Historic Kentucky offering includes Blackwood Hall, Claudia Sanders Dinner House, an operating hospitality business and more than 100 personal Colonel Sanders artifacts
BELLINGHAM, Wash., July 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — eXp Realty®, the most agent-centric™ real estate brokerage on the planet and the core subsidiary of AGNT, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGNT), today announced that eXp Realty agent and licensed auctioneer Jonathan Klunk is helping lead the auction of Blackwood Hall and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
The offering brings together approximately 3.03 acres of commercial real estate, Colonel Harland Sanders’ former home, the operating restaurant and event business, furniture, fixtures and equipment, intellectual property, trademark rights, goodwill and associated business assets.
Blackwood Hall was built in 1866 and later became the home of Colonel Sanders and his wife, Claudia. Its original garage served as an early headquarters for Kentucky Fried Chicken, while the home’s kitchen became a training ground for early franchise owners. Sanders taught operators how to carve, bread and pressure-fry chicken, while Claudia trained them in hospitality.
The adjacent Claudia Sanders Dinner House includes approximately 25,000 square feet of hospitality space, a 4,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, and dining/event capacity for approximately 700 guests. The restaurant remains open throughout the sale process.
“Jonathan recognized that a property with this much history could not be marketed from a conventional playbook,” said Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty. “He’s combining real estate expertise, auction strategy, and storytelling to create a global event around a distinctly American landmark. That entrepreneurial thinking is exactly what we want eXp agents to bring to their clients.”
Klunk first became involved with the property approximately five years ago. Since then, he has expanded his real estate practice by becoming a licensed auctioneer, giving him an additional way to market complex properties with limited buyer pools and few conventional comparisons.
“You have to be the evangelist and the storyteller for these properties and get as many eyeballs on them as possible,” said Klunk. “You can’t just count on the listing description to do that for you.”
Klunk is working alongside Morgan Hancock Lewis of Six Degrees Real Estate and Bill Menish, lead auctioneer with The Menish Group Auction & Real Estate.
The real estate and operating business are being offered through a confidential sealed-bid auction. Offers are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026. The sellers may accept, counter, or reject any submission.
A separate live and globally syndicated auction will offer more than 100 personal Colonel Sanders artifacts across approximately 60 lots. The collection has been preserved by the Settle family since Tommy and Cherry Settle purchased the property directly from Colonel and Claudia Sanders on August 1, 1974.
Featured items include Sanders’ working day planner, an engraved pressure cooker, carving knives, Masonic jewelry, watches, personal photographs, business documents, and his original Kentucky Colonel certificate.
The planner contains handwritten notes about Sanders’ daily life, business appearances, travel, and recipes. One page lists exactly 11 herbs and spices and became the subject of legal proceedings involving KFC in 2001. The auction team makes no claim that the list is KFC’s Original Recipe.
The memorabilia auction will begin at 6 p.m. EDT on July 28 at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Qualified bidders may participate in person or compete online from anywhere in the world.
Additional auction information, property materials and bidder registration are available at ClaudiaSandersAuction.com.
References in this release to KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the Colonel Sanders story are historical and descriptive only. Neither eXp Realty nor AGNT, Inc. are affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by YUM! Brands, Inc. or KFC, and no such affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement should be inferred.
eXp Realty and AGNT, Inc. make no representations or warranties regarding the property, the operating business, the artifacts, or the outcome of the auction. The sealed-bid real estate auction and the memorabilia auction are subject to the applicable auction terms and conditions available at ClaudiaSandersAuction.com.
About AGNT, Inc. (AGNT)
Built by Agents. Built for Agents. AGNT, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGNT) is the global parent company of eXp Realty®, the most agent-centric™ real estate brokerage on the planet, NextHome, Inc., an award-winning national real estate franchise, FrameVR.io, a virtual collaboration platform, and SUCCESS® Enterprises, a leading personal development and media brand for entrepreneurs. Together, the AGNT platform provides a world-class multi-model operating system empowering independent agents, franchise owners, and team leaders across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and South Africa. As a publicly traded company, AGNT prioritizes transparency, innovation, and long-term value for agents, franchise owners, staff, and shareholders.
Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, but not limited to, the anticipated timing, structure and conduct of the sealed-bid real estate and business auction and the memorabilia auction described above, and any potential benefits to eXp Realty’s brand associated with Jonathan Klunk’s participation. They involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to: the auctions or any related transaction may be delayed, modified, or not completed; the sellers may accept, counter, or reject any bid or determine not to sell; actual sale terms, timing, and results may differ from those anticipated; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake any obligation to update these statements except as required by law.
Media Relations Contact:
AGNT, Inc.
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact:
Denise Garcia
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf5c89b6-0dca-417b-a009-c9123cd65362
