Best Realtors in Cool, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Cool is a small unincorporated community on Highway 49 in El Dorado County, at the western edge of the Georgetown Divide between Auburn and the American River canyons. Most homes sit on rural acreage, often with private wells, septic systems and shared roads, so the agent you hire should know how county rules and rural services apply to a specific parcel.
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 a "Licensed" status with a responsible broker.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under.
- A public profile that names Cool or El Dorado County. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Cool, or El Dorado County as a whole.
Only two of the profiles we found name Cool itself; the rest name El Dorado County, and the table shows which. We did not rank agents, and we did not consider sales volume, reviews or awards. Licenses and affiliations change, so check the license yourself before you sign anything, and interview more than one agent.
Cool housing in numbers
We could not open a Census profile for the Cool census-designated place during this review, so we are not quoting local figures. For county context, U.S. Census QuickFacts reports a median owner-occupied home value of $679,900 for El Dorado County for 2020–2024. Rural acreage in Cool can price very differently from that county figure, so ask an agent for recent sales of comparable parcels; our guide to rural home comparable sales in Cool explains how those comparisons work.
Rural parcels on the Georgetown Divide
Cool has no city government; El Dorado County handles zoning, building permits and septic approvals. Water may come from a public district or a private well, and many parcels are reached by private or shared roads. Our Cool guides cover these questions in more detail:
- Parcel jurisdiction and services
- Rural water and wastewater
- Private roads and site access
- Acreage ownership budget
For listings and an overview, see our Cool real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to a Cool purchase
- Transfer tax. Cool is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies. Fidelity National Financial’s title guide (Who Pays What, rev. January 2026) lists El Dorado County’s documentary transfer tax at $1.10 per $1,000, customarily paid by the seller. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate. Our California transfer tax guide explains who usually pays.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Look up the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, which say State Responsibility Area maps took effect April 1, 2024. Read the natural hazard disclosure report and get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies.
- Wells and septic. Order well-yield and water-quality tests and a septic inspection, and ask the County for the septic permit history.
- Private roads. Ask for any road maintenance agreement and how costs are shared.
- Vacation rentals. El Dorado County’s vacation and hosted rental FAQ (revised April 6, 2026) says permits do not transfer to a new owner, so a buyer must reapply under current rules.
- Special taxes. Sellers must make a good-faith effort to disclose special tax districts under Civil Code section 1102.6b.
Agents serving Cool 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 Cool. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsten Alger | RE/MAX Gold, Georgetown | Salesperson #02145792 | El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Nevada counties |
| Debi Ambroff | Coldwell Banker Realty, El Dorado Hills | Salesperson #01017131 | El Dorado County; El Dorado Hills |
| Patti Babish (licensed as Patricia Colleen Babish) | RE/MAX Gold, Placerville | Salesperson #01864683 | Cool, Placerville, Georgetown, El Dorado Hills, Garden Valley |
| Rita Burke | RE/MAX Gold, Georgetown | Salesperson #02065446 | Cool, Pilot Hill, Garden Valley, Georgetown, Sacramento County |
| Karen Duffy (licensed as Karen Cortes Duffy) | RE/MAX Gold, Georgetown | Salesperson #02247242 | El Dorado County |
| Tina Ford | Coldwell Banker Realty, El Dorado Hills | Salesperson #01823366 | El Dorado County; El Dorado Hills |
| Bridget Higgins | RE/MAX Gold, Auburn | Salesperson #01943008 | El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Nevada and Yuba counties |
On the DRE record, RE/MAX Gold agents are licensed under Norcal Gold Inc, and Coldwell Banker Realty agents under NRT West, Inc. RE/MAX Gold’s Georgetown office is at 6300 State Highway 193, and its Placerville office at 3025 Sacramento Street. For more agents across the county, see our El Dorado County agents guide.
How to vet a Cool agent
- Ask how many rural acreage sales they have handled on the Divide. Wells, septic, slopes and roads drive value.
- Get an insurance quote first. Ask which carriers are writing policies near the address and what defensible-space work they require.
- Order well, septic, roof and pest inspections.
- Ask for the road maintenance agreement on any private or shared road.
- Ask for comparable sales of similar parcels, not county medians.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Cool questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Cool?
No. Cool is unincorporated, so only the county documentary transfer tax applies; a title industry guide lists it at $1.10 per $1,000.
Who issues permits for a home in Cool?
El Dorado County handles zoning, building and septic permits for Cool.
Can I get homeowners insurance in Cool?
Ask an agent and an insurance broker early. Coverage and cost depend on the address, its fire hazard designation and the home’s condition.
Do Auburn and Georgetown agents work in Cool?
Yes. Several agents in the table work from RE/MAX Gold’s Georgetown and Auburn offices. For Placer County agents, see our Placer County agents guide.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- U.S. Census QuickFacts, El Dorado County (2020–2024 figures)
- Fidelity National Financial, Who Pays What: California Transfer Tax and Fees (rev. January 2026)
- El Dorado County, VHR and HHR FAQs (rev. April 6, 2026)
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- RE/MAX agents serving Cool; agent profiles on remax.com and coldwellbankerhomes.com, linked in the table
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Cool real estate guide · Cool home valuation · El Dorado 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.
