Ag Real Estate Services Provider Peoples Company Grows Territory with Total Realty Acquisition

CLIVE, Iowa, Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Total Realty Co. in DeWitt has been acquired by Clive-based Peoples Company, expanding the land services organization's reach as a leading provider of land brokerage, land management, land appraisal and land investing services in Iowa and throughout the Midwest.

Total Realty has a long-history in Iowa under the leadership of Douglas Yegge, who over the past 36 years has earned a reputation for working alongside his dedicated team to meet the needs of buyers and sellers of agricultural real estate across the central United States. Peoples Company completed its acquisition of Total Realty on November 18, enlarging Peoples Company's geographic footprint to include the Mississippi Delta region, and strengthening its position to do deals in both Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Total Realty specializes in land sales, real estate auctions and the analysis of land investment opportunities related to 1031 exchanges and sale-leaseback scenarios, as well as connecting buyers and sellers of acreages and building sites. In conjunction with Peoples Company, and with a nearly 60-person team, Total Realty will now offer land brokerage, land auction, land appraisal, land management and land investing services while maintaining key relationships in the region and bringing the total number of states the companies are licensed in to nine.

Yegge has six agents and, continuing with the Total Realty name, the agriculture and land specialists will remain in place and continue to operate out of their DeWitt office. Peoples Company intern Alan McNeil, who is currently pursuing his real estate license, will join Total Realty as a sales associate following the college senior's graduation from Iowa State University in May 2015.

Steve Bruere, president of Peoples Company, said a thriving internship program, which merges the Peoples Company organization's aggressive marketing strategy with the ability to recruit experienced real estate professionals, ultimately helps younger agents get into the land business. At the same time, Bruere said, it encourages the formation of long-term relationships with brokerages such as Total Realty, and allows veteran agents to extend their careers.

"Doug's perspective on the Iowa and Illinois land markets goes back nearly four decades," Bruere said. "His reputation in the land business is second-to-none. Combining that level of knowledge and relationship-building experience will work to energize everyone's efforts while our young and talented agents inject a little technology and enthusiasm into the entire operation."

The acquisition of Total Realty was the second such purchase of a real estate service provider by Peoples Company over the past two years. In August 2013, Peoples Company acquired Hello Newman, Inc. – which had been operating as North Iowa Realty in West Bend, Iowa – and solidified its presence in the northwest part of the state. Other recent milestones in Peoples Company's history have included the addition of Jeffrey T. Obrecht – one of the top agriculture real estate salespersons in Iowa – in April 2014.

A new Total Realty logo and website are under development and will be rolled out by the end of the year at www.TotalRealtyCo.com.

About Peoples Company
Peoples Company is a leading agricultural real estate brokerage and land auction company specializing in land management, land appraisal and land investing services offered in nine Midwest states. The Clive, Iowa-based company has established key relationships with major institutional investors in the land investment space, and includes a 60-person team that has to access to hedge funds, pension plans and private land funds with combined assets under management of more than $8 billion. The cornerstone of Peoples Company's aggressive marketing efforts is the annual Land Investment Expo, which each January attracts more than 600 people to the heart of ag country in West Des Moines, Iowa. The brokerage is licensed to sell real estate in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota and Mississippi. For more information, visit www.PeoplesCompany.com.

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SOURCE Peoples Company

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