Best Realtors in Diablo, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Diablo is a small unincorporated community at the foot of Mount Diablo, just east of Danville in Contra Costa County, with large wooded lots, older custom homes and narrow private roads. A Diablo agent should be able to explain County permits and jurisdiction, how road access and utilities work for a specific parcel and how a hillside, wooded setting changes fire zone disclosures and insurance.
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 responsible broker they work under, and it matches the brokerage on their profile.
- A public profile tied to Diablo. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Diablo (as a service area or in listed sales) or Contra Costa County.
We did not rank agents, and we did not consider sales volume, reviews or awards. Licenses and affiliations change, so verify the license yourself before you sign anything, and interview more than one agent.
Diablo housing in numbers
The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts tool did not return a profile for Diablo when we checked in October 2026, so we have not published community-level figures here. With only a few hundred homes, recent sales in Diablo are few and vary widely by lot size, age and condition. Ask an agent for every recent Diablo sale, plus comparable sales in nearby Danville and Blackhawk, and our guide to Diablo rural home comparable sales explains how to read them.
Diablo settings: large wooded lots, private roads and Mount Diablo’s edge
Diablo homes sit on large, often wooded lots along winding roads, many of them private, near Mount Diablo State Park and the Diablo Country Club. Because Diablo is unincorporated, Contra Costa County handles planning and building permits. Road maintenance, water and wastewater arrangements can differ from parcel to parcel, so confirm them for the specific address. Our guides to Diablo private roads and site access, Diablo water and wastewater, Diablo parcel jurisdiction and services and the Diablo acreage ownership budget go into detail. See also our Diablo real estate guide and nearby Danville.
Costs and rules specific to a Diablo purchase
- Transfer tax. The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value. Diablo is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies; the Recorder’s page lists city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond. On a $3,000,000 sale, the county tax is about $3,300. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- County permits. Remodels, additions and accessory buildings go through Contra Costa County. Compare permit history with the seller’s disclosures before you remove contingencies.
- Roads and access. Ask whether the road serving the home is private, who maintains it and whether a road maintenance agreement or association exists; see our private roads guide.
- Water and wastewater. Confirm the water provider and whether the home is on sewer or a septic system, and order the right inspections; see our water and wastewater guide.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. Wooded, hillside parts of the Diablo area carry State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations. In High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation. Get insurance quotes early.
- Other hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows mapped fault, landslide and fire zones for the address.
Diablo 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 Diablo. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joujou Chawla | Compass, Danville | Broker #00890002 | Danville, Blackhawk; Diablo sales listed |
| Pat Cox | Compass, Danville | Salesperson #00635222 | Diablo, Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek and others |
| Jessi Crummey | Compass, Danville | Salesperson #02077196 | Danville; Diablo sales listed |
| Marilee Headen | Compass, Danville | Salesperson #00616127 | Diablo, Alamo, Danville |
| Karlyn Hunt | Compass, Danville | Salesperson #01456375 | Danville, Alamo, San Ramon; Diablo sale listed |
| Khrista Jarvis | Coldwell Banker Realty, San Ramon Valley office | Salesperson #01213582 DRE record name: Jarvis Diebner, Khrista Kim. | Diablo, Danville, Alamo, Blackhawk, San Ramon, Walnut Creek |
| Song Kim | Coldwell Banker Realty, Danville office | Salesperson #01813351 | Danville; Contra Costa and Alameda counties |
| Leslie Vilfort | Compass, Danville | Salesperson #01463366 | Danville; Diablo sales listed |
Compass agents above are licensed under the responsible broker Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235). Coldwell Banker Realty agents are licensed under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304) and appear on the Danville office or San Ramon Valley office roster. "Diablo sales listed" means the profile names Diablo in the addresses of listed or past sales rather than in a service-area list. Some DRE records list a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses professionally (for example, Satinder K Chawla, Patricia Diane Cox, Jessica Anne Crummey and Khrista Jarvis Diebner).
How to vet a Diablo agent
- Ask for every recent Diablo sale. With few sales each year, ask the agent to show all of them and explain how lot size, age and updates affect each price.
- Ask how they confirm road access. Ask who maintains the road, whether there is a written maintenance agreement and how costs are shared.
- Ask about water and wastewater. Ask how they confirm the water provider and whether the home is on sewer or septic, and which inspections they recommend.
- Ask how they handle fire zones and insurance. Ask when they recommend getting insurance quotes and how they handle AB 38 documentation on wooded lots.
- Ask about County permits. For an older custom home, ask how they check County permit history for additions and outbuildings.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
Diablo questions we hear
Is Diablo part of Danville?
No. Diablo is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, next to the Town of Danville. County rules apply for planning and building permits.
Does Diablo have its own transfer tax?
No city tax applies because Diablo is unincorporated. A sale typically shows the county tax of $0.55 per $500, according to the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
Are Diablo roads private?
Many are. Ask the seller and your agent who maintains the road serving the home and whether a recorded maintenance agreement exists before you remove contingencies.
How do I check a Diablo 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.
Should I interview more than one Diablo agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent Diablo and nearby Danville sales, and compare how they explain road access, utilities and fire zone questions for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Compass agent profiles linked in the table
- Coldwell Banker Realty Danville office agent roster and San Ramon Valley office roster
- Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- State Fire Marshal: Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Census QuickFacts did not return a Diablo profile when checked in October 2026, so no community statistics are shown.
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Diablo real estate guide · Diablo home valuation · Contra Costa 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.
