"We've been doing more business in the boroughs and as you do more business, the justification for an office emerges," Blessing tells GlobeSt.com. He expects the office to house 20 or so brokers by the end of the year. Blessing says investment property values have risen significantly over the past few years in Brooklyn and investor interest in all types of real estate is expected to remain strong as investment capital continues to flow into the borough.

Blessing anticipates the firm will focus on principal-to-principal transactions in the $1-million to $10-million range for all property types. "We're tapping an underserved market, filling the gap."

Harvey E. Green, president and CEO of Marcus & Millichap, says Blessing's background and skills will be "a strong asset for our clients and agents, and he will be instrumental in expanding our national market-making capabilities to clients in Brooklyn." A native of the New York City area, Blessing joined Marcus & Millichap in 2002 as an agent in the Washington, DC office, specializing in the sale of urban mixed-use properties. Julianne Calisto has been named operations manager of the new office.