Re/Max Inland Empire, a five-year-old Spokane-area real estate brokerage, has moved near downtown from the North Side, says Jennifer Valerien, the broker and owner at the agency.

The brokerage now occupies 2,500 square feet of leased space in a one-story multitenant building at 1311 N. Washington and has moved from similarly sized leased space at 624 W. Hastings.

"This space is more cohesive to us," she says of the new location. "We were divided and spread out in the Hastings building."

Re/Max Inland Empire has 10 agents, and the space in the Washington Street building has room for more than double that.

"Our goal is to make a central hub location and expand to other satellite stopping posts as we grow," she says.

The space includes eight semiprivate offices for agents who spend a lot of time in the office, and a more open, caf-style office area for agents who spend more time in the field or working from home.

The Washington Street office also has conference space that can be divided into two rooms, each with video screens for agents to display listings and presentations to clients, Valerien says.

"It's nice to be on the edge of what agents need and want," she says.

The agency handles mostly residential real estate listings but has been involved in some commercial transactions as well.

While Re/Max Inland Empire still operates out of a single location, Valerien says the brokerage has grown since it opened.

"That's what we're excited about," she says. "We opened, survived, and expanded at a time when the market was coming down."

Valerien says she expects growth to continue as the residential real estate market appears to be on the mend.

"It's nice to hit that stabilizing point," she says of the real estate market. "We've had a very busy summer and fall. We've seen buyers who've been waiting to start making decisions do it now."