The Petersons, Inc., a family owned real estate agency in Peterborough, has officially joined Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty. The merger took effect on Friday.
Co-owner Heather Peterson said she, along with fellow owner Andy Peterson, her cousin, began looking at potential merger partners because it is not easy to run a small agency and provide the level of service they were once able to.
“The real estate world is just changing so quickly,” said Heather Peterson.
It became apparent that changes needed to be made when securing the best market analysis programs was not available because they employed less than 50 agents in their office.
“We want to provide the finest real estate services and we think this partnership will do just that,” Peterson said. “We can now offer better services and a larger array of services.”
Peterson said it didn’t make sense to keep the business running the same way, even with a long history of success. But it was still a difficult decision. What Peterson liked about the merger was that even with Sotheby’s now the owners, the changes will be minimal.
“That was very important to us,” Peterson said, as the goal is to continue to be a strong presence in the region.
“We feel a really strong sense of responsibility to our community,” she said.
There will be a new sign in front of the Grove Street office in the next week or so, and listings will get a blue Sotheby’s sign in their yard, but Peterson will still be the broker of record and the staff remains the same.
“We don’t have any plans to do anything differently,” Peterson said. “All of the same people will be here to answer questions. They will just have a whole new bag of tricks to help people with.”
After meeting with a number of potential partners, Peterson said they began serious discussions with Sotheby’s about 60 days ago and planned for the merger to take place in January, a traditionally slower time in the real estate market.
“We felt this was the right time,” Peterson said.
Peterson pointed to Four Seasons’s experience in country properties as a driving force behind the decision.
“Four Seasons Sotheby’s is about the quality of the experience and not price point,” she said.
The Petersons was opened by Walter Peterson, Andy Peterson’s father, in 1948 and has been family owned for the last seven decades. In the mid 1970s, the Petersons was the first office in the state affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, a partnership that lasted a decade. It makes a reunion much easier to navigate.
“We really believe in this program,” Peterson said.
The Petersons has 12 sales associates in the company and was the leader in real estate sales in the greater Peterborough region of New Hampshire with over $50 million in sales volume for 2019, according to a press release from Four Seasons.
Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty now has more than 200 sales associates and 17 offices throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.
According to a press release from Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, the company is currently ranked first in all residential sales of more than $500,000 and $1 million, and fifth in total sales volume sold regardless of price in the two states combined.
Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty’s New Hampshire region also has offices located in Bedford, New London, Meredith and Hanover.
“We are delighted to have The Petersons join our New Hampshire team. They have an excellent reputation for service and are actively engaged in their communities. They will be an excellent fit with our company’s culture and values,” said Stage Davis, CEO of Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty.
For more information, visit www.sothebysrealty.com.