Village Properties, Santa Barbara’s largest independent real estate company, is getting into the commercial real estate game. 

The new Village Properties Commercial Group will be focusing on multi-family dwellings, agriculture or buildable land, retail properties, and mixed-use buildings.

They will continue to work throughout Santa Barbara County, specifically from Carpinteria to the Santa Ynez Valley. 

“I love new ideas and I love bringing new things to Village Properties,” said Renee Grubb, owner of Village Properties.

Village Properties has been working to add the commercial division since the beginning of the year after they assessed that they send 10-12 referrals to local commercial agents a year.

Grubb said they have a team of six to eight agents who are ready to take on a commercial listing or sale. Right now the new division will mostly focus on sales but they could bring on a new agent to handle commercial leases in the future, she said.

Grubb said this new division serves as a way to expand services to their existing residential clients.

“What we can bring to the table is servicing the residential client who might be looking for a residential home, but then also is looking for maybe a retail space or an office space and then we can move right into that and keep it seamless and help them along in that department,” Grubb said. 

She also said having a marketing team that focuses on highlighting properties gives them a different approach to commercial real estate.

“Our residential agents, selling residential property, work closely with our marketing department to enhance and to bring out the qualities of whatever property we’re marketing and I think that’s where we’re going to be able to shine,” she said. 

Grubb said she and the agents are excited about taking on commercial properties. 

“It compliments our company,” Grubb said. “I’m really happy, the agents think it’s great. I think it’ll be nice, I’m glad we’re doing it.”