The Montecito-based real estate firm will be the exclusive representative for the Santa Barbara area

Village Properties, a leading residential real estate brokerage, announces its elite membership in Forbes Global Properties, a new curated consumer marketplace that connects discerning buyers directly to the world’s finest homes and the best-in-class agents that represent them.

Established as an invitation-only consortium of leading real estate firms around the world, Village Properties will immediately capitalize on Forbes’ engaged audience of more than 130 million monthly global visitors to connect, inform, and inspire high-net-worth potential homebuyers and sellers about the finest properties for sale in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Ojai and Santa Ynez.

 Reserved for luxury properties, forbesglobalproperties.com will showcase high value homes available for sale around the world. As a founding member, Village Properties will be one of only 100 elite brokerage firms invited to participate in the global network.

“We are beyond thrilled to partner in the launch of Forbes Global Properties as the exclusive member in Santa Barbara. This marks an exciting new chapter in our 25-year history,” said Village Properties owner Renee Grubb. “Our unparalleled reputation and experience in the Santa Barbara community, coupled with Forbes’ high-net worth consumer base and worldwide reach, will create a powerful tool in captivating luxury real estate clientele.” 

Founding member brokerages are established leaders in their local luxury property markets and have offices in more than 75 locations across the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

As an arm of the Forbes media company, Forbes Global Properties extends branding and marketing services to Village Properties and other top-tier real estate brokerage members. The company’s global reputation and high-net-worth consumer base places Forbes Global Properties in a unique and advantageous position within the luxury real estate industry.

Membership in the Forbes Global Properties network will provide Village Properties with:

• A unique forum for member agents to collaborate and transact.
• Access to Forbes’ engaged worldwide audience, with homes presented to potential buyers across Forbes and Forbes Global Properties print, digital, and social media channels with expert commentary, timely market data, and top-tier editorial.
• A suite of tools and resources backed by actionable analytics, editorial and social media content.
• A dedicated page on forbes.com, and exclusive advertising opportunities and access to Forbes’ premier touchpoints.

Additionally, Village Properties and its member agents will continue to advertise properties within the Santa Barbara area, and leverage the agency’s existing connections, marketing tools and stellar reputation.

The consortium was co-founded by Jeff Hyland, co-founder and President of Hilton & Hyland, and Bonnie Stone Sellers, a leading authority on global real estate markets and the luxury consumer. They are joined by Forbes Global Properties CEO Alex Lange — an accomplished industry veteran who most recently served as the CEO of UpstreamRE — and an esteemed Board of Directors.

Also representing the brokerages in the United States are John Pfeiffer, President and Managing Broker of Slifer Smith & Frampton, Vail Valley and Summit County, Colorado; Frederick Warburg Peters of Warburg Realty in New York City; and Andrew E. Nelson, President and owner of Willis Allen Real Estate, San Diego, California. International brokerages are represented by Quentin Epiney, director of Comptoir Immobilier, Geneva, Switzerland; Ken Jacobs of Private Property Global in Sydney, Australia; and José Ribes Bas, CEO of Rimontgó, Costa Blanca, Spain.