They weren’t looking for it, but when Sotheby’s International Realty came knocking on the door of Stamford real estate company William Pitt and asked to become partners, there wasn’t much to say but “yes.”

“It raises our level of perception and expertise,” said William Pitt Managing Partner Paul Breunich.

William Pitt’s 24 offices will now become part of the Sotheby’s International Realty network of luxury real estate firms under two ownership structures, according to Sotheby’s parent company, Cendant.

Twenty-one offices will remain independently owned by managing partners L. Casey Jones and Breunich and will now do business as William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. Sotheby’s outright acquired three of William Pitt’s former offices in Greenwich, Old Greenwich and Marbledale because they would have competed with existing Sotheby’s offices in those areas. The three offices will now operate as Sotheby’s International Realty.

Sotheby’s began plans for expansion last February, after Cendant acquired the rights for Sotheby International Realty’s name, said Michael Good, president and chief executive officer of Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates.

“We made a conscious decision about different markets we wanted to have a presence in,” he said.

Southern Connecticut was one of those markets, so Good made a phone call to William Pitt. The real estate company is a luxury market leader that accounted for more than $2 billion in closed sales volume in 2004.

“We saw them as a quality organization in Connecticut,” Good said.

Good said he knew William Pitt had an interest in growing, that the company has strong leadership and is strong in the luxury end of its markets.

“We have a very good brand we’ve been working on for 50-plus years,” Breunich said.

The company wasn’t looking for a partnership, but when Sotheby’s came forward with the idea 10 months ago, Breunich and Jones accepted.

“It was an opportunity too good to pass up,” Breunich said.

World Reach

The partnership will allow William Pitt and its clients to have access to Sotheby’s international network of brokers.

“They have everything they had last week, but now they have additional tools,” Good said. “It really connects them with the companies that are part of Sotheby’s International Realty throughout the world.”

They will have access to Sotheby’s marketing and advertising teams, the company’s learning systems and Cendant’s technology. The partnership also comes with something of an identity change, Good said. William Pitt has redesigned its Web site and will go by the longer name of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

“I think it’s going to enhance everything,” Breunich said. “It’s a real network.”

The partnership will bring many benefits to William Pitt’s 500 or so agents, Jones said. The company has always been very agent-focused and the partnership will give them a “true reach into the world,” he said. It also allows Jones and Breunich to maintain ownership of the company.

“After celebrating the most successful year in this firm’s history, I think it is only fitting that we kick off the New Year with a new affiliation that will take us to the next level,” Jones said. “This is a win-win for everybody involved. We are thrilled that all of our sales associates will be able to operate under the Sotheby’s International Realty banner.”

Breunich did not want to comment on the effect the partnership might have on the firm’s many competitors, but said part of the reason for forming the partnership was so that William Pitt wouldn’t have to compete with Sotheby’s.

“This is the only opportunity for us or anyone else to do that,” Jones said.

Good said he hopes Sotheby’s will expand through its association with William Pitt.

“We only align the Sotheby’s International Realty name with accomplished companies like William Pitt – companies that have a passion for excellence and a commitment to delivering unsurpassed real estate service,” Good said. “William Pitt sales associates will now have access to our exclusive marketing programs and business resources. We are honored to welcome brokers Paul Breunich and Casey Jones, and their entire team, to the Sotheby’s International Realty family.”

The international real estate firm has five other companies in Connecticut that are part of Sotheby’s old affiliate network, which will be shut down later this year, according to Good. It remains to be seen what will happen to those partnerships.