Best Real Estate Agents in Santa Clara County (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Santa Clara County holds 15 cities, from San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale in the valley to Palo Alto, Los Altos and Cupertino in the northwest, the hillside towns of Los Gatos, Saratoga and Monte Sereno, and Morgan Hill and Gilroy to the south. A few cities add their own transfer taxes, and San Jose’s Measure E applies to higher-priced sales, so closing costs vary by city.
This guide is published by Diamond Real Estate Group, one of the brokerages listed. Our broker is listed first; other agents are in alphabetical order. The order is not a ranking, and inclusion is not an endorsement.
How we chose the agents in this guide
Every agent below met three tests in October 2026:
- Current California license. We opened each agent’s record on the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) public lookup and confirmed the name, license type (Salesperson or Broker) and a status of "Licensed."
- A named brokerage. We list the brokerage the agent markets under and note the responsible broker on the DRE record when the legal name differs.
- A public profile tied to Santa Clara County. We opened a public brokerage roster that places each agent in a Santa Clara County office.
We did not rank agents, and we did not consider or report sales volume, reviews or awards. A license check is a starting point, not a recommendation. Verify each record yourself before signing anything, and interview more than one agent.
Santa Clara County housing in numbers
| Measure | Santa Clara County | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,926,325 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Housing units | 707,569 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $1,555,600 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Median household income | $168,154 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.1 minutes | ACS 2024 1-year |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. Figures are estimates with margins of error.
A county median mixes San Jose townhomes, Palo Alto bungalows, Saratoga hillside estates and Gilroy-area acreage. Ask the agents you interview for recent closed sales in the city, school boundary and property type you want.
Valley cities, the northwest, the hillside towns and south county
- San Jose and the valley floor. San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas and Campbell.
- Northwest county. Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino and Stanford.
- Hillside towns. Los Gatos, Saratoga and Monte Sereno, plus Santa Cruz Mountains communities such as Redwood Estates and Holy City, where fire zones and private roads come up.
- South county. Morgan Hill, Gilroy and the unincorporated communities of San Martin, Coyote and New Almaden, where wells, septic systems and County rural zoning can apply.
Costs and rules specific to a Santa Clara County purchase
- County transfer tax. The Santa Clara County Ordinance Code, Division A30, Chapter III sets the county documentary transfer tax at 55 cents per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), and section A30-40 credits a conforming city tax set at half that rate against the county’s. Confirm the amount on your escrow estimate; our California transfer tax guide explains how it is usually handled.
- City transfer taxes. San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto levy city transfer taxes on top of the county tax. Unincorporated areas pay only the county tax; for other cities, confirm on your escrow estimate whether a city tax applies. Our Santa Clara County city transfer taxes page lists rates and sources.
- San Jose Measure E. The City of San José says its Measure E real property transfer tax applies to transfers of $2 million or more. On a higher-priced San Jose sale, ask escrow to show it as a separate line.
- Unincorporated land. Countywide policy steers urban development into the cities, and rural unincorporated parcels follow County zoning. Confirm with County Planning what a rural parcel allows before you pay for development potential.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. The Santa Cruz Mountains, the eastern foothills and other hillside areas carry State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations. Sellers in High or Very High zones must provide defensible space documentation or an agreement for the buyer to obtain it; see our AB 38 guide.
- Hazard disclosures. The natural hazard disclosure report covers mapped earthquake fault zones, liquefaction areas and flood zones.
Santa Clara County agents with verified licenses
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Matthew Martinez is the broker of Diamond Group Estates Inc, DBA Diamond Real Estate Group (company DRE #02163490), and holds a California broker license, DRE #01869679. He is based in Sonoma County; contact him to discuss a purchase or sale in Santa Clara County through our contact page.
