Best Realtors in Duncans Mills, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Duncans Mills is a tiny unincorporated village on Highway 116 along the lower Russian River in western Sonoma County, between Monte Rio and Jenner. A handful of historic buildings, a few homes near the river and rural parcels in the surrounding hills make up a very small market, so few agent profiles name it.
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, broker-associate affiliation or brokerage name (DBA) that matches the brokerage on the agent’s profile.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under.
- A public page that names Duncans Mills or a nearby lower Russian River town. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile, personal site or listing-portal profile and confirmed it names Duncans Mills or a nearby lower Russian River town, either as a service area or in a listing or sale address.
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.
Only David Millar’s site lists Duncans Mills as a service area, and John Genovese is shown with a Duncans Mills sale on homes.com’s Duncans Mills agent directory. The other agents below name nearby Monte Rio, Guerneville or Jenner, or the Russian River Valley; we include them because they work the same stretch of river, and we note this so you can ask each one about Duncans Mills directly.
Duncans Mills housing in numbers
Duncans Mills is not a Census-designated place, so the Census Bureau publishes no figures for it. For context, here are countywide figures; see our Monte Rio guide for the nearest river-town estimates.
| Census measure (ACS 2024 1-year) | Sonoma County |
|---|---|
| Population | 485,375 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $822,400 (±$17,796) |
| Median household income | $107,274 (±$4,759) |
| Persons per household | 2.5 |
| Median age | 43.4 |
| Mean travel time to work | 25.4 minutes |
| Housing units | 210,985 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter.
With only a few sales in a typical year, prices in and around Duncans Mills depend heavily on the parcel, so ask an agent for comparable sales along the lower river.
A historic village on the lower river
Duncans Mills has no city government; Permit Sonoma handles zoning, building and septic permits. The village sits on the river flat beside Highway 116, with ranch and wooded parcels on the hills above and Austin Creek and Cazadero to the north. Check whether a parcel lies inside the Coastal Zone on the County’s Coastal Zone map. See our Duncans Mills real estate guide and notes on private roads and site access, rural water and wastewater and rural comparable sales.
Costs and rules specific to a Duncans Mills purchase
- Transfer tax. Duncans Mills is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies. The Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder lists the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), less any loan assumed in the sale, collected when the deed is recorded. On a hypothetical $750,000 sale that is about $825. Only Santa Rosa and Petaluma add a city tax, so a Duncans Mills address pays only the county rate. Our California transfer tax guide explains who customarily pays.
- Flooding. The flood chapter of the County’s hazard mitigation plan says lower Russian River floods can stay above flood stage for four days or more, and it names Duncans Mills among the lower river communities with repeated flood losses. Check the parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, ask for an elevation certificate and the flood claims history, and price flood insurance early. See our North Bay flood zones guide.
- Vacation rentals. Permit Sonoma requires a vacation rental permit, a certified property manager and a vacation rental license for whole-home stays of 30 days or less in the unincorporated county. Rentals are barred in Vacation Rental Exclusion (X) combining districts and limited in cap zones; the Board of Supervisors adopted caps and exclusion zones in parts of the west and north county in April 2023. Check the parcel on the County’s vacation rental map viewer before you count on rental income. More in our Sonoma County vacation rental rules guide.
- Water and septic. Expect a private well or small water system and a septic system; get a water test, a septic inspection and the County permit history.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Look up the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, read the natural hazard disclosure report, and get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies. Our home hardening guide covers defensible space.
Duncans Mills 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 Duncans Mills. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theresa Disbro | Keller Williams Realty, Santa Rosa | Broker #01928995 | Russian River Valley; Monte Rio and Cazadero sales |
| John Genovese | Vanguard Properties, Guerneville | Salesperson #01380792 | Russian River Valley, Guerneville; Monte Rio, Cazadero and Jenner sales (Duncans Mills sale on homes.com’s directory) |
| Daniela Hernandez | Hernandez Realty Co, Guerneville | Salesperson #01980504 | Guerneville (office); Monte Rio, Jenner and Cazadero listings and sales |
| David Millar (licensed as David Richard Millar) | Keller Williams Realty (The Millar Group), Guerneville | Salesperson #01354778 | Duncans Mills, Jenner, Monte Rio, Guerneville, Cazadero |
| Stewart Moore | The Agency, Healdsburg | Salesperson #02093591 | Russian River Valley; Monte Rio and Cazadero sales |
| Michael Pellegrini | HomeSmart Advantage Realty, Santa Rosa | Salesperson #02044192 | Russian River Valley; Monte Rio sale |
| Mallory Lambert Silipo | Corcoran Icon Properties, Sebastopol | Salesperson #02005785 | Russian River Valley; Monte Rio, Jenner and Cazadero sales |
On the DRE record, Vanguard Properties agents are licensed under Vanguard Properties, Inc.; Keller Williams agents under Santa Rosa Capital Holdings Inc (Keller Williams Realty business name); Hernandez Realty Co agents under broker Herman Joseph Hernandez; Corcoran Icon Properties agents under Norcal United Real Estate Partners; HomeSmart Advantage Realty agents under PL HomeSmart Advantage Realty Corp.; and The Agency agents under UMRO Realty Corp. (The Agency business name).
How to vet a Duncans Mills agent
- Ask what the agent has sold near Duncans Mills. With so few sales, an agent’s experience on the lower river matters more than a service-area label.
- Pull the flood record. Ask for the property’s flood claims history, any elevation certificate and how past floods affected Highway 116 access.
- Check the Coastal Zone line. Confirm on the County map whether coastal permit rules apply to the parcel.
- Verify water and septic. Ask for well or water-system records and the septic permit before you remove contingencies.
- Walk the access road. Rural parcels may use shared private roads; ask for a maintenance agreement.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status and a current broker on the DRE lookup before you sign a listing or buyer agreement.
Duncans Mills questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Duncans Mills?
No. Duncans Mills is unincorporated, so only the Sonoma County tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies.
Does Duncans Mills flood?
The County’s hazard mitigation plan names Duncans Mills among lower Russian River communities with repeated flood losses. Check the FEMA map and the property’s claims history.
Why are some agents here from other river towns?
Very few profiles name Duncans Mills itself. We list two agents tied to Duncans Mills and others who name nearby lower-river towns, and we say which is which in the table.
Who handles permits in Duncans Mills?
Permit Sonoma, the County’s planning and building department.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Permit Sonoma, vacation rentals and April 2023 Board of Supervisors action on caps and exclusion zones
- Sonoma County hazard mitigation plan, flood hazards chapter (Permit Sonoma)
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- Permit Sonoma, Coastal Zone map (PDF)
- Census Reporter, Sonoma County profile (ACS 2024 1-year)
- homes.com agent directory for Duncans Mills
- DRE records for Vanguard Properties, Inc., Santa Rosa Capital Holdings Inc, Herman Joseph Hernandez, Norcal United Real Estate Partners and UMRO Realty Corp.
- Agent profiles on homes.com and russianriverlandandhome.com, linked in the table
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Nearby agent guides: Monte Rio · Jenner · Guerneville
Related: Duncans Mills real estate guide · Duncans Mills home valuation · Sonoma 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.
