Best Real Estate Agents in Placer County (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Placer County runs from the Sacramento Valley suburbs of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln, up through Auburn and the foothill towns, to the North Lake Tahoe shore. That range means a buyer may be comparing a newer Roseville subdivision, a Loomis acreage parcel and a Tahoe cabin, each with its own costs and rules, so the right agent is usually one who works the part of the county you are buying in.
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
Every agent below met three tests, checked 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 status of "Licensed" with a current broker affiliation.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s brokerage appears on both the profile and the DRE record.
- A public profile that names the area. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Placer County, a Placer city or town, or an office in the county.
We did not rank anyone, and we did not use sales volume, reviews or awards. Verify the license yourself and interview more than one agent before you choose.
Placer County housing in numbers
| Measure (U.S. Census QuickFacts) | Placer County |
|---|---|
| Population, July 1, 2025 estimate | 442,081 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes, 2020–2024 | $688,100 |
| Owner-occupied housing rate, 2020–2024 | 74.8% |
| Median gross rent, 2020–2024 | $2,069 |
| Median household income, 2020–2024 (2024 dollars) | $115,998 |
| Mean travel time to work, 2020–2024 | 27.4 minutes |
| Land area, 2020 | 1,407.08 sq. mi. |
About three in four Placer County homes are owner-occupied, and both the median home value and the median household income sit well above neighboring Sacramento County’s. Median rent is also higher, at just over $2,000 a month. These five-year Census figures describe the housing stock, not current sale prices, so ask any agent for recent sales in the specific community.
Placer County from the valley to Tahoe
- South Placer suburbs. Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln hold most of the county’s population and much of its newer, master-planned housing, including active-adult communities.
- Granite Bay and Loomis. Larger lots and semi-rural parcels between Roseville and Folsom Lake.
- Auburn and the foothills. Older homes, acreage and rural parcels, often on wells or septic, along Interstate 80 and Highway 49.
- North Lake Tahoe and the high country. Cabins, condos and vacation homes, where snow load, short-term rental permits and Tahoe-area rules shape value.
Costs and rules specific to a Placer County purchase
Transfer tax. Fidelity National Financial’s title guide (Who Pays What, rev. January 2026) lists Placer County’s documentary transfer tax at $1.10 per $1,000 of value, customarily paid by the seller, and lists no city transfer tax in the county. On a $688,100 sale, that is about $757. Confirm the amount on your escrow estimate.
Short-term rental cap in eastern Placer. In February 2022 the Board of Supervisors adopted a cap of 3,900 short-term rental permits for the North Lake Tahoe area, according to the County. Owner-occupied rentals are exempt from the cap but still need a permit; hotels, motels, timeshares and B&Bs are outside the ordinance. If rental income matters to your Tahoe purchase, confirm the property’s permit status before you write an offer.
Fire hazard zones. Much of the foothill and Tahoe area is in mapped fire hazard zones. The State Fire Marshal says State Responsibility Area maps took effect April 1, 2024, and Local Responsibility Area maps went to local jurisdictions in 2025. Check the address in the map viewer, review the hazard disclosures and get an insurance quote early.
Special taxes. Many newer Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln neighborhoods carry Mello-Roos or other special taxes. Ask for the annual amount and how long it runs, and include it in your monthly budget.
Placer County agents with verified licenses
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Matthew Martinez is the Broker of Diamond Real Estate Group (Diamond Group Estates Inc, DRE #02163490), Broker DRE #01869679. He is based in Sonoma County; contact him to discuss a purchase or sale in Placer County. Contact Matthew.
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debi Ambroff | Coldwell Banker Realty, El Dorado Hills | Salesperson #01017131 | Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento counties |
| Amer Baig | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #01467099 | Roseville |
| Beth Bryant | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #00903372 | Granite Bay, Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Lincoln |
| Tiffany Donohue | Coldwell Banker Realty, Elk Grove | Salesperson #01927470 | Placer County, among others |
| Kelly Evers | Coldwell Banker Realty, Sacramento-Sierra Oaks | Salesperson #01854628 | Placer County, among others |
| Julie Gilmore | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #01951978 | Roseville; Placer County |
| Cheryl Harding | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #01463180 | Roseville, Granite Bay, Rocklin, Loomis, South Placer County |
| Kelly Hunter | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #01200012 | Roseville, Granite Bay; Placer County |
| Greg Larson | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Broker #00838126 | Roseville; Placer County |
| Laura Moore | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Broker #01247653 | Roseville; Placer County |
| Melinda Shrader | Coldwell Banker Realty, Roseville-Granite Bay | Salesperson #00994757 | Roseville; Placer County |
| Brenda Sims | Coldwell Banker Realty, El Dorado Hills | Broker #01032348 | Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Granite Bay |
| Monica Truettner | Coldwell Banker Realty, Sacramento-Sierra Oaks | Salesperson #00874584 | Placer County, Sacramento County |
| Emile Truong | Coldwell Banker Realty, Sacramento-Sierra Oaks | Salesperson #01444472 | Roseville; Placer County |
| Britt Wiseman | Coldwell Banker Realty, Sacramento-Sierra Oaks | Salesperson #01414550 | Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Newcastle, Loomis, Auburn |
All agents in the table are licensed under NRT West, Inc. (Coldwell Banker Realty) on the DRE record. We were not able to open rosters for other Placer brokerages during this review, so this list is narrower than the market. Many other brokerages serve the county; check any agent you are considering on the DRE lookup.
How to vet a Placer County agent
- Match the agent to the terrain. A Roseville tract-home specialist and a Tahoe cabin specialist need different knowledge. Ask which part of the county most of their recent sales were in.
- Ask about special taxes. In newer south Placer neighborhoods, have the agent pull the special tax amount and term before you write an offer.
- Check fire hazard and insurance early. For foothill and Tahoe homes, look up the fire hazard zone and get an insurance quote during your contingency period.
- For rural parcels, ask about wells and septic. Auburn, Loomis and foothill acreage often relies on private systems; budget for inspections.
- For Tahoe rentals, confirm the STR permit. Do not count on rental income until the permit status is confirmed.
- Check the license yourself. Look the agent up on the DRE lookup and confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker.
Placer County questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Roseville or Rocklin?
Fidelity National Financial’s 2026 guide lists no city transfer tax in Placer County, only the County’s $1.10 per $1,000. Confirm on your escrow estimate.
Can I rent out a North Tahoe home as a vacation rental?
Only with a County short-term rental permit. Eastern Placer has a cap of 3,900 permits; owner-occupied rentals are exempt from the cap but still need a permit.
Do Placer agents also work in Sacramento and El Dorado counties?
Many do. Several agents in this guide name Sacramento or El Dorado County on their profiles. See our Sacramento County and El Dorado County guides.
How do I check whether a Placer home is in a fire hazard zone?
Use the State Fire Marshal’s map viewer, then read the hazard disclosures in the seller’s packet and ask your insurance agent for a quote.
Agent guides for cities and communities in Placer County
Each guide below lists agents we verified for that place, with the local rules that matter there.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- U.S. Census QuickFacts, Placer County (population estimate July 1, 2025; other figures 2020–2024)
- Fidelity National Financial, Who Pays What: California Transfer Tax and Fees (rev. January 2026)
- Placer County, Supervisors advance cap on STR permits
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on coldwellbankerhomes.com, linked in the table
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Placer County real estate guide · Placer County home valuation · Roseville real estate 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.
