Dana Istre, whose last name is pronounced "east," has been a licensed real estate broker since 1984 and continues to be a consistent, multi-million dollar producer.   Affiliated with Village Properties in Montecito, she works mainly by referral and has many devoted clients. Her background in renovation and real estate development provides special assistance to both buyers and sellers. Dana spent her childhood in Fort Smith, Arkansas then attended Vassar College in New York and graduated from Columbia University. After graduation she lived in the New York City area before moving to Montana then to California in 1976. She has had a variety of interesting careers while raising her two sons, including researcher, editor, and professional dog trainer. She had a successful business training Labrador Retrievers for field trial competition and especially enjoyed coaching handlers in national trials.  In 1978 her husband took over the dog business leaving Dana free to pursue her abiding interest in real estate. Dana enjoys hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing and traveling.