Best Real Estate Agents in Santa Cruz County (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Santa Cruz County wraps around the north end of Monterey Bay, from the city of Santa Cruz and Capitola through the unincorporated beach communities of Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos and La Selva Beach to Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley farmland, with Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley in the mountains behind. Much of the county’s housing sits outside city limits, so County coastal, short-term rental and fire rules often decide what an owner can do.
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 in October 2026:
- 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."
- A named brokerage. We list the brokerage the agent markets under and note the responsible broker on the DRE record when the legal name differs.
- A public profile tied to Santa Cruz County. We opened a public brokerage roster that places each agent in a Santa Cruz County office.
We did not rank agents, and we did not consider or report sales volume, reviews or awards. A license check is a starting point, not a recommendation. Verify each record yourself before signing anything, and interview more than one agent.
Santa Cruz County housing in numbers
| Measure | Santa Cruz County | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 262,406 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Housing units | 107,654 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $985,800 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Median household income | $107,893 | ACS 2024 1-year |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.3 minutes | ACS 2024 1-year |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. Figures are estimates with margins of error.
A county median blends beach cottages, mountain cabins on private roads and Watsonville tract homes. Ask agents for recent closed sales that match the setting you want, since a redwood-forest parcel and a mid-county beach house trade very differently.
The city, mid-county beaches, the mountains and south county
- City of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz neighborhoods from the Westside to the Eastside and Seabright, with city zoning and rental rules.
- Mid-county. Capitola and the unincorporated communities of Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos, Rio del Mar, Seacliff and La Selva Beach, where County zoning, the Local Coastal Program and the County’s short-term rental rules apply.
- The mountains. Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley communities of Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, where fire zones, private roads, wells and septic systems are common questions.
- South county. Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley, with farmland that County policy protects from urban development.
- North coast. Davenport and Swanton, rural coastal communities with tight short-term rental limits.
Costs and rules specific to a Santa Cruz County purchase
- Transfer tax. The County Recorder collects documentary transfer tax at recording. We could not open a County page stating the rate for this guide, so confirm the county figure, and any city tax, on your escrow estimate. Our California transfer tax guide explains how it is usually handled.
- Short-term rental caps. County Ordinance 5497, adopted August 19, 2025 and effective after Coastal Commission certification, caps short-term rental permits by area in the unincorporated county, allows one permit per person and per parcel, and voids a permit when the property transfers with reassessment. Do not assume a seller’s vacation rental permit carries over to you.
- Lodging tax. The County Tax Collector lists transient occupancy tax at 14% for vacation rentals in the unincorporated county.
- Coastal permits. Development along the coast generally needs a coastal development permit under the County’s Coastal Zone regulations or the city’s Local Coastal Program; the Coastal Commission explains the permit system.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. The Santa Cruz Mountains carry State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations. Sellers in High or Very High zones must provide defensible space documentation or an agreement for the buyer to obtain it; see our AB 38 guide.
- Hazard disclosures. The natural hazard disclosure report covers mapped fault, landslide and flood hazards, which matter in the mountains and along the Pajaro and San Lorenzo rivers.
Santa Cruz County agents with verified licenses
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Matthew Martinez is the broker of Diamond Group Estates Inc, DBA Diamond Real Estate Group (company DRE #02163490), and holds a California broker license, DRE #01869679. He is based in Sonoma County; contact him to discuss a purchase or sale in Santa Cruz County through our contact page.
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendra Antonelli | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01982185 | Aptos office |
| Betty Canfield | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01860009 | Aptos office |
| Paul Cuccia | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01334276 | Aptos office |
| Kim Havbo | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01419191 | Aptos office |
| Brad King | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01028382 | Aptos office |
| Idy McMahon | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01361953 | Aptos office |
| Michael Morgan | Coldwell Banker Realty | Broker #01138930 | Aptos office |
| Mike O’Boy | Coldwell Banker Realty | Broker #01225575 | Aptos office |
| Sean Poudrier | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01932326 | Aptos office |
| Shawna Spaulding | Coldwell Banker Realty | Broker #01355536 | Aptos office |
| Bruce Taylor | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01187958 | Aptos office |
| Nico Vargas | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01983874 | Aptos office |
| Mark Vincent | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson #01436652 | Aptos office |
Coldwell Banker Realty agents in this table are licensed under the responsible broker NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), as shown on each DRE record, and appear on the Aptos office roster. License status and brokerage affiliations change; check the DRE record before you hire anyone.
How to vet a Santa Cruz County agent
- Open the DRE record. Confirm the license is "Licensed" and that the responsible broker matches the brokerage the agent represents.
- Ask which part of the county they work. Mountain, beach and Pajaro Valley sales draw on different buyers and comparables. Ask for recent closed sales near the homes you are considering.
- For mountain homes, ask about fire, roads and water. Ask how they handle AB 38 documentation, insurance quotes, private road agreements, wells and septic records.
- If rental income matters, ask about the STR caps. Ask how they confirm whether a vacation rental permit exists and whether it would survive the sale under Ordinance 5497.
- For coastal homes, ask about permits and bluffs. Ask how they review coastal permit history, bluff setbacks and flood maps.
- Ask for a net sheet. It should show the transfer tax from escrow, the expected supplemental tax bill and any special assessments.
Santa Cruz County questions we hear
Will a vacation rental permit transfer when I buy?
Under County Ordinance 5497, a permit in the unincorporated county is voided when the property transfers with reassessment, once the ordinance is in effect after Coastal Commission certification. Inside a city, check that city’s rules. Confirm current status with the County before relying on rental income.
Are Aptos, Soquel and Live Oak cities?
No. They are unincorporated communities, so County zoning, the County’s Local Coastal Program and County short-term rental rules apply.
How do I check a real estate 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.
What should I check on a home in the Santa Cruz Mountains?
Check the fire hazard zone and defensible space documentation, get insurance quotes early, and review well, septic and private road records. The natural hazard disclosure report will flag mapped landslide and fault zones.
Is the agent order in this guide a ranking?
No. Our broker is listed first because Diamond Real Estate Group publishes the guide; everyone else is alphabetical by last name. Inclusion means we verified a current license, a brokerage and a public profile tied to a Santa Cruz County office in October 2026, nothing more.
Agent guides for cities and communities in Santa Cruz 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 (records linked individually in the table)
- Coldwell Banker Realty Aptos office agent roster
- Census Reporter, Santa Cruz County profile (ACS 2024 1-year)
- Santa Cruz County Ordinance 5497, short-term rentals
- Santa Cruz County Tax Collector, transient occupancy tax
- California Coastal Commission, coastal development permits
- State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Transfer tax rate not stated: the County Recorder’s page did not load when checked in October 2026.
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Santa Cruz County real estate guide · Santa Cruz County home valuation · 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.
