman, Emily Stroud, Brigette Wagoner, and Rick Williams (broker) .
Fender agents include Davis (broker), Dane Adkins, Lisa Armstrong, Joe Bryan (broker), Jeremy Burton, Carla Crozer, Karen Davis, Rhonda Florence, Willie Hollingsworth, Roy -Includes Kissick, Connie Miller Fender, Rabecca O’Neal, and Pete Pence. , Karen Preston, Kaylin Preston, Ronnie Pardin, Christina Ross, Curtis Ross, Tim Ross, Penny Shaw, Maribeth Urallis, Shane Wilkin.
“We’re all really excited,” Hilterbran said. “For agents, they have access to far more tools and marketing than ever before. What I explained to them is that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
Through ERA, she and Davis are part of Anywhere Real Estate (formerly known as Realogy), which also includes Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Sotheby’s. He said he entered. According to the company’s website (https://anywhere.re), Anywhere is “the world’s largest real estate brokerage franchisor with over 19,000 offices and approximately 318,000 salespeople operating under franchise brands in approximately 115 countries around the world. I’m Izar.”
“They have top-of-the-line tools, which we would never have been able to do as an independent company,” Davis says. “I can tell you from experience, this is just a good model. You have the tools, you are benefiting from all the money, like you said, reinventing the wheels that are already in place. There are all sorts of things that you can’t do. That’s amazing. They have a learning university where agents can go online and take classes.”
Agents from both offices will continue to operate out of their current locations at 221 North High Street and 123 West Main Street in Hillsboro, so clients can expect to continue working with their regular agents without interruption. Masu.
“Real estate is not only an individual sport, but also a team sport,” Hilterbran said.
“And now we’re just putting it together,” Davis added. “We are strong and deep in sales, auctioneers and property management.”
In total, the firm will be starting five brokers (including Lavie), which Davis and Hilterbran said are “a huge advantage.”
“Most firms only have one licensed broker, so having five is a clear benefit for agents and clients,” Davis says.
As the primary broker, Hilterbran will be “responsible for all agents,” Davis explained, but other brokers will also be able to help meet agents’ needs.
“Nothing has changed, but it is getting better,” Hilterbran said. “This office has a family culture above all else, and I hope that doesn’t change.
“Let’s say you’re trying to buy a house from me and you can’t get in touch with me. If you talk to an agent here, they’ll stop by and help you and do what you need to do.”
The community can expect to see the new logo on signage and advertising at the company’s properties throughout the region, including various sponsorships such as local sports teams.
“It may take a few months, but we are going to change everything,” Hilterbran said. “One company will have two locations.”
“If you look at the sign, you don’t know if that’s what it is. [the Classic] office or [the Fender] Please leave everything in the office except the agent’s name,” Davis added. “It’s going to be one team, one sign.”
“It’s a win-win for the agency because you’ll see us everywhere,” Hilterbran said of the billboards.
“My mother used to say, ‘The one with the most signatures wins,'” she says.
As for her mother, the late Joyce Fender, the merger was special for Hilterbran and Davis from a personal perspective. Davis said the two grew up “apart from home” and started their real estate careers together at Classic, founded by Joyce Fender. When Davis received a letter saying she had passed her real estate license exam, she said Fender was sympathetic, too.
“When I took the test, it was completely different than it was back then,” Davis said. “I had to go to the state and then I had to wait for my results to arrive in the mail. Once I got them, I had no idea.
“Joyce took me to a listing appointment and she said, ‘Let’s stop by your house and see if there’s any mail in your mailbox.’ I’ll never forget this, and it was.”
After Davis joined Classic, Davis said Hilterbran “wrote my first contract” when he sold his first home.
“You were sitting there and your mom said, ‘Jenny, this is where we sign the contract,'” Davis told Hilterbran, and they both laughed at the memory. “You had just gotten your license when you wrote this.”
Hilterbran said Fender has been a “good teacher” for her and Davis, as they have been leaders of their respective companies for decades.
Additionally, both Fender and Classic are well known for their community involvement and being locally owned and operated businesses. That “will never change,” Hilterbran said.
“When I say we’re better together, I mean what we’ve always considered to be the two strongest companies in town are merging under one umbrella,” Hilterbran said. “It’s a big change, but it’s very exciting.
“Change is always difficult, always stressful, but usually for the better.”
“It’s just growth,” Davis added. “That’s very smart. That makes sense.”