Hegele has worked in the real estate business for 51 years, owning the Valley Realty office in La Grande for the last 46. Five years ago, he stepped down as the owner, and his daughter Anita Fager will be taking over the business. (Cherise Kaechele)

Ed Hegele opened Valley Realty in 1967 with a close friend, Jim MacFarlane. Along with their wives, the two men opened the office housed in an A frame structure just yards from where the current building stands on Island Avenue. After the road was expanded to four lanes, they had to build an office further back from the road.

“I had my real estate license when I moved over here from Portland in 1966,” Hegele said.

When they first started the company, some houses were selling for as little as $7,500.

“Cars cost more now than properties did back then,” Hegele laughed.

MacFarlane eventually sold his portion of the office to Hegele.

“He liked real estate, but he also liked to build. So at first he was doing some building, and I was selling (real estate),” Hegele said. “In 1974, he decided he wanted to build down in Southern Oregon and Idaho, so I bought his interest out.”

Hegele received his real estate license in 1961 while living in Mt. St. Helens where he worked for his Sunday school teacher, who was also a broker, at the time.