PITTSBURGH, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — At a press conference held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services announced the merger with William E. Wood and Associates, REALTORS and its subsidiaries, Heritage Title and Towne Mortgage.

William E. Wood and Associates, REALTORS is the #1 real estate company in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina with 17 offices. Locally owned and operated, William E. Wood & Associates, REALTORS was founded nearly 42 years ago and has grown to include nearly 700 sales associates and employees. 15 offices are located in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Newport News, and Hampton. The other two offices are located in Elizabeth City and Currituck, North Carolina.

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the nation’s 4^th largest real estate company, is entering the states of Virginia and North Carolina for the first time. Now with 167 offices and more than 5,700 sales associates and staff operating in the eight states of PA, OH, MI, MD, VA, NC, NY and WV, Howard Hanna continues to grow their well-respected brand in the Mid-Atlantic region.

“William E. Wood is a great established company, known for its quality and integrity. They are a market leader and align well with our growth strategy. They are a great fit with Howard Hanna,” said CEO Howard W. “Hoddy” Hanna, III. “There is a great future of success for everyone in the company. We are confident that together we will do great things.”

Dick Thurmond, President of William E. Wood and Associates, REALTORS said, “We have known and admired the Howard Hanna family for many years. Their integrity, commitment to quality service and family ownership closely mirror the culture of our company.”

The combined performance of the companies in 2013 is more than $10 billion in closed sales volume, with more than 53,000 homes sold.

• The combined performance in 2013 of the title companies, Heritage Title and Barristers, is more than $2 billion.
• Howard Hanna Mortgage Services’ volume in 2013 was more than $1.2 billion.
• Howard Hanna Insurance Services closed more than 8,500 insurance units and more than 13,000 home warranties.

Howard Hanna brings to William E. Wood their 100% Money Back Guarantee, the exclusive program that stands behind the value of the homes the company sells.

Both companies have a long tradition of involvement in the community and giving back. Howard Hanna has donated more than $8 million to Children’s Free Care Funds at children’s hospitals and has donated thousands of warm coats through the Coats for Kids campaign. The William E. Wood and Associates Foundation is active in the community, providing assistance to students in need, aiding teens in crisis, and assisting homeless shelters and their residents.

To learn more, please visit www.howardhanna.com or www.williamewood.com.

Media contacts:
Deborah Donahue, 412-967-9000 x328, ddonahue@howardhanna.com
Rick Schoew, 757-499-9663, rick@williamewood.com

SOURCE Howard Hanna Real Estate Services