Keene – R. H. Thackston & Company of Keene, with offices in Keene, Peterborough, Bellows Falls and Winchester announced the following change. The company has dropped its CENTURY 21 franchise and will no longer identify itself as such. In making the announcement the company President, Dick Thackston, made the following statement: “In mid 1998 I signed a ten year franchise agreement with CENTURY21 Real Estate Corporation. I felt at the time that it would give both myself and my agents access to both technology and training that we might not otherwise have had access to at that time. In the decade that has followed technology and the real estate industry have changed in ways no one would have imagined due to the internet, financial markets, regulations as well as other factors all too numerous to mention. We have made many friends and have appreciated the opportunity to work with CENTURY 21 all these years but believe that the current and future opportunities in the real estate industry lie with company’s that are focused on local markets and local issues. The resource that the internet provides is the ability to let people outside the local area know what we have in our local market as well as access to a higher and more complete set of options for our customers and clients looking to buy or sell a home than is offered by any single franchise or source.” The company’s focus will be on supporting local programs and events as well as maintaining and improving the company’s website and further development of the company’s internet presence as well as on going participation in the REALTOR organization on a local, state and national level. R. H. Thackston & Company of Keene is licensed in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts and belongs to the Monadnock Region Board of REALTORS, New Hampshire Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors as well as the New Hampshire based MLS, NNERN, Vermont based MLS VREIN and the Massachusetts based MLS, MLS PIN.