Best Realtors in La Honda, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
La Honda is a small unincorporated community of about 1,300 people in the redwoods along Highway 84, between Skyline Boulevard and the coast at San Gregorio. Homes sit on wooded lots and acreage reached by winding roads, and the agents who name La Honda on their profiles work from Woodside, Burlingame and Half Moon Bay offices.
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 or broker-associate affiliation 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 tied to La Honda or the South Coast. We opened each agent’s brokerage or MLS profile and confirmed it names La Honda (or its ZIP code, 94020), shows La Honda listings or sales, or names the neighboring South Coast communities of San Gregorio and Pescadero.
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 a few agent profiles name La Honda itself, so this list is short. Three agents name La Honda directly; two name the neighboring South Coast communities, as noted in the table.
La Honda housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | La Honda CDP |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,269 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $935,500 (±$63,207) |
| Median household income | $250,000 or more (the survey’s top category) |
| Persons per household | 2.1 |
| Median age | 45.5 |
| Mean travel time to work | 40.2 minutes |
| Housing units | 709 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. Figures for a small community carry wide margins of error; treat them as rough guides, not current sale prices.
La Honda’s estimated median value is well below the San Mateo County figure, reflecting older cabins and homes on rural lots far from the Peninsula’s job centers. With roughly 700 housing units, a few sales can move local numbers a lot.
Redwoods, Highway 84 and rural lots
La Honda has no city government, so San Mateo County handles zoning and permits. Homes range from small cabins near the old town center to houses on acreage along Highway 84, Pescadero Road and the side roads into the hills. Many properties rely on wells or small water systems and septic systems, and many are reached by shared private roads. For more, see our La Honda real estate guide, rural water and wastewater notes and private roads and site access notes.
Costs and rules specific to a La Honda purchase
- Transfer tax. La Honda is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies. The San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder lists the county documentary transfer tax at 55 cents per $500, or $1.10 per $1,000 of value: about $1,029 on a $935,500 sale. Our California transfer tax guide explains who usually pays.
- Zoning and coastal review. County Planning administers the Zoning and Development Code. Ask Planning whether a parcel falls in the Coastal Zone, which adds coastal permit review, and what its zoning allows before you plan a second unit or barn.
- Septic and wells. San Mateo County Environmental Health’s Water Protection and Land Use program oversees onsite wastewater (septic) systems and water wells. Ask for septic permits and pumping records, well logs and a water quality and yield test.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Wooded hillside lots around La Honda can carry high wildfire exposure. 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. In a High or Very High zone, see our AB 38 guide.
- Private roads. Ask whether there is a recorded road maintenance agreement and how winter storm damage is handled.
La Honda 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 La Honda. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deborah Cozzolino | Coldwell Banker Realty, Half Moon Bay | Salesperson #01774449 | San Gregorio, Pescadero, Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast (neighboring communities; La Honda not named) |
| Scott Hayes (licensed as Scott Packard Hayes) | Compass, Woodside | Salesperson #01401243 | San Mateo County ranch and rural property, Woodside, Portola Valley, the Coastside; La Honda listings and past sales |
| Rick Howard-Smith (licensed as Richard Douglas Howard-Smith) | The Agency, Woodside | Salesperson #00876677 | ZIP 94020 (La Honda), Woodside |
| Diana Plank | Coldwell Banker Realty, Half Moon Bay | Broker #00779576 | Tunitas Creek, San Gregorio, Pescadero, Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast (neighboring communities; La Honda not named) |
| Frank Vento (licensed as Frank Anthony Vento) | Intero Real Estate Services, Burlingame | Broker #01321362 | La Honda, Pescadero, Half Moon Bay, Montara, San Mateo County Coastside |
On the DRE record, Compass agents are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235); The Agency agents under UMRO Realty Corp. (DRE #01904054), whose record lists The Agency as a business name and a Woodside branch; Coldwell Banker Realty agents under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304); and Intero agents under Intero Real Estate Services Inc (DRE #01354442). For more agents, see our San Mateo County agents guide and Half Moon Bay agents guide.
How to vet a La Honda agent
- Ask about rural sales in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ask how many sales the agent has handled with wells, septic systems and private roads.
- Get water and septic records early. Ask for well logs, yield and quality tests, septic permits and pumping history.
- Check access. Ask for any road maintenance agreement and how the road held up in recent winter storms.
- Confirm permits for every structure. Cabins, decks and outbuildings in rural areas sometimes lack permits; ask the agent how they check County records.
- Get fire insurance quotes first. In the redwoods, insurance availability can decide whether a deal works.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
La Honda questions we hear
Is La Honda a town with its own government?
No. La Honda is unincorporated, so San Mateo County handles planning, building permits and environmental health.
Is there a city transfer tax in La Honda?
No. Only the county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies, according to the County Clerk-Recorder.
What is the median home value in La Honda?
Census estimates put the median owner-occupied value at about $935,500 for 2020–2024. Ask an agent for recent sales of similar rural property.
Why do some agents in this guide not name La Honda?
Few profiles name La Honda itself. We included two Half Moon Bay agents whose profiles name the neighboring South Coast communities of San Gregorio and Pescadero, and we note that in the table.
Is the agent order a ranking?
No. Our broker is listed first because we publish the guide; everyone else is alphabetical by last name.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter, La Honda CDP profile (ACS 2024 5-year)
- San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax
- San Mateo County Planning and Zoning and Development Code
- San Mateo County Environmental Health, Water Protection and Land Use
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- UMRO Realty Corp. DRE record (The Agency business name and Woodside branch)
- Agent profiles on coldwellbankerhomes.com, compass.com and mlslistings.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: Loma Mar · Half Moon Bay
Related: La Honda real estate guide · La Honda home valuation · San Mateo 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.
