Best Realtors in King City, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
King City is the largest town in the southern Salinas Valley, a farm and ranching hub on Highway 101 about 45 miles south of Salinas. Its housing is mostly single-family homes on city lots, with ranchettes and rural parcels in Pine Canyon and the surrounding hills, and buyers here often weigh commute distance, well and septic questions outside city limits, and farm-adjacent uses.
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, no current broker affiliation, or a responsible broker that did not match the brokerage on their profile. Four agents whose profiles named King City were left out for that last reason.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record ties them to the brokerage shown on their profile.
- A public profile that names King City. We opened each agent’s profile, and each names King City as a service area or in the bio.
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.
King City housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | King City |
|---|---|
| Population | 13,604 |
| Housing units | 3,473 (±298) |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $449,900 (±$22,096) |
| Median household income | $66,761 (±$11,996) |
| Persons per household | 4.2 |
| Median age | 29.7 |
| Mean travel time to work | 29.4 minutes |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. Figures are estimates with margins of error, not current sale prices.
The median home value here is roughly half the county figure of $808,600 (ACS 2024 1-year, per our Monterey County agents guide), and households are large, so multigenerational layouts and second units are common requests. Ask an agent for recent closed sales on comparable streets rather than relying on an average.
In town, Pine Canyon and the South County ranch land
- In town. Most sales are single-family homes within city limits, from older homes near downtown Broadway to newer subdivisions. City zoning and permits apply. See our King City real estate guide.
- Pine Canyon and the hills. West of town, Pine Canyon has larger lots and rural homes under Monterey County zoning, where wells, septic systems, road maintenance and fire exposure matter more.
- Farm and ranch parcels. Agricultural land surrounds the city in every direction. Ask about water rights, Williamson Act contracts and neighboring farm operations before you buy rural acreage.
- Neighboring towns. Greenfield lies about 12 miles north on Highway 101, and the Lockwood and Jolon areas lie to the southwest toward Lake San Antonio and Fort Hunter Liggett.
Costs and rules specific to a King City purchase
- Transfer tax. The Monterey County Recorder collects documentary transfer tax at recording. Monterey County Code Chapter 5.32 sets the county rate at 55 cents per $500 ($1.10 per $1,000), with a credit for a qualifying city tax. We did not find a King City city transfer tax on an official source for this guide, so confirm the amount on your escrow estimate. Our California transfer tax guide explains how it is usually handled.
- Rent rules. The California Attorney General’s rent cap page places Monterey County in its "all other counties" group, with an 8.6% cap on increases for covered units from August 1, 2026. Its chart lists Salinas, not King City, as having a local rent stabilization ordinance. See our AB 1482 guide.
- Short-term rentals outside city limits. For homes in unincorporated areas such as Pine Canyon, the County’s short-term rental page says stays of 30 days or less need a discretionary permit and are allowed only in certain districts. Inside the city, ask the City of King about its own rules.
- Fire hazard and AB 38. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. Rural hillside parcels are more likely to be mapped; in High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation.
- Hazard disclosures. The natural hazard disclosure report covers mapped flood, fault and fire hazards, including Salinas River flood areas east of town.
King City 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 King City. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmine Duncan | Oak Shores Realty, King City office | Broker #02092802 | King City, Greenfield, Soledad, Pine Canyon, Oak Shores, Lake Nacimiento; Bradley |
| Tim Ellis | Oak Shores Realty, King City office | Salesperson #01152831 | King City, Oak Shores, Lake Nacimiento, Paso Robles |
| Monica Figueroa | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Time Realty, Salinas | Broker #01756509 | King City, Greenfield, Soledad, Salinas |
| Katie Harris (licensed as Kaitlyn Elizabeth Harris) | Buttgereit, Pettitt & Davis Agency, King City | Salesperson #02078781 | King City, Pine Canyon, Greenfield, San Luis Obispo, Templeton |
| Victor Marquez Marmolejo | RE/MAX Property Experts, Salinas | Salesperson #02120723 | King City, Soledad, Salinas |
| Martin M. Mendez | Caminos Real Estate, Gonzales | Broker #01222402 | King City, Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, Salinas |
| Lynnie Oliveira (licensed as Lynette Oliveira) | Lynnie O Real Estate, King City | Broker #00645576 | King City, southern Monterey County, Greenfield, Pine Canyon |
| Kim Tankersley | Oak Shores Realty, King City office | Broker #01412138 | King City, Greenfield, Pine Canyon, Oak Shores, Paso Robles |
How each license ties to the brokerage, per the DRE records: Tim Ellis is licensed under Oak Shores Realty (DRE #02201406); Jasmine Duncan is an officer of that corporation and Kim Tankersley is a broker associate there. Katie Harris is licensed under Buttgereit, Pettitt & Davis Agency, Inc. (DRE #00871247). Monica Figueroa is a broker associate for Real Time Realty Inc. (DRE #01900835), which markets as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Time Realty. Victor Marquez Marmolejo is licensed under Bay Capital Real Estate, Inc. (DRE #01931860), which does business as RE/MAX Property Experts. Martin M. Mendez and Lynnie Oliveira are brokers whose records list Caminos Real Estate and Lynnie O Real Estate as their business names. All profiles are on homes.com, a listing site.
How to vet a King City agent
- Ask how often they work south of Salinas. King City prices and buyers differ from the Peninsula; ask for recent sales in town and in Pine Canyon.
- Confirm city or county. Ask whether the parcel is inside city limits, because zoning, permits and rental rules change at the line.
- For rural parcels, ask about water and septic. Ask how they verify well yield, water quality and septic condition, and who maintains the road.
- Ask about farm-adjacent issues. Ask about spraying, dust, noise and right-to-farm disclosures for homes next to cropland.
- Plan for fire and insurance. Ask about the fire hazard zone, AB 38 documentation and insurance quotes before removing contingencies.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status and the responsible broker on the DRE lookup.
King City questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in King City?
We did not find one on an official source when we checked in October 2026. The County rate is $1.10 per $1,000 under County Code Chapter 5.32. Your escrow officer’s estimate will show the documentary transfer tax due at recording.
Does King City have rent control?
The Attorney General’s chart lists Salinas as the only Monterey County city with local rent stabilization, so covered King City units follow the statewide AB 1482 cap, 8.6% for increases from August 1, 2026.
What is the median home value in King City?
The Census estimate is about $450,000 for 2020–2024, with a margin of error near $22,000. Ask an agent for recent sales of similar homes.
Who handles permits for homes in Pine Canyon?
Monterey County, because Pine Canyon is outside city limits. Inside King City, the city handles zoning and building permits.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter, King City (ACS 2024 5-year)
- California Attorney General, rent caps
- Monterey County HCD, short-term rentals
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on homes.com, linked in the table
- Monterey County Code Chapter 5.32, Documentary Transfer Tax (county rate of $0.55 per $500, with credit for a qualifying city tax)
- City transfer tax: none found on an official source in October 2026.
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Nearby agent guides: Greenfield · Lockwood · Jolon
Related: King City real estate guide · King City home valuation · Monterey 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.
