Don Tarbell, patriarch, mentor and founder of Tarbell Realtors, dies – Orange County Register

Don Tarbell was 25 years old when he and his wife started ringing the bells to find homes for sale in the mid-1950s.

Decades later, his family name was seen on offices and “for sale” signs throughout Southern California.

The grandfather of the real estate business that grew to 57 offices and nearly 4,000 sales agents passed away on Tuesday, February 8. He is 91 years old.

“Real estate is everything to them,” says Debbie Stine, longtime vice president of marketing at Tarbell, said in an Orange County Register article in 2019. “The whole family. It’s in their blood.”

Tarbell Realtors have built their empire in numbers, popularizing newspaper ads, recruiting new agents on the streets, and for staging lavish Broadway shows at award parties featuring the Rockettes and circus acts.

“This was a great company with an incredible legacy until she left the rival brokerage in 2012,” said Roula Fawaz, a top Tarbell producer. great camaraderie and bond like you’ll never see again.

In 2019, what was left of the brokerage operation was sold to Berkshire Hathaway, which acquired the remaining 20 offices, 1,000 agents and an escrow company of the chain.

But the legacy of Tarbell Realtors has not been forgotten. News of Don Tarbell’s death, confirmed by a former county manager for the company, was conveyed through heartfelt, celebratory posts Friday on Facebook.

Real estate agents, many of whom have credited Tarbell for putting them in the business, praised his leadership, calling him a kind, nurturing and caring mentor. family.

“I will never forget his smile and his saying ‘if you have the choice of opening an open house or coming to watch your kid’s baseball game, go for the game. There will be another open house but only one game,” recalls Carol Olivares, who works at ERA Donahoe Realty in Temecula.

Temecula broker Stormer Simm recalls an award ceremony at the Anaheim Honda Centre. “He greeted me and led me down the runway, holding my hand,” Simm said on Facebook. “He leans in and says to me ‘You know you’re my favorite. I told him, ‘you say that to all your kids in real estate!’ “

Tarbell loves a big party and celebrates his agents. Beginning in 2001, he began renting venues such as Arrowhead Pond (now Honda Center) and Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom to host elaborate performances, including excerpts from Broadway musicals such as “Les” Miserable” and “The Lion King”, a performance of 98 orchestral pieces, and featured biz artists such as Bernadette Peters and Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell.

In 2005, the 30 Rockettes performed epically during the Radio City Music Hall holiday for Tarbell and his team in Anaheim.

The shows have been a big part of the company’s annual awards party for more than a decade. Tarbell continued its luxury even during a housing downturn, said former Tarbell President Tina Jimov-Red.

“We’re not going to show them that we’re going through tough times,” Jimov-Red quoted Don Tarbell as saying. “No matter what, we will always recognize our agents because they are the ones who keep us going.”

The company was incubated by Don’s father, Patrick Frank Tarbell, but it took Don’s efforts in the 1950s, with his wife Betsy at his side, to extend the company’s roots into the dynasty it became. .

The couple moved to California in 1955 and began a knock-on campaign. By the late ’60s, the Santa Ana-based Tarbell chain included 10 offices in South Bay cities such as Torrance, Westchester, and Palos Verdes.

Tarbell then made a profit by expanding into the margin, title and mortgage business from 1964 to 1975, directing clients to those ancillary services.

“For many years, Tarbell was seen as the industry standard for all-inclusive services,” said Pat Veling, president of real estate consulting firm Real Data Strategies.

The Tarbells’ three children are also into the business, their daughter twirling around in low production offices and their youngest son overseeing the company’s mortgage operations. Both will later have a role in running the overall operation.

From the very beginning, Don Tarbell made his father’s experience part of his legacy.

“41 YEARS OF SERVICE!” a 1967 South Bay newspaper advertisement mentioning a sale dating from the mid-1920s. The ad said a new home could be purchased for $3,750. A “glamorous” three-bedroom, two-bathroom GI home is listed for $17,950 — no extra charge.

“Tarbell is a big player in the Orange County market,” said Rich Cosner, a former Tarbell competitor and now a consultant to real estate agents. “They have great offices, great agencies, solid managers, and a massive advertising presence.”

Information regarding services and survivors is pending.