Real estate broker Joe Garst says he has bought out the minority interests in the Windermere franchise north of downtown and is now its sole owner.

The franchise, which does business as Windermere Real Estate/City Group LLC, occupies about 4,000 square feet of leased space, which is most of the first floor of a three-story building at 908 N. Howard, across Howard from the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Windermere Real Estate/City Group has 23 agents and is growing, Garst says.

He says he first bought into the franchise in 2008 and recently acquired the remaining interest from former partners and longtime owners Randy Wells and Ric Lake.

The brokerage handles mostly residential properties, says Garst, who has been in the real estate business nine years, having managed another Windermere office before becoming a principal in Windermere Real Estate/City Group.

Other Windermere franchise offices in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market are located in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Deer Park, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Hayden, Idaho.