Weichert Realtors Press Release

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. – Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. reported a spate of affiliated office openings over a recent three-day period.  During that time, the rapidly growing franchise arm of Weichert, Realtors® added seven franchise offices in locations on the East and West Coasts and around the Great Lakes.   The total included five newly affiliated companies as well as the expansions of two existing franchisees.  

Welcoming the new affiliates, Martin J. Rueter, president of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, said, “Our market presence is strengthening as the nation’s broker community becomes increasingly aware of the uniqueness of Weichert’s business-model-based franchise with its defined way of operating.”  

The new Weichert® affiliates include:

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - America First Team, Concord, Calif.  Julie Rogers and Rob Robertson are the owners of Weichert’s first franchise in the Golden State’s Contra Costa County/East Bay market.  Rogers is broker of record. 
  

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Channing Real Estate, Cambridge, Mass.   Located in Harvard Square, this 20-year-old company is owned by Broker Bill Luther and Senior Vice President/Relocation & Sales Director Catherine Luther.

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Cass Realty, Dearborn, Mich.  Ronald “Ron” La Casse, Jr. is the broker/owner of this six-year-old real estate firm.

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Town & Country, Saginaw, Mich.  This new Weichert affiliate serving the Saginaw Bay area is owned by Broker Susan Mary Carter.
  

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Community Group, Mankato, Minn. Rich Draheim and Jon Kietzer are the owners of Weichert’s third Minnesota affiliate.  Draheim is broker of record.
  

The two Weichert affiliates that expanded over that three-day span include:

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Quality Homes, under Broker/Owner Anthony Atkinson, opened a second N.Y. location in Hempstead, L.I.   Its original Long Island office in Baldwin was among the first 34 offices to sign on with Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. in its initial year in 2002.
  

• WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Hunter Properties, owned by Broker Cheryl Deschenes and Pat Fellmann, launched a second Massachusetts office in North Attleboro. The company’s original Plainville office was voted a 2006 Model Office within the Weichert franchise organization.

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates launched its first franchise office in January 2002 and now serves more than 330 markets in 32 states.

Weichert has nearly 19,300 sales associates in over 500 company-owned and franchised sales offices in key markets throughout the U.S.  A family of full-service real estate and financial services companies, Weichert helps customers buy and sell both residential and commercial real estate, and streamlines the delivery of mortgages and home and title insurance.  For more information, call Weichert's customer service center at 1-800-USA-SOLD or visit Weichert's Web site, www.weichert.com. Each Weichert franchised office is independently owned and operated.

###