Press Release

Weichert, Realtors Names Ten New Franchise Offices in Five States

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. -- Weichert, Realtors, the nation’s largest privately owned provider of home ownership services, recently added ten new franchise offices in the Carolinas, Florida, New York and Texas through its Weichert Real Estate Affiliates (WREA) organization. The WREA organization now has 108 open franchise offices in 16 states.

Entrepreneur magazine recently listed Weichert Real Estate Affiliates as #10 in its list of the 50 top new franchises started up within the past five years. The company also placed high as one of the fastest growing franchises.

Martin J. Rueter, WREA president, notes, “The companies joining our organization all have superior reputations and years of experience in their markets, making them a natural fit for Weichert. We are especially delighted to see some franchises opening their second and third locations.”

The newest Weichert affiliated offices include:

• Weichert, Realtors - Mark Thomas Properties, Durham, NC - The new franchise, located at 3901 University Drive in Durham, is the 23rd Weichert® office to open in the Carolinas. Owner Mark Thomas, was in sales and marketing for the biotech industry until 1993 when he earned his real estate Broker’s license. Thomas said Weichert’s consumer-centered approach to sales led him to join the franchise organization.

• Weichert, Realtors - Columbus Associates, Raleigh, NC - This is the second location for the franchise which opened its first office in Garner, NC, six months earlier. The new office, located at 6404 Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh, boasts a convenient location, the latest technology and an on-site training center. Janice Gulick is broker-in-charge for the new Raleigh location and Director of Training for the two-office company. She has 10 years of industry experience and is a Certified Facilitator and an approved instructor for Broker and Sales Licensing classes.

• Weichert, Realtors - Southern Coast, Myrtle Beach, SC - This is Southern Coast’s third location, with two offices in North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach. The new office is located in the Carolina Forest area at 3721 Renee Drive. Broker/owner Scott Jackson, a veteran licensed general contractor, launched the agency with the opening of his first office in North Myrtle Beach in 2003. Jason Bradley, sales manager of the new Carolina Forest location, has a sales and management background.

• Weichert, Realtors - Green & Associates, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Rick Green is Broker and Janine Green is Sales Manager of this new franchise, one of 24 Weichert franchises in Florida. Rick is a licensed Broker since 1983 and Janine is a former owner of an independent realty agency. The new agency is located at 2465 E. Commercial Boulevard.

• Weichert, Realtors - Access Properties, Lake Worth, FL -Broker/Owner Albert Douglas chose to go into real estate in 1991, working for several brokers until opening his own firm. Douglas said he decided to join as a Weichert franchisee to make use of Weichert’s customized tools and technology. The new franchise is located at 12 South Dixie Highway.

• Weichert, Realtors - On The Gulf, Naples, FL - Jerry Osinski is the broker/owner of the new franchise, located at 15495 Tamiami Trail. Osinski is a licensed Broker in both New Jersey and Florida. Osinki said he joined the franchise organization because he felt Weichert has the best agent support in the industry.

• Weichert, Realtors - Fontaine & Associates Athens, NY - Don and Pamela Fontaine own the new franchise located at in 15 Second Street, in Greene County. Don has been in real estate in Greene County for the past 21 years as an investor, and for 19 years as the owner of a real estate development corporation in the area.

• Weichert, Realtors - Prospect Hill, Port Jefferson, NY - The eighth Long Island agency to join the franchise organization is led by Owner and Broker of Record John L. Petsco, Jr. A licensed real estate professional since 1984, Petsco started his career at his family-owned construction and real estate company, eventually becoming an executive in charge of commercial real estate developments. In 2000, he and his wife Melissa, who worked in advertising prior to becoming a real estate salesperson, started their own agency. The couple plans on taking advantage of Weichert’s specialized tools and training programs. The new company has offices at 4 North Country Road.

• Weichert, Realtors - Stout & Associates, Katy, TX - Taylor Stout, broker/owner of the new franchise, located at 5024 E. 5th Street, began his real estate career in the early nineties. First handling commercial properties, he later turned to the residential arena prior to launching the firm in 1999. The agency’s co-founder and office manager, Colin Vickers spent 13 years in the retail business before deciding to go into residential real estate. The firm is Weichert’s sixth Texas franchise.

• Weichert, Realtors - Reichardt & Associates, Sugar Land, TX -- The new franchise, located at 301 Commerce Green Boulevard, is owned by Cindy Reichardt. Reichardt is a native Houstonian who holds a Broker’s license and a GRI (Graduate, Real Estate Institute) designation. Anita Goldberg, an associate since 1996, serves as the agency’s office manager.

Weichert, based in Morris Plains, N.J., has more than 14,300 sales associates in nearly 320 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 about buying or selling a home through Weichert, Realtors, 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.