Our Story

What started as the small, fiercely independent Country Houses Real Estate brokerage on Main Street in New London, New Hampshire, in 1939 has grown to 11 offices with more than 150 agents helping guide home buyers and sellers throughout New Hampshire, Vermont and Western Maine. 

In 2001, an unlikely pair of two Kearsarge Region High School (NH) alumni - Stefan Timbrell and Joe Burns – joined together to run Country Houses Real Estate. If you had asked their graduating class to name the two classmates who would never end up working together they would have said Stefan and Joe. It was the quiet, studious guy and the outgoing, life of the party coming together. However, as the saying goes, opposites attract. Both had left the area after graduation – Stefan pursuing a career in aviation and Joe in the culinary arts. However, their roots and deep ties to the area brought them back to the beautiful Lake Sunapee Region. 

They had a successful business in New London, New Hampshire, with 8 agents in one single office. But they realized their family-oriented approach could grow without losing its culture. 

The process began in earnest back in 2016 when the company became a Coldwell Banker franchise that coincided with the acquisition of Coldwell Banker Redpath and Company, in Hanover, NH. With the powerful presence of Coldwell Banker – with its rich heritage dating back to 1906, and a network of over 96,000 agents in 3,100 offices around the globe!

Concord, New Hampshire’s capital was next as we opened a modern work space on beautiful Main Street. This strategic move in 2018 allowed us to provide buyers and sellers with representation along the entire Interstate 89 corridor from Concord to Hanover, and everywhere in-between.

A year later, we grew again with the acquisition of Coldwell Banker LinWood with offices in Littleton, Franconia, Lincoln and Weare, and Coldwell Banker Watson with an office in Ludlow, Vermont. Then in 2020, we welcomed Coldwell Banker Wright Realty in the charming Mount Washington Valley to our Coldwell Banker Lifestyles family.

Growth does not always equal success. But in this case, Joe and Stefan continuously stayed true to their roots and offered an unmatched family feel.

Today, Coldwell Banker Lifestyles is in its third year as a consecutive member of the prestigious Coldwell Banker Chairman’s Circle indicative of one of the most successful Coldwell Banker franchises in the world. It is also one of the nation’s top real estate companies according to REAL Trends with more than 1200 transactions in 2023 equating to $540,960,120 in sales volume. We are thrilled to be the top real estate firm in Carroll, Grafton, Sullivan and Merrimack counties combined for transactions and an industry leader throughout New Hampshire, Vermont and Western Maine. 

The company’s agents are backed by 17 full-time staff members, including managing brokers, transaction coordinators and a skilled in-house marketing team ready to help agents develop and deploy their next branding, farming or listing campaigns. Our recurring sales meetings and training opportunities provide agents with market insights, best practice guidance, and knowledge of the expanded tools and platforms provided by Coldwell Banker Lifestyles and the Coldwell Banker brand. 

And most importantly, our agents always have access to open communication with Stefan and Joe, who are ready to share their 45 years of combined real estate knowledge. 

We believe that our agents, staff and leadership team play important roles as guides, mentors, educators, friends and confidants in your real estate goals. As brokers of the most significant transactions in our client’s lives, we approach our profession with the love and appreciation that only home can create. Our love of sharing all things special about our beautiful communities and our drive to find successful solutions for each of our client’s real needs drives us every day! 

Company Leadership

Stefan Timbrell	Joe Burns	Rachel de Thomas	Pam Richardson
Managing Partner, Principal Broker	Partner	Managing Broker, Concord Office	Managing Broker, Sunapee Office
603-526-4020	603-526-4020	603-226-2100	603-763-1271
DeeAnn Shepherd	Charlene Gaudette	Kasia Butterfield	Deirdre Braun
Managing Broker, Eastman Office	Managing Broker, Hanover Office	Managing Broker, Quechee Office	Managing Broker, Conway Office
603-863-4444	603-643-6406	802-332-6830	603-447-2117
Tom Tremblay	Kevin Haynes
Managing Broker, Lincoln Office	Managing Broker, Franconia & Littleton Offices
603-745-3400	603-444-6737