Best Realtors in Discovery Bay, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Discovery Bay is an unincorporated waterfront community in east Contra Costa County, built around Delta channels, where about nine in ten homes are owner-occupied and many have private docks. A Discovery Bay agent should be able to explain flood zone status and insurance, what a dock or seawall permit history shows and how waterfront and interior lots price differently.
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 current responsible broker, or whose broker did not match the brokerage they are listed with.
- 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 tied to Discovery Bay. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Discovery Bay or places the agent in the brokerage’s Discovery Bay 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.
Discovery Bay housing in numbers
| Census measure | Discovery Bay CDP |
|---|---|
| Population (April 1, 2020 census) | 15,358 |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2020–2024) | 90.1% |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes (2020–2024) | $832,000 |
| Median gross rent (2020–2024) | $3,029 |
| Median household income (2020–2024, 2024 dollars) | $147,117 |
| Persons per household (2020–2024) | 2.74 |
| Mean travel time to work (2020–2024) | 44.1 minutes |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Discovery Bay CDP, California. QuickFacts does not publish an annual population estimate for this census-designated place.
Discovery Bay’s average commute of about 44 minutes is one of the longest in the county, and the owner-occupancy rate is about 90%. The median value blends waterfront and interior homes, which can price very differently. These are five-year survey figures, not current sale prices; to price a specific home, an agent should pull recent sales of similar lots on the same kind of water frontage.
Discovery Bay settings: deep-water lots, interior streets and the Delta edge
Discovery Bay homes fall into a few broad groups: waterfront lots with private docks on the channels, interior homes without water access and gated or HOA communities. Waterfront ownership adds docks, seawalls and boat lifts to inspect and insure, and the Delta location raises levee and flood questions for every address. Our guides to Discovery Bay flood, levee and insurance records, waterfront home comparison, waterfront maintenance budget and waterfront comparable sales go into detail. See also our Discovery Bay real estate guide and nearby Byron and Brentwood.
Costs and rules specific to a Discovery Bay purchase
- Transfer tax. The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value. Discovery Bay is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies; the Recorder’s page lists city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond. On an $850,000 sale, the county tax is about $935. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- County jurisdiction. As an unincorporated community, Discovery Bay falls under Contra Costa County for planning and building permits.
- Flood zones and insurance. Check the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and in the natural hazard disclosure report, and get flood and homeowner’s insurance quotes early. Our flood, levee and insurance records guide lists what to request.
- Docks, seawalls and permits. For a waterfront home, ask for permit history and condition reports on the dock, boat lift and seawall; see our waterfront permit history guide.
- HOAs. Some Discovery Bay neighborhoods have homeowners associations. Request the budget, reserves, rules and any pending special assessments.
- Other hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows mapped flood, fault and fire hazard zones for the address.
Discovery Bay 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 Discovery Bay. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Albright | RE/MAX Crossroads, Brentwood | Broker #01799155 | Discovery Bay, Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Pittsburg |
| Jenny Biczkow | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Salesperson #02086289 | Discovery Bay office; Contra Costa County |
| James Carlson | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Broker #01439540 | Discovery Bay office; East Bay |
| Jules Guzzardo | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Salesperson #01955798 | Discovery Bay office; East Contra Costa County |
| Mike Guzzardo | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Broker #01066846 | Discovery Bay office; East Contra Costa County |
| Darrell Hanson | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Broker #01293448 | Discovery Bay office; East Contra Costa County |
| Julie Hanson | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Broker #00885143 | Discovery Bay office; Contra Costa and Alameda counties |
| Danelle Kent | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Salesperson #02169083 | Discovery Bay office; San Mateo |
| Lisa Oerlemans | RE/MAX Gold, Antioch | Salesperson #01319197 | Discovery Bay, Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Pittsburg |
| Randy Prince | Corcoran Icon Properties, Discovery Bay office | Salesperson #01234036 | Discovery Bay, Contra Costa County |
Corcoran Icon Properties agents above appear on the brokerage’s Discovery Bay office page (1555 Riverlake Rd) and are licensed under the responsible broker Norcal United Real Estate Partners (DRE #02205397), the license number shown for Corcoran Icon Properties on its site. RE/MAX Crossroads agents are licensed under Compass Land and Homes, Inc. (DRE #02082044), and RE/MAX Gold agents under Norcal Gold Inc (DRE #01215931), as shown on their DRE records. Broker-licensed agents work as broker associates or officers. Some DRE records list a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses professionally (for example, Cy Randall Prince, Julie Crista Guzzardo, Julianne Marie Hanson and Jennifer Veronica Biczkow).
How to vet a Discovery Bay agent
- Ask how they price waterfront versus interior homes. Ask for recent sales on similar water frontage and lot types, not a community-wide average.
- Ask for flood and insurance steps up front. Ask when they recommend getting flood and homeowner’s insurance quotes and how they check the flood zone for an address.
- Ask how they handle docks and seawalls. Ask which inspections they usually recommend and how they gather permit history for waterfront improvements.
- Ask about HOA documents. If the home is in an association, ask how they review the budget, reserves and rules.
- Talk about the commute. The Census average is about 44 minutes; ask how they help buyers weigh drive times to Bay Area job centers.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
Discovery Bay questions we hear
Is Discovery Bay a city?
No. It is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Contra Costa County, so County rules apply for planning and building permits.
Does Discovery Bay have its own transfer tax?
No city tax applies because Discovery Bay is unincorporated. A sale typically shows the county tax of $0.55 per $500, according to the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
Do I need flood insurance in Discovery Bay?
It depends on the address and your lender. Check the FEMA flood map and the natural hazard disclosure report, and ask insurers for quotes before you remove contingencies.
How do I check a Discovery Bay 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 Discovery Bay agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent waterfront and interior sales, and compare how they explain flood insurance, dock condition and pricing for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Discovery Bay CDP, California (2020 census population; 2020–2024 ACS figures)
- Corcoran Icon Properties Discovery Bay office
- RE/MAX agent search, Discovery Bay, CA
- Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Discovery Bay real estate guide · Discovery Bay 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.
