Ken Lewis, owner and broker at Prudential Spokane Real Estate, says he has bought and refurbished a building at 421 N. Mullan, in Spokane Valley, and has moved the agency's Valley office there.

Lewis says he has invested $280,000 to buy and improve the structure, and ultimately will save money by owning and occupying the office building rather than continuing to lease the franchise's former Valley office at 1421 N. Mullan.

The recently acquired two-story building has 7,000 square feet of floor space, he says. The agency's former Spokane Valley location was larger and was located about 10 blocks north of there.

"I've built out the new space so it's configured to be more efficient," Lewis says.

The revamped space includes private and semiprivate offices and upgraded information-technology systems, he says.

Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church of Spokane previously owned that building.

Prudential Spokane Real Estate also operates an office on Spokane's North Side, at 601 W. Francis. Lewis says 25 agents are based at the Valley office, and 20 agents work at the North Side office.

Lewis, along with Mark Lucas and Tracy Lucas, both of Spokane-based Kiemle & Hagood Co., handled the building purchase.

Prudential Real Estate Spokane is a franchise of Irvine, Calif.-based The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc., which includes nearly 1,700 offices and 60,000 agents in its network.