Thursday, February 15, 2007

Wises find right offer for Sunflower Real Estate

by Kenneth Lassiter

Allen and Becky Wise weren’t exactly looking to sell Sunflower Real Estate, but when the right offer came along at the right time from what they considered the right buyer, the chance to better the business was too good to pass.

The Wises sold Sunflower to Century 21 Miller and Midyett, a Lawrence-based

Photo by Kennth Lassiter

From left, Allen and Becky Wise, former owners of Sunflower Real Estate, stand next to new owner Larry Midyett of Century 21 Miller and Midyett in Lawrence and Midyett's daughter, Jennifer Courtney, who lives McLouth and is the business' new real estate broker.

real estate company, with the switch in ownership becoming official Feb. 1. No
staff or office changes were made other than the addition of Jennifer Courtney
of McLouth as the new broker. The Oskaloosa office joins Miller and
Midyett’s locations in Lawrence, Topeka
and Lyndon.

Miller and Midyett was founded by
Clarence Miller and Orville Midyett in
1954. Orville helped develop Lake
Dabinawa in southern Jefferson County during his career and, today, his son,
Larry, is the broker for the business.
The company joined the Century 21
real estate franchise in 1995.

A conversation between Larry Midyett and Allen Wise in late December began what became a quick transaction. Midyett asked Wise if he and Becky had considered selling and Wise replied the couple had considered offers but wasn’t actively looking to sell. When the discussion continued, the Wises found what they found to be a good opportunity.

“Joining Century 21 gives us a lot better recognition. This allows us to keep doing the same things on a more national recognition level than Sunflower Real Estate would ever be able to accomplish on an independent level,” Allen Wise said. He and Becky have owned the business since 2003.

Midyett said the deal also made a great deal of sense for Miller and Midyett.

“Allen and Becky have a nice office here and we thought it would be very compatible with what we’re looking for,” Midyett said. “We had been looking for a presence up here and this fit with that. We have the office in Topeka for properties on the west side of the county and this gives us a presence on the east side of the lake. Jefferson County offers a good alternative to people who don’t want to live in Lawrence or Topeka but still need to work there.”

Over the course of a couple days in late December the deal was done. An important factor to the Wises was being able to ensure the business would only be made better by the sale and that no staff or other major changes would be needed.

“It felt right because of the family that the Midyetts are and their ties to Jefferson County,” Becky Wise said. “I grew up watching Lake Dabinawa grow and I know of their involvement there. Their agents are people we deal with almost weekly and we also wanted the exposure that ties in with a national company like Century 21. We’re looking at it more as a merger.”

Courtney is Larry Midyett’s daughter and will split time between the Topeka and Oskaloosa offices. She has worked for the family business for eight years and said she was already enjoying the shorter commute from McLouth, where she lives with husband, Mike, and sons, Alex, 13, Charlie, 12, and Jack, 10.

Midyett said the nature of the real estate market makes mergers like the addition of Sunflower to Miller and Midyett a case of strength in numbers.

“The real estate landscape is always changing and it’s a challenge for a small agency to afford all the support that’s needed,” Midyett said. “Allen and Becky have a good business here and we look at the deal as a way to use the advantage of their knowledge and experience in the area. The best way to provide support is to bring in good people with experience. I think Oskaloosa’s area will start having some major growth as the Kansas City metro area grows.”

The only part of the deal yet to be complete is new signage Midyett is hoping to have posted on the business soon.

All nine of Sunflower’s agents have been rolled into the Miller and Midyett agent network as both the Wises and Midyett report no snags have occurred yet in the transition.

“We had been approached about selling several times in the past and it never felt right. This feels fine,” Becky Wise said. “It’s a new year and a time of change. This just kind of melded in with all the dreams we had for the company.”