Coldwell Banker Acquires Curtiss & Crandon

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., has acquired the assets of The Four Star Corp, which operates as Curtiss & Crandon Realtors in Newtown. The single-office firm will now operate under the banner of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

This marks the second acquisition in Newtown for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the past year. In September 2004, the company acquired Bob Tendler Real Estate, a long-established local business. With this announcement, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage will now have two offices in Newtown, the Curtiss & Crandon offices at 45 South Main Street and Bob Tendler’s office at 17 Church Hill Road.

“This acquisition gives us a great opportunity to further expand our presence in Newtown, an area that is thriving and represents the fifth-largest town in the state,” said Peggy Doepper, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County.

 “We are delighted to welcome the talented real estate professionals of Curtiss & Crandon Realtors to our company,” she said.

The newly combined company is now the largest residential real estate brokerage in Newtown, according to local multiple listing statistics, the company said.

The acquisition of Curtiss & Crandon Realtors continues Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s expansion in Connecticut and reinforces its position as the state’s No. 1 residential real estate brokerage in closed sales volume, according to the 2004 Real Trends Real Facts database.

With this acquisition, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage now has a total of 42 offices and more than 2,100 sales associates statewide.

Established in 1982, Curtiss & Crandon Realtors had a total closed sales volume of approximately $80 million during the last 12 months. The company’s three principals, John Klopfenstein, Merrilee Currier, and Jan Wilson, will remain with the office, which includes 22 sales associates.

“Joining forces with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is a winning combination,” said Ms Currier. “Our agents will have access to tremendous marketing, technological, and training opportunities which will enable us to enhance the services and exposure we can offer our clients. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is in touch with today’s consumer and we are thrilled to be under their banner.”

John Klopfenstein has been in the real estate business for more than 35 years. He served as president of the Newtown Board of Realtors in 1981, 1982 and 1992, and was named Realtor of the Year in 1975 and 1981 by the Newtown Board of Realtors. He is a member of Employee Relocation Council (ERC) and previously served on the Economic Development Commission.

Merrilee Currier has been active in real estate since 1986. She was awarded Realtor of the Year in 1994 by the Newtown Board of Realtors, and currently serves as director of the Consolidated Multiple Listing Service of Fairfield County.

Jan Wilson, born and raised in Newtown, is a 25-year real estate veteran who specializes in new construction and land development. She is actively involved on the Newtown Board of Realtors and serves as sponsorship chair. Ms Wilson previously served as president of the Newtown Ambulance Board of Directors.

The Curtiss & Crandon office in Newtown was one of eight that originally operated under the Curtiss & Crandon name.

“Eighty years ago there was a man by the name of Curtiss who was a broker in the Bridgeport-Fairfield area. His daughter married a man named [Phil] Crandon,” Mr Klopfenstein said. “Phil Crandon probably was in his 70s at the time that the Curtiss & Crandon name was established as a way for the independent agencies to do group advertising and create a logo known throughout the county.”

Mr Klopfenstein became a partner with Richard Capozzi when the Newtown Curtiss & Crandon office opened in 1982. “I bought him out when he moved to Florida in 1993, and that’s when Jan and Merrilee became partners,” he said.

One by one the other Curtiss & Crandon offices closed as the founding brokers moved, changed careers, retired, or died.

“Eventually we became the last [realty office] still operating under the Curtiss & Crandon name,” John Klopfenstein said.

 One of the oldest and largest real estate firms in the world, Coldwell Banker had its origins in 1906 when Colbert Coldwell played a key role in rebuilding San Francisco after the devastating earthquake. He was later joined by Benjamin Arthur Banker in establishing a company that focused on commercial real estate. Over the next several decades, Coldwell Banker embarked on a nationwide expansion to become the dominant commercial real estate company across America.

 In 1937, Coldwell Banker formed a residential real estate operation to become a full-service real estate company. Over the years, its real estate services were expanded to include relocation, mortgage, insurance, and concierge services.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s corporate offices are located at 51-53 Kenosia Avenue in Danbury. The company has a website at www.coldwellbankermoves.com. Curtiss & Crandon has a website at www.curtisscrandon.com.