GREAT VALLEY — VanDyke Agency LLC has grown a lot the past two-and-a half years. The agency’s growth prompted a recent move to its new location at 4774 Route 219 in Great Valley, near Katy’s Fly-In Cafe.

Earlier this year, partners Todd and Ciji VanDyke welcomed two licensed real estate salespersons and one associate real estate broker to their agency. With three additional real estate professionals on staff, Todd said the Salamanca office at 696 Broad St. became cramped.

Todd, a real estate broker, said they moved to the first location on Broad Street in April 2015. He said the business space was fine at the time because it was just him and Ciji working there. With three more agents onboard, they’ve expanded. He said they officially started working out of the Great Valley office in late August.

His business partner and spouse, Ciji, is a licensed real estate salesperson at the agency. She said they weren’t looking to expand their business at the time; the new staff members came to them.

“A lot of times you get branded as a ‘husband and wife team’ with a husband and wife-owned business, and sometimes that’s a hard barrier to break. Because of that, we felt many potential employees would not want to come onboard,” she said. “It was good to break beyond that barrier. People came to us and they looked beyond us being a husband and wife real estate team. They thought we could help them grow their own individual real estate business.”

Todd said the new staff members valued them as a business that was growing — not just “Todd and Ciji.”

Thomas Pietras joined the real estate brokerage company in February as a licensed real estate salesperson. Although he did not have any previous experience in the real estate business until this year, he said he chose this line of work because he’s always been interested in real estate.

“I think what appeals to me about the business is the permanency of land and I find it fascinating,” he said.

Originally from Buffalo, Pietras and his wife, Rachael, relocated to the New Albion area 20 years ago and have two children.

Christy Marie Wiser joined the staff as a licensed real estate salesperson in April, and has more than 12 years experience in the real estate business. Originally from Salamanca, she has lived in Great Valley since 1997 raising her daughter, Courtney Bradley, who is now attending Jamestown Community College for nursing.

“I am a volunteer firefighter, EMT and the secretary of the Great Valley volunteer fire company,” she said.

Timothy Philips, associate real estate broker, also came onboard in April. He brings nearly 20 years of experience working with buyers and sellers in the Southern Tier. Philips and his wife, Julie, live in Franklinville where he has lived his whole life. They have three grown children.

“I was a modular and manufactured housing dealer for 16 years,” he said. “I bought and sold a lot of property and developed a manufactured housing community. I did over 600 manufactured and modular sets in that 16-year time period.”

The VanDykes are both from the local area; Ciji is originally from Salamanca and Todd from Olean. They now live in Great Valley and have three children. Both love the real estate industry.

Todd said he’s been licensed for about 13 years and he’s had the brokerage for just under three. Prior to doing full-time real estate, he did a lot with the oil and gas companies acquiring properties for drilling.

Ciji said she’s also been in the business for 13 years and she can’t imagine doing anything different. Todd added, “It’s definitely hard work and it’s not always as glamorous as you see on HD TV, but we love it.”

“Right from the ‘get-go,’ VanDyke Agency was the name, but we were always partners,” she said. “We left another brokerage with plans to operate on our own, but we always worked very well together, so we decided to do this together and start an agency.”

Ciji said she started in the real estate business in 2004 when she was just 19 years old. She works with many different buyers but, she said, working with veterans and first-time homebuyers is probably the most rewarding.

“I love the VA mortgage loans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) because the veterans have sacrificed so much for their country. The least I can do is try to help them find a home and make the process easier, if I can,” she said.

Ciji said buying a house is so different now from back when her parents bought a home. She said it’s a much more complicated process and the realtor’s involvement has changed a lot over the years.

“I think when you’re in this industry, you sometimes forget this [buying a home] is something people do once or twice in their life,” she said. “It’s a huge milestone in their lives and it’s awesome to be a part of that. We are there with the homebuyer, every step of the way.”

The VanDyke Agency serves many communities in the area including Salamanca, Ellicottville, Great Valley, Little Valley, Olean and Allegany. Todd said their primary market is Chautuaqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. They occasionally reach into Erie, Wyoming and Steuben counties. Both Todd and Ciji are also licensed in Pennsylvania.

According to Ciji, the VanDyke Agency also specializes in vacation properties, long-term rentals, and property management. She said they manage about 25 different properties in the Salamanca area.

To find out more about VanDyke Agency Real Estate Sales and Rentals, call 265-2062. More information including new listings, recently sold homes and homes available for rent is also available online at vandykeagency.com. Follow VanDyke Agency, LLC on Facebook.

(Contact reporter Deb Everts at salpressdeb@gmail.com.)