Best Realtors in Orinda, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Orinda is a city of about 19,500 people in the Lamorinda area of Contra Costa County, west of Lafayette along Highway 24 and BART. Many homes sit on wooded hillside lots on winding streets, so an Orinda agent should be able to explain slope, drainage, access and fire hazard 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 Orinda. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Orinda or an Orinda office.
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.
Orinda housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Orinda |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,514 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $1,863,200 |
| Median household income | $250,001 (top-coded: $250,000 or more) |
| Persons per household | 2.7 |
| Mean travel time to work | 36.1 minutes |
Source: Census Reporter profile of Orinda, CA, using U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates.
The Census Bureau’s five-year median owner-occupied value for Orinda was close to $1.9 million, and median household income reached the survey’s top code. These are survey figures collected over several years, not current sale prices. To price a specific home, an agent should pull recent sales of similar homes on similar lots in the same part of town.
Orinda settings: hillside lots, Lamorinda and nearby communities
Orinda is one of the three Lamorinda communities, with Lafayette to the east and Moraga to the south. Homes range from older houses on large wooded lots to newer homes in planned neighborhoods, and lot slope, private or shared driveways and street access can vary a lot from one address to the next. Our guides to buying a hillside home in Orinda, Orinda hillside ownership costs and Orinda property settings cover those questions. For more detail, see our Orinda real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to an Orinda purchase
- Transfer tax. The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value. The Recorder’s page lists separate city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond, not Orinda. On a $1,900,000 sale, the county tax is about $2,090. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. In High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation, and insurance quotes are worth getting early.
- Permit history and remodel plans. On hillside lots, additions, retaining walls and decks often need permits and engineering. Compare the City’s permit records with the seller’s disclosures; our Orinda renovation records guide explains what to look for.
- Other hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows whether an address is in a mapped fault, landslide or flood zone, which matters on sloped lots.
Orinda 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 Orinda. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Abrams | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01272382 | Orinda |
| Albert Bernardo | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Broker #01356674 | Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga |
| John Caronna | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01898437 | Orinda |
| Kris Fogarty | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01456924 | Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Walnut Creek, Martinez and other central county cities |
| Jeff Gillett | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Broker #01158597 | Orinda |
| Shellie Kirby | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01251227 | Orinda |
| Tom Stack | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Broker #01501769 | Orinda; Lafayette and Lamorinda in bio |
| Bo Sullivan | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #00954395 | Orinda |
| Emily Toti | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01521826 | Orinda |
| Linda Van Drent | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Broker #01051129 | Orinda |
All agents in the table are licensed under the responsible broker NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), as shown on each DRE record, and appear on the Coldwell Banker Realty Orinda office roster (5 Moraga Way). Other brokerages also have agents active in Orinda; we list only those we could verify for this edition. Broker-licensed agents work as broker associates, as shown on their DRE records. Some DRE records list a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses professionally (for example, Bodil Sullivan and Michele Kirby).
How to vet an Orinda agent
- Ask how they evaluate a hillside lot. Ask which inspections they usually recommend on sloped parcels (drainage, retaining walls, geotechnical, sewer lateral) and how early they schedule them.
- Ask about fire zone status and insurance. Ask how they check the Fire Hazard Severity Zone for an address, handle AB 38 documents and help you get insurance quotes before you remove contingencies.
- Ask for comparables from the same setting. A view home on a steep lot, a home on a level street near downtown and a home in a planned neighborhood should not be priced from the same sales.
- Ask about access and driveways. Some Orinda homes use shared or private driveways; ask how they confirm access rights and maintenance responsibilities in the title report.
- Ask about permit history. If you plan an addition, deck or second unit, ask how they compare City permit records with what was built.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
Orinda questions we hear
Does Orinda have its own transfer tax?
The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s transfer tax page lists city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond, so an Orinda sale typically shows the county tax of $0.55 per $500. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
Is my Orinda home in a fire hazard zone?
Look up the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. The natural hazard disclosure report in escrow will also state the designation.
What inspections make sense on an Orinda hillside home?
Beyond a general home inspection, buyers often consider drainage, foundation, retaining wall and sewer lateral inspections, and sometimes a geotechnical review. Our Orinda hillside due diligence guide walks through them.
How do I check an Orinda 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 Orinda agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent sales near the homes you are considering, and compare how they explain hillside, fire zone and permit questions for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter: Orinda, CA (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates)
- Coldwell Banker Realty Orinda office agent roster
- Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder: documentary 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: Orinda real estate guide · Orinda 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.
