'Better together:' Classic Real Estate and Donald E. Fender, Inc. companies merging in 2024

Two companies with over a century of combined real estate experience are joining forces starting in 2024, resulting in a new business that will be “better together” and will include increased avenues to better serve their clients and the community.

Classic Real Estate and Donald E. Fender, Inc. are merging to form ERA Donald Fender Classic Real Estate. The company will officially begin in its new capacity Jan. 1, 2024. Both businesses have been purchased by Jeremy Raby of ERA Real Solutions. Current Classic Real Estate owner/broker Jenny Hilterbran will serve as primary broker for the company. (She emphasized that she is “not retiring, and I’m not sick.”)

According to current Fender broker Amy Davis, Raby purchased Donald E. Fender, Inc. Realtors in 2016. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. Now, with the purchase of Classic Real Estate Co. — which marked 33 years in business this year — two of the largest real estate companies in the area are merging into one.

“The ownership has changed, but the leadership has not,” Hilterbran said.

“We may be owned by Jeremy, but we are managed and operated locally,” Davis added. “All the decisions are local.”

The Classic and Fender offices made the official announcement at a joint Christmas party with their agents and families.  

Both Hilterbran and Davis said that with the merger, they will be “stronger together” and “better together.

“We are full service,” Davis said. “We have property management, auctions and residential, commercial and land sales.”

With the two offices combined, there will be over 30 agents — “a third of the county, basically,” according to Davis. Not only is there strength in numbers, but there is also the benefit of having many agents with decades of service and countless awards, Hilterbran pointed out. Along with the two real estate companies having over 100 years’ combined experience, their auctioneers, Rick Williams Auction Company, have 45 years in business. 

Classic’s agents include Hilterbran (broker), Jonathan Abernathy, Randy Butler, Shannon Chain, Robyn Coomer, Katie Condo, Tracy Hancock, Jared Howland, Judith Newman, Emily Stroud, Brigette Waggoner and Rick Williams (broker).

Fender’s agents include Davis (broker), Dane Adkins, Risa Armstrong, Joe Bryan (broker), Jeremy Burton, Carla Clouser, Karen Davis, Rhonda Florence, Kaylin Hollingsworth, Willie Hollingsworth, Roy Kissick, Connie Miller-Fender, Rabecca O’Neil, Pete Pence, Karen Preston, Ronnie Purdin, Christina Ross, Curtis Ross, Tim Ross, Penny Shaw, Maribeth Uralrith and Shane Wilkin. 

“We’re all really excited about it,” Hilterbran said. “For my agents, we’re going to have access to a lot more tools and marketing than what we’ve had. The way I explained it to them is we don’t have to try to reinvent the wheel.”

She and Davis said that through ERA, they are under the umbrella of Anywhere Real Estate (formerly called Realogy), which also includes Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Sotheby’s. Anywhere “is the world’s largest real estate brokerage franchisor with more than 19,000 offices and approximately 318,000 sales associates operating under our franchise brands in approximately 115 countries around the world,” according to the company’s website (https://anywhere.re).

“They have the top-of-the-line tools, something we could never do as an independent company,” Davis said. “I can say from experience, it’s just a good model. You’ve got the tools, you’ve got the benefits of all the money, all the stuff you can't, like you said, reinvent that wheel that’s already been put into place. That's huge. They have a whole learning university, where agents can go online and take classes.”

Agents at 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 to work with their usual agents without interruption. 

“Real estate is an individual but also a team sport,” Hilterbran said.

“And now we’ve just put it together,” Davis added. “We’re strong and deep as far as sales, auctioneers and property management.” 

Combined, the office will have five brokers to start (counting Raby), which Davis and Hilterbran said “is a huge advantage.”

“Most offices only have one licensed broker, so having five will be a definite benefit to our agents and clients,” Davis said. 

As primary broker, Hilterbran will “be responsible for each and every agent,” as Davis explained, but the other brokers will be also able to assist with meeting agents’ needs.

“Nothing is changing, but it's getting better,” Hilterbran said. “I’m hoping that the culture stays the same, because in this office, it’s been more of a family culture than anything else.

“Let's say you were buying a house from me and can't get a hold of me. You can talk to any agent here and they'll stop and help you out and do what's necessary.”

The community can expect to see new logos on the company’s real estate signs and advertising throughout the area, including on all their various sponsorships, such as with local sports teams. 

“It may take a couple months, but we’ll be changing everything,” Hilterbran said. “It will be one company with two locations.”

“When you see a sign, you won’t know if it’s [the Classic] office or [the Fender] office, other than the agent’s name,” Davis added. “It’s going to be one sign, one team.”

Speaking of the signage, Hilterbran said it will be “a benefit” for the agents because “you’ll see us everywhere.

“My mom used to say ‘the one with the most signs wins,’” she said. 

Speaking of her mother — the late Joyce Fender — the business merger is also special for Hilterbran and Davis from a personal standpoint. Davis said the two of them grew up “a house apart,” and they both started their real estate careers together at Classic, which was founded by Joyce Fender. Davis said that Fender was even with her when she received the letter informing her she passed the test for her real estate license.

“When I took my test, it was totally different back then,” Davis said. “You had to go to the state, and then you had to wait for the results in the mail. After you took it, you didn’t know. 

“Joyce took me on a listing appointment with her, and she goes, ‘Let’s stop by your house and see if it’s in the mailbox,’ because we went right past it. I’ll never forget this, and it was.” 

After Davis joined Classic, Davis said Hilterbran “wrote my first contract” when she sold her first house. 

“You were sitting there and your mother said, ‘Jenny, this is the point you get the contract out,’” Davis told Hilterbran as they laughed at the memory. “You had just gotten your license when you wrote it.”

Hilterbran said Fender was “a good teacher” for them, as she and Davis have been leaders of their respective companies for decades.

In addition, both the Fender and Classic companies have been well known for their involvement in the community and for being locally owned and operated companies. That’s something “that is not going to change,” Hilterbran said.

“When I say better together, I mean we’re the same people, with what I've always thought of as the two strongest companies in town, merging under one umbrella,” Hilterbran said. “It’s a big change, but it’s exciting.

“Change is always hard, and it always makes you nervous, but it usually works for the best.”

“It’s just growth,” Davis added. “It’s very smart. It just makes sense.”