Community Building Over Three Decades

Village Properties is marking 30 years in business this May, a milestone that reflects not only the growth of one of Santa Barbara’s most recognizable real estate firms, but also the enduring appeal of remaining independent in an increasingly corporate industry. Founded in 1996 by Renee Grubb and Ed Edick, the company began with a single office on Coast Village Road and has since grown into the region’s largest independently owned brokerage, recording more than $25 billion in lifetime sales across 14,500 local transactions.

For Grubb, who became the firm’s sole owner in 2018, the anniversary is less about scale and more about staying true to the culture the company set out to create three decades ago.

“We’ve stayed independent because it lets us answer to our clients and our agents, not to a corporate parent in another state,” Grubb said in a past interview. That philosophy, she explained, has shaped the company from the beginning. After working for larger firms during the recessionary real estate market of the early 1990s, Grubb decided she wanted to build something different.

“I kind of woke up one morning and thought it would really be nice just to have a nice small local company and not corporate,” she said.

Village Properties opened its doors in May 1996 with 20 agents joining within the first week. According to Grubb, much of the company’s later expansion came not from aggressive growth plans, but from requests by agents in other areas who wanted to work within the firm’s collaborative culture.

Today, Village Properties operates offices in Montecito, Santa Barbara, and the Santa Ynez Valley while continuing to serve clients throughout the Central Coast. Eight of the company’s original 20 agents are still with the firm, a statistic Grubb believes speaks to the environment they have maintained over the years.

That sense of community extends beyond the office. Philanthropy has remained central to the company’s identity since its founding, even during its earliest years when resources were limited. Grubb said supporting local schools and children’s programs was always one of the company’s guiding principles.

Over time, that commitment grew into the Teacher’s Fund, founded by Grubb in 2002. The organization has now distributed more than $2.3 million to local K-12 educators for classroom supplies, books and technology throughout Santa Barbara County schools.

Village Properties agents also support dozens of local nonprofits, reflecting what Grubb sees as a broader responsibility to help strengthen the communities where they live and work.

“Whether it’s selling a home or supporting a nonprofit, it’s all community building,” she said.

While the local real estate market has changed dramatically over the past 30 years, Grubb believes the role of an agent has also evolved. She prefers to think of agents not as salespeople, but as advisers guiding clients through what is often the largest financial decision of their lives.

“There’s so much education and knowledge that goes into being on top of everything in the real estate world,” she said. “They have to trust us to get them through the transaction.”

That advisory role can involve everything from navigating competitive bidding wars to helping elderly homeowners transition into assisted living. Grubb emphasized the importance of understanding each client’s emotional needs as much as the financial details.

As Village Properties enters its fourth decade, Grubb said the company’s priorities remain unchanged. Independence, agent support, community involvement and client service continue to define the business she started in a small Coast Village Road office nearly 30 years ago.