Best Realtors in Tomales, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Tomales is a small unincorporated village of about 170 people in northwest Marin County, on Highway 1 a few miles inland from Tomales Bay and Dillon Beach, surrounded by dairy and sheep ranches. The village has a historic main street, a high school that serves much of West Marin, and only about a hundred homes, so most nearby sales are ranch land, rural homes on acreage or houses in the village itself.
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. We left out anyone whose record showed a suspension, an expired license or a responsible broker that did not match the brokerage on their profile.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under, and it matches their profile.
- A public profile that names Tomales or a neighboring town. We opened each agent’s profile. Three name Tomales. Because few profiles name the village, we also included two agents whose profiles name neighboring Dillon Beach or Marshall instead, and the table says so plainly.
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.
Tomales housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Tomales CDP |
|---|---|
| Population | 168 |
| Housing units | 104 (±63) |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $849,400 (±$55,868) |
| Persons per household | 3.2 |
| Median age | 65.6 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. The Census place covers only the village, and the estimates for a place this small are rough; the profile did not report a household income or commute figure.
Ranches and rural parcels around Tomales lie outside the small Census place, so the village median says little about land values. With roughly a hundred homes in the village, a single sale can move local averages; ask an agent for recent comparable sales.
Ranch country, Tomales Bay and the coastal zone
Tomales has no city government, so Marin County handles zoning and permits, and the village and much of the land around it are in the Coastal Zone. In village commercial areas, the county’s coastal C-VCR district aims to keep each village’s character and self-sufficiency while serving residents and visitors, under Chapter 20.62. Ranch land nearby is often in agricultural use, and some ranches carry agricultural conservation easements that limit what can be built. For more, see our Tomales real estate guide and nearby Dillon Beach.
Costs and rules specific to a Tomales purchase
- Transfer tax. The Marin County Recorder’s transfer tax sheet lists the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000). Tomales is unincorporated, so no city tax applies: about $934 on an $849,400 sale. Who pays is negotiable; confirm it on your escrow estimate.
- Coastal permits. Most development in the Coastal Zone needs a Coastal Development Permit, and many county decisions can be appealed to the California Coastal Commission. Budget time for review before planning an addition, barn or second unit.
- Short-term rentals. Stays under 30 days need a county license under Chapter 5.41, which caps licenses countywide and sets separate caps for West Marin townships including Tomales, through the county STR program.
- Septic and water. Order a septic inspection and confirm the water source, whether a well, spring or small water system, before you remove contingencies.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, read the natural hazard disclosure report, and get an insurance quote early.
Tomales 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 Tomales. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Barrett | Compass | Salesperson #01917077 | Tomales, Dillon Beach, Marshall, Point Reyes Station, Inverness; West Marin |
| B.G. Bates (licensed as Beverly Gay Buttemiller Bates) | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, San Rafael | Salesperson #00968254 | Tomales, Dillon Beach, Marshall, Chileno Valley, Hicks Valley; West Marin |
| Terry Donohue | Coldwell Banker Realty, Greenbrae office | Broker #01276710 | Tomales, Point Reyes, Olema, Inverness, Bolinas; West Marin |
| Ellen Lesher | Compass, Petaluma office | Salesperson #01728566 | Dillon Beach and Oceana Marin (neighboring, not Tomales); Petaluma, Bodega Bay |
| Rick Trono | Compass | Broker #01045523 | Marshall (neighboring, not Tomales), Inverness, Nicasio; West Marin |
Compass agents are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235); Rick Trono is a broker associate there. B.G. Bates is licensed under Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. (DRE #02027353), whose DRE record lists Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty as a business name; her profile is on homes.com, a listing site. Terry Donohue is a broker associate for NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), the broker for Coldwell Banker Realty, and names Tomales in her profile biography. Coldwell Banker Realty’s Bodega Bay office page also lists Tomales among the areas it serves, but the profiles of its agents that we opened did not name Tomales, so we did not list them.
How to vet a Tomales agent
- Ask about West Marin ranch and rural sales. Ask how many sales of ranch land or rural homes near Tomales the agent has handled.
- Read the easements. Ask whether the parcel carries an agricultural conservation easement, grazing lease or shared road, and what each allows.
- Confirm water and septic. Ask for well or spring records, a water test and the septic file before you write an offer.
- Pull the coastal permit history. Ask the agent to help you compare what was built with the County’s coastal permit records.
- Do not count on rental income. Ask how the township STR cap and the waitlist would affect you.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Tomales questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Tomales?
No. Tomales is unincorporated, so only the county tax of $0.55 per $500 applies, per the Marin County Recorder.
Who handles permits in Tomales?
Marin County, under its coastal zoning code and Local Coastal Program, with appeals of many decisions to the California Coastal Commission.
What is the median home value in Tomales?
The Census estimate for the village is about $849,400 for 2020–2024. Ranch and acreage properties nearby are outside that figure; ask an agent for comparable sales.
Why do some agents name Dillon Beach or Marshall instead?
Few profiles name Tomales itself. We included agents whose profiles name the neighboring coastal communities and labeled each one in the table.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. DRE record (Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty business name and branches)
- Census Reporter, Tomales CDP (ACS 2024 5-year)
- Marin County Recorder, documentary transfer tax
- Marin County Code Chapter 20.62, Coastal Zoning Districts and Chapter 5.41, Short-Term Rentals (GoCodebook); Marin County STR program
- Coldwell Banker Realty, Bodega Bay office
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on compass.com, coldwellbankerhomes.com and homes.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: Inverness · Nicasio · Olema
Related: Tomales real estate guide · Tomales home valuation · Marin 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.
