RE/MAX 1st broker/owner Dan Kelley is welcoming 25 agents to his LaPorte, Indiana office as part of a merger with County-Wide Properties, an independent real estate company owned by Betty Daniel-Lanie and managed by daughter Lisa Daniel-King.  The two companies are merging and rebranding to RE/MAX County Wide 1st. Betty and Lisa will remain on working full time.

“Betty and I have known each other for years through our real estate businesses,” explains Dan. “During one of our visits last summer she shared that she was ready to retire as an owner but wanted to leave providing her agents with the best tools to operate under. She realized she could do that with the RE/MAX brand.”

Lisa, who has more than 25 years of experience in real estate in northwestern Indiana, says the RE/MAX value proposition really stood out as a benefit. “RE/MAX has offerings unlike any other franchise we talked to. With the way the industry is changing, and as an independent, it’s hard to keep up with marketing and training. We feel like we have to recreate the wheel, plus it gets expensive. With RE/MAX, it’s all taken care of.”

Dan is excited for the growth potential under the new RE/MAX County Wide 1st name. “We’re now close to the largest real estate company in the county and have the best agents out there, the hardest working and highest producers. I’m excited to see how our market share will grow.”

Dan has been the broker/owner of RE/MAX 1st since 2001.  He originally came on as an agent and within the year, bought the South Bend office 814 East LaSalle Street  In 2008, he expanded into La Porte with the office located at 1601 Lincoln Way. In 2014, he opened his Michigan City office 829 South Franklin Street.

With the addition of 25 agents, the LaPorte office will relocate to the current County-Wide Properties office. The South Bend and Michigan City offices will also rebrand to RE/MAX County Wide 1st.