Vanessa Bergmark

Under the leadership of owner and CEO Vanessa Bergmark, the San Francisco Bay Area’s Red Oak Realty acquired fellow East Bay independent brokerage Marvin Gardens Real Estate in 2019.

The deal added over 60 agents to Red Oak Realty’s 100, making it the East Bay’s largest independent brokerage and furthering its local expertise. Red Oak Realty also became the largest brokerage overall in Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond and Kensington, Calif. With six East Bay locations, the company expects to generate over $1.2 billion in annual sales volume and over 1,200 annual transactions.  

Bergmark fell in love with real estate when she bought her first home, deciding to become an agent at a large franchise and moving up to management soon after. Eager to run an independent, local brokerage, she joined Red Oak Realty in 2007 and took over ownership of it three years later.

Bergmark continues to lead the thriving company today, and she’s passionate about raising the bar while improving the customer experience locally. In addition, she spends a substantial amount of time touring the nation to discuss real estate and leadership within the industry as a featured speaker at events. She and Red Oak Realty have received multiple recognitions, including being consistently ranked Top Brokerage in the East Bay by Oakland Magazine and among the 100 Top Women-Owned Companies by the SF Business Times.