Name of business: Redwood Real Estate Group

Type of business: Real estate agency

Location: 421 E. Main St., Turlock

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; weekends and after hours by appointment

Contact information: 209-585-1038

Specialty: Firsthand knowledge of local market

History of business:

After operating out of offices in Modesto and Fresno, Hilmar natives Robert Moore and Jason Alves are looking forward to selling houses closer to home with the opening of Redwood Real Estate Group’s newest location in downtown Turlock.

“We just really like Turlock. The downtown area has been revitalized and it’s come a long way. I remember when it was a ghost town down here; it’s changed a lot,” Moore said.

“We have an office in Modesto that’s close to downtown and it’s not the same,” Alves added.

The Redwood Real Estate office opened downtown about six months ago and the community atmosphere has already made an impression on the two real estate agents. From trick-or-treaters passing by in October to thousands flocking downtown for Fourth of July and Christmas parades, Turlock is a desirable location for not only Moore and Alves’ new office, but those in search of a home as well.

“It’s a growing town — it’s not too big, and it’s not too small. That keeps the family atmosphere here,” Moore said. “It’s definitely a desirable city to live in.”

The housing market is currently a seller’s paradise, Moore said, with home values in Turlock steadily rising over the past five years. As prices begin to level out, Moore said it’s difficult to predict what could happen next. A lot of Moore and Alves’ clients are first-time home buyers, either newlyweds just starting out or younger clients ready to make one of the most important purchases of their lives.

The pair also work with agricultural properties, like plots with plenty of acreage, orchards and even dairies.

No matter who is buying or selling and what type of property it is, it all comes down to trusting your agent, Moore said.

“I think the relationship between an agent and client is really important. They have to be able to trust you,” he said. “Our clients always come first with us and we want to make sure we’re always representing them with integrity and honesty.”

Both graduates of Hilmar High School, Moore and Alves are constantly educating themselves in the field of real estate and believe their history of living in the Turlock area help them serve clients to the best of their abilities. Redwood Real Estate’s office downtown is newly-renovated and the group is looking to hire 10 to 15 relators to fill the space.

“We’re here all the time, every day. We’ve put a lot of work into creating this and we started from scratch,” Alves said. “In these smaller communities, everyone knows everyone. You can build on that and the fact that we’re from these smaller communities gives us a leg up.”