REAL ESTATE

Chain Grows: Coldwell Banker Residential Realty, the national real estate office franchise headquartered in Newport Beach, gained 19 new offices recently when Hunter Realty Inc. of Cleveland bought nine Coldwell Banker-owned offices in that city, merged 10 Hunter offices into the group and started calling the whole thing Coldwell Banker Hunter Realty.

The move increased the total number of Coldwell Banker offices by about 1%--to nearly 1,900 nationally, and added 677 people to the more than 40,000 brokers and others who work for Coldwell affiliates.

Chandler B. Barton, chairman and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Residential, said that makes the company the third-largest chain in the five county Greater Cleveland area and gives Coldwell Banker 70 offices in Ohio.