Annette Dedios realized a dream last month with the ribbon cutting of her new Fresno office at 2137 Kern St. Photo via Milestone Real Estate

With over 12 years in the game, Annette Dedios is making a name for herself in Fresno’s residential real estate scene– not just as a broker, but as the leader of a community-focused brokerage with a new Downtown Fresno home.

Dedios launched Milestone Real Estate in September 2024, having started as a solo broker earlier that year in April. Before being known as Milestone Real Estate, it was Annette Dedios Broker. She initially operated at the old Bitwise building on Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

The brand evolved to Milestone Real Estate after she hired her first agent and quickly expanded.

“Noemi Hernandez was my first agent, and then we grew to a team of six within six months, and now we’re here in our own building,” Dedios said.

In early June, Dedios and Milestone Real Estate held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their new location at 2137 Kern St. 

Being headquartered in a downtown office is something Dedios once dreamed of as a teenager.

“I remember walking by to visit my mom for lunch and it was a different commercial real estate office, and I saw it was busy. It was bustling,” she said. “I just had a feeling that would be cool to work in there one day.”

Years later, Dedios still has an immense passion for working in Downtown Fresno. 

During her internship at the Downtown Fresno Partnership, Dedios went under the wing of Craig Scharton, who served as the director of the City of Fresno’s downtown and community revitalization department. 

She attended key meetings on the Fulton Street reopening. She also studied urban entrepreneurship, visiting other downtown areas, such as San Jose and Palo Alto, to research the zoning policies and business support that made those areas thrive.

Her passion for Downtown Fresno also plays into her business decisions. 

“I’m really serious about supporting the area and that effort of revitalization. I’m a huge fan, huge supporter,” she said. “We do try to participate in those downtown events — we’re a vendor for ArtHop.”

Dedios said her background in Fresno State’s entrepreneurship program shaped how she approaches real estate. 

“I graduated with a management degree, but my option was entrepreneurship,” she said. “I was in real time applying the lessons I was learning in the entrepreneurship program to my real estate business.”

She credits the program with giving her the mindset to take risks and stand out. 

“We’re taught to lean into [fear] — that without risk, there’s no reward,” she said. “Those are all things that help.”

The name of Milestone came from everything involved in real estate transactions. 

“Buying a home is a milestone, if you think about the factors that come into play for someone to make a move in their life — it just represents so much,” Dedios said.

Looking ahead, Dedios said she plans to continue to add to her team of six. 

“I do want to expand,” she said. “I’m currently looking for agents who have that competitive mindset who want to make [real estate] their career and to serve the community with integrity.”

Fresno’s downtown will likely remain part of that future.

 “I do see myself opening more little spots like this in different downtown areas,” she said. “That’s my goal.”