The area’s largest real estate firm, which closed two offices in 2008, has joined the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise, the companies announced today.  The new entity will be known as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate III and will still be managed by chairman/CEO Jeff Gaffney and president Art Pearson, according to a release. The former RE III has 227 agents in nine area offices; Better Homes boasts 125 offices in 15 states.

It’s not immediately clear how the move will benefit Real Estate III, and Gaffney did not return phone calls from the Hook. But in a release he says, “We have always embraced change, philosophically, and we are always looking at strategic moves that can benefit our associates and our clients.”

Real Estate III was founded in 1972 by Frank Kessler, who also developed gated-community Glenmore.