“A big change for me,” said Merit Properties owner Dave Lythgoe. “I realized yesterday it was not my responsibility to change the flowers in the flower boxes.”

Merit Properties has been a fixture on the Mountain since 1984, with Dave and
Regina Lythgoe at the helm. But as of the first of November, Keller Williams, a
world-wide realty company with a Portland office, has purchased Merit
Properties.

“The new office will be known as the Merit Properties Group,” said Leann
Harris, CEO of Keller Williams Realty Portland Central. “All the existing agents
will remain to provide the real estate services and local expertise to which
their clients are accustomed ... Merit Properties Group still ‘Knows the
Mountain,’” she said, referring to the Merit signature slogan. Keller Williams
boasts more than 190,000 agents nationwide and more than 330 agents in
Oregon.

“The last 35 years have been a great experience for me,” Lythgoe said.
“We’ve logged over 10,000 real estate transactions and made many new
lifelong friends.”

Lythgoe added that the resources available to the agents will help them reach
a network of hundreds of thousands of Keller Williams agents. Merit’s listed
properties will have a larger audience and buyers will still have the same local
agents to take care of their real estate needs. “Now the agents will be
supercharged with more up-to-date training and more capabilities to find
buyers and sellers,” he said.

The history of Merit Properties has spurred many companies to come courting
over the years as it does an amazing business for an unaffiliated office.
Despite that, Lythgoe said his motivation to sell was never that high in past
years.

“My asking price was too high to be serious,” he said.

Three years ago, Lythgoe was approached by Keller Williams but again he was
not overly motivated. This year Harris made contact again saying they had
renewed interest in purchasing. The deal was struck.

Keller Williams has modern technology available to agents and clients such as
the KW Real Estate app., Lythgoe added. Their commission and profit-sharing
programs are superior to most other companies.

“My staff and I have shared the experiences of weddings, births, deaths and
many laughs along the journey,” Lythgoe said. “I thank them immensely for

their support and loyalty. Now, it’s on to a new chapter in the life of Merit
Properties.”

And someone new will be charged with tending the flower boxes.

New broker joins Merit
Kayla Keyser has been added to the staff of Merit Properties Group.

“Kayla will be working for buyers and sellers on the Mountain and surrounding
communities, as well as the Sandy, Gresham and Portland Metro area,” Harris
said. “Kayla lives on the Mountain and is well-versed in these areas. She
comes to Merit with a long background in customer service and sales.”

With the addition of Keyser, Merit Properties Group now has nine brokers
offering real estate services to the area from the office in Hoodland Park
Plaza.

Keyser can be reached at 920-857-6597 or
Kayla@mthoodhomesandcabins.com