Derek Senn

Derek has been active in local commercial real estate since 1998, when he moved back to San Luis Obispo from Seattle to join his father Charley in the family business. Derek represents buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants in all categories of commercial property on the Central Coast, with an emphasis on the San Luis Obispo market.

Derek is proud of his solution-based approach to customer service. Transactions can oftentimes be derailed due to solvable problems related to financing, environmental concerns, or contractual disputes. Derek has successfully completed many transactions which necessitated a comprehensive, even-handed, problem-solving approach.

Some examples of Derek’s successful transactions include:

The representation of Meathead Movers in the purchase of 3600 S. Higuera Street for their new corporate headquarters and mini-storage facility
the sale and subsequent remodel of the former Greyhound building on South Street to Quaglino Properties
The leasing of 20,000 sq. ft. of office space to SunRun at 775 Fiero Lane
The leasing of 15,000 SF at 872 Higuera Street to the Cal Poly Hothouse
The sale of several parcels of land across from the San Luis Obispo airport, which have since been developed, including the Harris Law Firm parcel.

Derek is fluent in Spanish, which he learned during a one-year foreign exchange in Quito, Ecuador, following his graduation from San Luis Obispo High School. In 1993, Derek returned to South America with a friend to bicycle through Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador for six months on a self-supported tour of the Andes. He graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Iberian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Derek has participated as a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County and is a graduate of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class XII. He has also been the featured speaker at several service organization luncheons, including Rotary and the Exchange Club.

Derek’s hobbies include trail running and writing and recording original music (check him out on Spotify!) His wife, Melanie, is a lecturer in the English department at Cal Poly. They have two school-aged sons, Diego and Charlie, who both play piano, ukulele, clarinet, and saxophone. The family enjoys hiking, surfing, camping—and playing music!