Kerrigan Advisors has expanded to the East Coast.

The California-based firm, which advises dealers on the sell-side of M&A, has opened its second office, setting up shop in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

The D.C. office will be led by Gabe Robleto, who joins the company as vice president of buy/sell advisory. Robleto was most recently the vice president of acquisitions at Capital Area Real Estate Services, which is also known as CARS.

“Gabe’s impressive background in dealership real estate transactions could not be more timely in a buy/sell market where real estate, for most dealers, is their most valuable asset – often exceeding franchise value, and representing an increasingly larger slice of auto retail buy/sell transactions,” firm founder and managing director Erin Kerrigan said in a news release. “We are delighted that Gabe has joined our growing company, enabling us to expand our expertise in dealership real estate and increase our firm’s reach across the U.S.”

Robleto spent a decade at CARS, where his experience included underwriting and financing more than $300 million of car dealer real estate, which came in the form of sale leasebacks via buy/sell transactions and dealer estate planning.

He headed up a $1 billion-plus portfolio of real estate investments by CARS. That portfolio included leases to dealer groups.

“As the scope of our business has broadened in a buy/sell market that continues to be robust, the need for a consistent East Coast presence has become clear,” Kerrigan Advisors managing director Ryan Kerrigan said.  “Our new Washington DC metro office, under Gabe’s leadership, will enable us to be even more hands on with our clients in the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. and to better serve the retail automotive market nationwide.”

Robleto added, “I am delighted to join the Kerrigan Advisors buy/sell advisory team.  There is no other firm in the industry with the expertise, professionalism and, most importantly, track record of success in the dealership buy/sell market. I look forward to working with our clients on the successful sale of their dealerships.”