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Chou | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01254609 | Saratoga office |
| Arlene Chui | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01215019 | Saratoga office |
| Loren Cook | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01195219 | Saratoga office |
| Alan Feldman | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01323368 | Saratoga office |
| Wayne Garrahan | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01914967 | Saratoga office |
| Earl Girbovan | Coldwell Banker Realty | Broker #01794616 | Saratoga office |
| Jenny Huh | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01326717 | Saratoga office |
| Patrick Kong | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01506503 | Saratoga office |
| Anthony Lum | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01172999 | Saratoga office |
| James Ma | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01133689 | Saratoga office |
| Jay Nauss | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01374954 | Saratoga office |
| Li-Hua Wang | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01004603 | Saratoga office |
Coldwell Banker Realty agents in this table are licensed under the responsible broker NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), as shown on each DRE record, and appear on the Saratoga office roster. License status and brokerage affiliations change; check the DRE record before you hire anyone.
How to vet a Santa Clara County agent
- Open the DRE record. Confirm the license is "Licensed" and that the responsible broker matches the brokerage the agent represents.
- Ask for sales in your target city and school boundary. Buyers here often shop by school attendance area. Ask how the agent confirms boundaries with the district rather than relying on a listing.
- Ask for a net sheet with any city tax. In San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto, a city tax can add a large amount, and Measure E applies to San Jose sales of $2 million or more.
- Ask how they handle competitive offers. Ask about pre-offer inspections, offer review dates and contingency strategy.
- For hillside homes, ask about fire zones and insurance. Ask when they recommend getting insurance quotes and how they handle AB 38 documentation.
- For south county acreage, ask about County rules. Ask how they confirm zoning, water source, septic and road maintenance for unincorporated parcels.
Santa Clara County questions we hear
Which Santa Clara County cities have their own transfer tax?
San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto levy city transfer taxes, according to the sources on our city transfer taxes page. Rates can change by ballot measure, so confirm the current figure with escrow.
What is San Jose’s Measure E?
It is a city real property transfer tax that the City of San José says applies to transfers of $2 million or more. It is in addition to the county tax and San Jose’s base city tax.
How do I check a real estate agent’s license?
Search the name or license number on the DRE public lookup. The record shows license type, status and responsible broker. Every agent in our table links to the record we checked.
Are San Martin and Coyote cities?
No. They are unincorporated communities in south county, so County planning and permitting apply rather than a city’s.
Is the agent order in this guide a ranking?
No. Our broker is listed first because Diamond Real Estate Group publishes the guide; everyone else is alphabetical by last name. Inclusion means we verified a current license, a brokerage and a public profile tied to a Santa Clara County office in October 2026, nothing more.
Agent guides for cities and communities in Santa Clara County
Each guide below lists agents we verified for that place, with the local rules that matter there.
- Best realtors in Campbell, CA
- Best realtors in Coyote, CA
- Best realtors in Cupertino, CA
- Best realtors in Gilroy, CA
- Best realtors in Los Altos, CA
- Best realtors in Los Altos Hills, CA
- Best realtors in Los Gatos, CA
- Best realtors in Milpitas, CA
- Best realtors in Monte Sereno, CA
- Best realtors in Morgan Hill, CA
- Best realtors in Mount Hamilton, CA
- Best realtors in Mountain View, CA
- Best realtors in New Almaden, CA
- Best realtors in Palo Alto, CA
- Best realtors in Redwood Estates, CA
- Best realtors in San Jose, CA
- Best realtors in San Martin, CA
- Best realtors in Santa Clara, CA
- Best realtors in Saratoga, CA
- Best realtors in Stanford, CA
- Best realtors in Sunnyvale, CA
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (records linked individually in the table)
- Coldwell Banker Realty Saratoga office agent roster
- Census Reporter, Santa Clara County profile (ACS 2024 1-year)
- Santa Clara County Ordinance Code, Division A30, Chapter III, Real Property Transfer Tax (county rate of $0.55 per $500; section A30-40 credit for a conforming half-rate city tax)
- California Attorney General Opinion 06-1009 (documentary transfer tax and city credit)
- City of San José, Measure E real property transfer tax
- Diamond Real Estate Group, Santa Clara County city transfer taxes (city rates, with title-company and city sources)
- State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Santa Clara County real estate guide · Santa Clara County home valuation · 20 tips for choosing a real estate agent
License-status update: the linked California DRE public records were checked November 2, 2026 and showed "Licensed." Public profile research retains the dates stated above. Names on DRE records may differ from public profile names; verify status and brokerage before selecting an agent.
