Best Realtors in Bolinas, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Bolinas is an unincorporated coastal village of about 1,300 people at the southern tip of Point Reyes, on Bolinas Lagoon across from Stinson Beach in West Marin. Its homes range from cottages in the downtown village to houses on the Mesa above the ocean bluffs, often on septic systems and with water service and coastal permit questions. A Bolinas agent should be able to explain those local constraints as well as price.
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
Each agent below met three checks in October 2026:
- A 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 "Licensed" status. We left out anyone whose record showed no responsible broker, a suspension or an expired license.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the firm they work under, and it matches the brokerage on their profile.
- A public profile that names Bolinas. We opened each agent’s profile and confirmed it names Bolinas in its service areas, biography or listed past sales.
We did not rank agents, and we did not consider sales volume, reviews or awards. None of the agents below works from an office in Bolinas. Licenses and affiliations change, so verify the license yourself before you sign anything, and interview more than one agent.
Bolinas housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Bolinas CDP |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,334 |
| Median age | 61.4 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $2,000,001 (the Census top-code: "$2 million or more") |
| Median household income | $100,625 (±$57,069) |
| Persons per household | 2.0 |
| Mean travel time to work | 32.4 minutes |
Source: Census Reporter profile of Bolinas, CA, using U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. The margins of error are very wide in a community this small.
The median owner-occupied value hit the Census top-code of $2 million or more, while median household income was far lower — a gap common in coastal towns with many long-time owners. These are survey estimates, not sale prices. With few Bolinas sales, an agent should explain which village, Mesa and Stinson Beach sales they used and how they adjusted for water service, septic condition and ocean or lagoon frontage.
Bolinas settings: the village, the Mesa and the lagoon
The downtown village sits on the lagoon channel near the beach, with older cottages and mixed-use buildings. The Mesa above town has larger lots on the bluffs, where erosion and septic suitability can limit what can be built, and some homes face the lagoon. Our guides to coastal home inspections, coastal home pricing, the coastal ownership budget, coastal property records and shoreline property comparison go into detail. See also our Bolinas real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to a Bolinas purchase
- Transfer tax. The Marin County Recorder’s transfer tax sheet lists the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value, and the only city tax it lists is San Rafael’s. Bolinas is unincorporated, so the county tax alone applies: $2,200 on a $2 million sale. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- Coastal zoning and permits. Bolinas is in the Coastal Zone, where Marin County’s coastal zoning code (Chapter 20.62) and Local Coastal Program apply, and most development needs a Coastal Development Permit. Budget time for coastal review before planning a remodel or addition.
- Water service. Ask whether the home has an active water connection and from which provider, and how any new or added service would be handled; do not assume an unserved lot can get a connection.
- Short-term rentals. Stays under 30 days need a county license under the Marin County short-term rental program. Licenses come from a waitlist and are capped countywide, with a separate cap for Bolinas, so do not assume a license transfers with the home.
- Septic. Many homes rely on septic systems. Order a septic inspection, and check County records for the system’s permits before you remove contingencies.
- Fire, bluff and flood hazards. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps; in High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation. The natural hazard disclosure report shows mapped flood, tsunami, landslide and fault zones, which matter on the bluffs and near the lagoon.
Bolinas agents with verified licenses
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Matthew Martinez is the Founder, CEO and Managing Broker of Diamond Real Estate Group. He is based in Sonoma County; contact him to discuss a purchase or sale in Bolinas. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Barrett | Compass | Salesperson #01917077 | Bolinas, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station, Inverness and other West Marin towns |
| B.G. Bates | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, San Rafael office | Salesperson #00968254 | Bolinas, Stinson Beach, Olema, Inverness and other West Marin towns |
| Cristina di Grazia | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty | Salesperson #01269252 | West Marin, Stinson Beach, Bolinas |
| Terry Donohue | Coldwell Banker Realty, Greenbrae office | Broker #01276710 | Bolinas, Stinson Beach, Inverness, Olema, Muir Beach (biography) |
| Jenn Doty | Compass | Salesperson #02178077 | West Marin; Bolinas among past sales shown |
| Michela Rizzo McCurdy | Compass | Salesperson #01974228 | Bolinas, Inverness, Point Reyes Station, San Geronimo Valley, West Marin |
Compass agents are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235). Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty agents are licensed under Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. (DRE #02027353), the firm shown on each record; B.G. Bates’s profile is on homes.com. Terry Donohue is a broker associate with Coldwell Banker Realty under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304). Some DRE records show a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses (Beverly Gay Buttemiller Bates, Cristina Noel di Grazia, Theresa Ellen Donohue, Jennifer Marie Doty); in each case the license number on the profile matches the record we linked.
How to vet a Bolinas agent
- Ask about water service first. Ask how they confirm the home’s water connection and what it would take to add service or a unit.
- Ask about coastal permits and bluff setbacks. For Mesa and bluff-top homes, ask how they check permit history and erosion constraints.
- Ask which sales they used. With few Bolinas sales, ask which village, Mesa and Stinson Beach sales they compared and why.
- Ask about septic and drainage inspections. Ask which inspectors they recommend and how they read County septic records.
- Ask about short-term rental licenses and insurance. Ask how the Bolinas cap affects rental plans, and when to get insurance quotes.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the firm they work under matches the brokerage they name.
Bolinas questions we hear
Does Bolinas have its own transfer tax?
No. Bolinas is unincorporated, and the Marin County Recorder’s sheet lists only San Rafael as adding a city tax, so a sale carries the county tax of $0.55 per $500.
Can I rent a Bolinas home short term?
Only with a Marin County short-term rental license, which is issued from a waitlist under a countywide cap with a separate Bolinas limit. Check the County’s STR page before counting on rental income.
What is the median home value in Bolinas?
The Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 estimate is top-coded at "$2 million or more," per Census Reporter. For a current value, ask an agent for recent sales of comparable homes.
How do I check a Bolinas agent’s license?
Search the name or license number on the DRE public lookup. The record shows license type, status, expiration and responsible broker. Every agent in our table links to the record we checked.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter: Bolinas, CA (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates)
- Agent profiles on compass.com, sothebysrealty.com (Golden Gate Sotheby’s), coldwellbankerhomes.com and homes.com, linked in the table
- Marin County Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- Marin County Code Chapter 20.62, Coastal Zoning Districts (GoCodebook)
- Marin County: short-term rental license
- 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: Bolinas real estate guide · Bolinas home valuation · Marin County agents guide · 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.
