While still committed to its hometown values and supporting the local community, Around Town Real Estate has officially changed its name and partnered with Compass, the nation’s largest real estate brokerage.

Andy Sachs, principal partner for what is now Encore Team at Compass, still located at 17 Church Hill Road, said that “sometimes change is just ready,” and the team at Around Town was ready to take the next step.

“We were watching the market as a whole, the industry as a whole — there’s a lot of consolidation, and that consolidation was not going to be advantageous in the coming years for smaller brokerages, for independent brokerages,” Sachs explained. “What [Compass is] doing in the industry … buying up the competition … they’re very agent and consumer focused.”

Sachs said that from “an agent perspective,” Compass offers tools and marketing that will help the Encore Team serve its clients at “a higher level than we were able to serve before.” He added that sellers can get more exposure for their homes and listings, which drives up offers and opportunities to make more money. From a buyer’s perspective, the high exposure of Compass’ listings means they get to see more of the market and find the right home to fit their families’ needs. Chris Haggerty, a team member at Encore, said this is something he looks forward to, too. Now, the team can easily reach agents in New York City across all five boroughs, something Around Town was not able to do on its own.

Haggerty said, “We also have a big name behind us, which, if we’re going after those more valuable properties, more expensive properties, someone may like all the things that we’re saying and all the things that we’ve done, but because we don’t have that household name behind us, they may make the safe choice and go with a different agency.”

The entire team is excited for this change and is ready to better serve its clients.

Kris Kling, who is also a principal partner for Encore Team at Compass, added more to Sachs’ point: “The reason why … with Around Town now becoming Encore, it was something that if we were going to be powering up and partnering with one of the biggest … we had to power up our leadership as well. And while we power up our leadership, going from a two-person led company to a five-person led company, it was time to rebrand it as well, so we thought of evolving it to that next level, or the second show, which was Encore for us.”

Kling noted that the growth Encore has already seen has been “on the right path.” The five-person leadership now includes Sachs, Kling, Andrew Walker, Danielle Valenti, and Jennifer Kelley.

Kelley jumped right in on the announcement, sharing her excitement and optimism for the future. Valenti added to that, saying that the small brokerage has always worked “like a family,” and is now able to do that at a higher level than before. Walker added that it has been a “humbling experience” to be a part of the leadership. He said that he counts it as “an honor and a privilege” to work with the team at Encore.

Walker said that this change allows Encore to expand its bandwidth to pursue goals of the company. The backup from Compass will help the local brokerage better serve its clients and team members.

Randi Lynch, a fellow team member, said that the change “creates a powerhouse” as the team’s areas of expertise are now combined more than ever before.

For those wondering if certain traditions will stick around, like the playhouse giveaway, Sachs said not to worry. The plan is still to continue supporting Newtown and the community in the ways Around Town did before. The playhouse, however, is up to expert builder Haggerty, who hinted that he plans to complete a build this year.

For more information about the new Encore Team at Compass, go to compass.com/agents/encore-team-at-compass.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.