Our story began in an Albany hot tub in 1976 with founders who came to Berkeley to participate in the cultural revolution taking place here.

 

A Berkeley garage became our first office, the one that still houses one of our two offices today at 1891 Solano Avenue. It was a different time in East Bay real estate -- before we could all see a market’s full real estate inventory online. Prices weren’t as high then, but they still moved quickly.

 

 

Red Oak Realty launched its first office at 1891 Solano Avenue in Berkeley -- where it still has an office today -- about four decades ago. The firm also has an office in Oakland's Montclair neighborhood.

 

To access the latest listings, our founders waited at the newspaper press at 5 a.m. and catch the day’s first editions -- which had all the latest listings -- and could notify their clients first things of the properties that matched their criteria. This gave Red Oak’s clients a leg up on the competition.

 

That same hustle and innovation lives within Red Oak Realty today.

 

The dedication it takes to get the latest local real estate information and serve our clients well is one of the reasons we decided to intently focus on the East Bay and not to expand.

 

 

Our market spans from the East Bay to the East Bay Hills from Richmond in the north to San Leandro in the south.

 

The Inner East Bay -- the vibrant area that spans roughly 25 miles from Richmond in the north to San Leandro to the south and from the bay shores in the west roughly five miles west to the East Bay Hills that run north-south -- has a unique character.

 

It features a diversity of thought, race, background and a related vibrancy that areas outside it just don’t have. These features shaped Red Oak Realty, which in turn celebrates and embodies them and further accelerates them.

 

If you know the East Bay, you know there’s a cohesive vibe that courses through it. The inherent line drawn from

 

Richmond through El Cerrito, Berkeley, Oakland and then San Leandro features similar property types, similar schools and, in many cases, a similar diverse, vibrant mindset.

 

We don’t believe in scale; we don’t have thousands of agents or offices east of Caldecott Tunnel, in the South Bay or in San Francisco. We are East Bay through and through and plan to remain that way.

 

Specificity goes a long way when it comes to local knowledge.

 

Because of our depth in this area, we support our clients and agents with dedication and a lot of value. That’s why we’re here and plan to stay here.

 

Those new to the East Bay, such as San Francisco residents who turn their heads east when looking for a new home, think about its most popular places -- Rockridge, Temescal, Berkeley Hills, the Gourmet Ghetto. Our home has so much more to offer than these areas.

 

Those areas feature competitive real estate and high prices, and are very nice, but they also don’t meet everyone’s taste.

 

Stepping out into deeper East Bay cuts such as Temescal, Alameda and Glenview.

 

 

One of Oakland's great appeals lies in its neighborhood diversity. Grand Lake, just northeast of Lake Merritt, is one of Oakland's gems.

 

Other neighborhoods worth exploring include:

 

• Oakland’s Laurel District

• Oakland’s Dimond neighborhood

• The quaint city of Alameda. (It’s a gem. Check out Park Avenue there -- it feels unspoiled town from a simpler time.)

• Oakland’s Glenview and Oakmore quaint, cozy neighborhoods

• San Leandro’s Estudillo Estates neighborhood.

• South Berkeley, which is really coming to life.

Looking for some more insight into our home market, reach out here.