Best Realtors in El Sobrante, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
El Sobrante is an unincorporated community of about 16,000 people in west Contra Costa County, in the hills and valleys east of Richmond and San Pablo along San Pablo Dam Road. It has no city government, so planning and permits run through Contra Costa County. An El Sobrante agent should be able to explain County jurisdiction, older-home records and hillside questions 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 responsible broker they work under, and it matches the brokerage on their profile.
- A public profile that names El Sobrante. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names El Sobrante.
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.
El Sobrante housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | El Sobrante |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,294 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $758,800 |
| Median household income | $114,853 |
| Persons per household | 2.9 |
| Mean travel time to work | 33.8 minutes |
Source: Census Reporter profile of El Sobrante, CA, using U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates for the El Sobrante census-designated place.
The Census Bureau’s five-year median owner-occupied value for El Sobrante was about $760,000. These are survey estimates collected over five years, not current sale prices. To price a specific home, an agent should pull recent sales of similar homes in the same part of the community.
El Sobrante settings: valley streets, hillsides and nearby cities
El Sobrante sits between Richmond, San Pablo and Pinole, with homes along the valley floor and on hillside streets, and some neighborhoods with HOAs. Because it is unincorporated, a parcel’s rules come from Contra Costa County, though a nearby address may fall inside Richmond or Pinole city limits. Our guides to El Sobrante neighborhood and property comparisons, home improvement records and inspection and insurance planning cover those questions. For more detail, see our El Sobrante real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to an El Sobrante purchase
- Transfer tax. The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value. El Sobrante is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies, but Richmond’s city tax does apply if a nearby parcel is inside Richmond city limits. On a $760,000 sale in unincorporated El Sobrante, the county tax is about $836. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- County or city jurisdiction. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside Richmond or Pinole before you rely on any city rule, and check permit history with the right agency.
- HOA documents. Where an HOA applies, review its budget, reserves and any special assessments; our El Sobrante association costs guide explains what to request.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. Hillside parts of west county may 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.
- Other hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows whether an address is in a mapped fault, landslide or flood zone.
El Sobrante 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 El Sobrante. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sindy Anderson | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #02203627 | Pinole, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Richmond and other central and west county cities |
| Kimberly Barnett | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #01904955 | Pinole, El Sobrante, Richmond, Crockett and many other Bay Area cities |
| Lisa Chilton | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #02155460 | Pinole, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Richmond, Rodeo, Hercules, Crockett and other Bay Area cities |
| Mohan Karki | RE/MAX Regency, Hercules office | Salesperson #02118988 | Berkeley, El Sobrante, Richmond, El Cerrito, Hercules |
| Darlene Lizotte | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #02113211 | Walnut Creek, Danville, El Sobrante, Pleasant Hill, Oakland, Moraga |
| Karlene Lopez-Piedra | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #01980076 | Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Pinole, Hercules and other cities |
Coldwell Banker Realty agents above are licensed under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304). Mohan Karki is licensed under VMRW (DRE #01937237), which the DRE lists as doing business as RE/MAX Regency, at 1375 Sycamore Ave in Hercules. None of the agents above works from an office in El Sobrante; their profiles name El Sobrante as an area served. You may also want to review our Richmond, Pinole and Hercules guides.
How to vet an El Sobrante agent
- Ask them to confirm jurisdiction. For any address, ask how they check whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside Richmond or Pinole, since tax, permits and rules depend on it.
- Ask how they review older homes. Ask which inspections they recommend (foundation, sewer lateral, drainage, electrical) and how they compare County permit records with what was built.
- Ask about hillside lots. For homes on slopes, ask about retaining walls, drainage and when a geotechnical review makes sense.
- Ask for comparables from the same area. A valley-floor home and a hillside home with views should not be priced from the same sales.
- Ask about fire zones and insurance. Ask how they check the Fire Hazard Severity Zone and when they suggest getting insurance quotes.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
El Sobrante questions we hear
Is El Sobrante part of Richmond?
No. El Sobrante is an unincorporated community governed by Contra Costa County, though it borders Richmond and some nearby addresses are inside Richmond city limits. Confirm a specific parcel’s jurisdiction before you rely on city or County rules.
Does El Sobrante have a city transfer tax?
Unincorporated El Sobrante has no city transfer tax, so a sale typically shows only the county tax of $0.55 per $500. If a parcel is inside Richmond, Richmond’s tiered city tax also applies.
How do I check an El Sobrante 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 El Sobrante agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent sales near the homes you are considering, and compare how they explain jurisdiction, older-home and hillside questions for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter: El Sobrante, CA (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates)
- Coldwell Banker Realty and RE/MAX agent profiles linked in the table
- Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax and City of Richmond transfer tax
- 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: El Sobrante real estate guide · El Sobrante 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.
