Village Properties, the Santa Barbara area’s largest independent real estate company, recently attracted five agents to its team of Realtors:

Jen Plana, David Marchetti, Deja Rabb, Nicole Wesley and Nicole Powers join the company’s 180-plus Village Properties’ Realtors serving clients across the Santa Barbara region, including Montecito, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez.

All of the new Realtors live in the Santa Barbara area, have deep connections to the region and years of real estate experience, Village Properties said. Four of them are former schoolteachers, while the fifth founded an area nonprofit that funds holistic home birth and pregnancy care for women and families.

Agents are hired based on their expertise, credentials, local knowledge and commitment to superior customer service, as well as their desire to support Village Properties’ mission of giving back to the community.

Plana is a 55-year resident of the Santa Barbara area with almost three decades of experience in the real estate business. She previously worked alongside her husband Victor Plana before his retirement in 2017, and has closed some $300 million in sales.

Plana is knowledgeable about Santa Barbara’s history and culture, its neighborhoods and micro-climates.

“I have always admired Village Properties’ locally based ownership, its strong local presence, commitment to local advertising, and its support of the teachers in our community via the popular Teacher’s Fund, especially as a former teacher myself,” Plana said.

Marchetti has some eight years of real estate experience in the Santa Barbara region and has been a homeowner on the Mesa for 30 years. He’s also a real estate investor, owning student housing in Isla Vista.

He was a science teacher at La Colina Junior High School for 18 years, as well as a small-business owner working in building and construction.

“I’m looking forward to working with other Village Properties agents to create a successful satellite office on the Mesa,” Marchetti said. “I plan to continue giving my clients on the Mesa and other areas of Santa Barbara and Goleta concierge-level service based on experience, local knowledge and integrity.”

Rabb returns to Village Properties with six years of experience in the real estate industry and a background in interior design.

Rabb is co-founder of The Victoria Project, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness and increase access to holistic maternity care in Southern California and beyond.

“Having worked at other brokerages in Santa Barbara, it was very clear to me that Village is where I want to be,” Rabb said. “I knew Village was aligned with how I believe people should be treated. Village Properties is committed to the community, and so am I.”

Wesley comes from a long family line of real estate professionals, and has served clients in Southern California for a number of years. She said she decided to make Santa Barbara her home after graduating from UCSB.

Wesley understands local trends, neighborhoods, and property values, and said she enjoys educating her clients through the home-selling and buying process. She is a former elementary school teacher.

“I have always been committed to supporting local elementary schools through my personal donation program where I have been donating a portion of each sale to local neighborhood public elementary schools,” she said. “Similarly, Village Properties continues to make a difference in the local community, and I am especially excited about supporting the Teacher’s Fund.”

Powers is a former teacher at San Marcos High School and brings a team-oriented approach to her real estate business. She is passionate about helping her clients unlock their dream life, and supports and advocates for them through the entire home-buying process.

“I am proud to be an agent with Village Properties,” she said. “I am most excited for all of the professional development opportunities that will support the growth of my business, which will ultimately result in my ability to help, support, and guide more people in the Santa Barbara area.”

Founded in 1996 by Renee Grubb and her business partner, Village Properties is a locally owned and operated real estate company. To learn more, visit https://www.villagesite.com/ or email info@villagesite.com.