Santa Rosa, CA – September 16, 2011 – The three former Santa Rosa and Petaluma offices of Pacific Union have merged with the Wine Country Group by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Owned by Coralee Barkela and Suzanne Drace since 2006, the offices and Petaluma office have a total of 37 agents. Ms. Barkela will remain with the company as a top producing agent, and Ms. Drace will remain as the branch manager of both the Santa Rosa and Petaluma offices.
“Six months ago, Wine Country Group was formed in order to give buyers and sellers a high end choice,” said Ed Krafchow, chairman of the board. “Wine Country Group has quietly and steadily attracted top agents at the high end of the luxury business to this new brand.”
Since February of this year, Wine Country Group has grown to 11 offices and 219 agents.
“We are truly excited about this new association,” said Coralee Barkela. “We have joined a powerhouse brokerage firm with a strong legacy; Mason-McDuffie Real Estate dates back more than 120 years in the Bay Area. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a fresh, innovative lifestyle brand that is the real estate brand of the future,” she added. “It provides our agents with a significant upgrade in technology and marketing services, and gives them the tools they need to speak to today’s consumer.”
In February of this year, seven offices and 180 agents with the former wine country offices of Frank Howard Allen merged with the Wine Country Group by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. In June, Frank Howard Allen Sebastopol merged its 30 agents with the Sebastopol office of the Wine Country Group by Better Homes and Gardens.
The company’s network now consists of 40 offices and 2,000 real estate agents throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada. It ranked as the 17th largest real estate company in the country in 2010. (Source: RISMedia)
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to partner with a highly regarded local company with great leadership,” added Krafchow. “Pacific Union Santa Rosa and Petaluma has enjoyed success over a five year period and ranks as one of the most productive firms serving this area. This merger provides us with some strong momentum to grow our presence in the Wine Country.”
“We are pleased to now be affiliated with Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and their Luxury Real Estate web platform,” said Barkela. “We’re also excited about ‘Distinctive Collection,’ Better Homes and Garden’s luxury real estate platform, which offers exceptional tools and exposure to attract buyers to Wine Country from all over the country and the world. Additionally, our affiliation with Cartus, the industry leader in global mobility and workforce development support, will give us relocation services that are the best in the industry.”
The Wine Country Group’s offices are in Santa Rosa (2), Petaluma, Sonoma, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Cloverdale, Bodega Bay, Glen Ellen, Napa and St. Helena. The firm expects to continue to grow its footprint in other Sonoma and Napa County market areas.
For further information, contact Cathy Harrington at 925.525.0946.
About Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate
Our heritage began with the founding of Mason-McDuffie Real Estate in 1887. In 2009, the company was named the 19th largest real estate services firm in the nation, and Number One in the San Francisco East Bay. The company provides comprehensive solutions to home buyers and sellers, and handled more than 7,300 transactions in 2010, generating $2.9 billion in sales. Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate is independently owned and operated and includes joint ventures with partners J F Finnegan Realtors, Highland Partners in Piedmont, Wine Country Group Realtors in the North Bay, and Tri-Valley Realty in Pleasanton-Hopyard and Ruby Hill. The organization is comprised of more than 2,000 sales professionals in 40 offices. For more information, go to winecountrygroup.com.