Best Realtors in Martinez, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Martinez is a city of about 37,000 people on the Carquinez Strait and the county seat of Contra Costa County. Its housing mixes older homes near downtown with hillside neighborhoods and planned subdivisions, so a Martinez agent should be able to explain older-home records, HOA documents and hazard disclosures as well as price.
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 responsible broker, a suspension or an expired license.
- 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 that names Martinez. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Martinez.
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.
Martinez housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Martinez |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,903 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $859,800 |
| Median household income | $127,355 |
| Persons per household | 2.5 |
| Mean travel time to work | 28.4 minutes |
Source: Census Reporter profile of Martinez, CA, using U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates.
The Census Bureau’s five-year median owner-occupied value for Martinez was about $860,000, well below Lamorinda figures nearby. These are survey estimates collected over five years, not current sale prices. To price a specific home, an agent should pull recent sales of similar homes in the same neighborhood.
Martinez settings: downtown, hillsides and planned neighborhoods
Homes near downtown Martinez and the waterfront are often older, while hillside neighborhoods and later subdivisions to the south and east may come with HOAs. A Martinez mailing address does not always mean a home is inside city limits. Our guides to Martinez neighborhood and property comparisons, Martinez home improvement records and Martinez inspection and insurance planning cover those questions. For more detail, see our Martinez real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to a Martinez purchase
- Transfer tax. The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value. The Recorder’s page lists separate city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond, not Martinez. On an $860,000 sale, the county tax is about $946. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- City or County jurisdiction. Some homes with a Martinez address are outside city limits. Confirm which agency handles permits and planning before you rely on City rules.
- HOA documents. In planned neighborhoods, review the HOA’s budget, reserves, rules and any special assessments during escrow; our Martinez association costs guide explains what to request.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. Hillside parts of Martinez may carry State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone designations. In High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation.
- Other hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows whether an address is in a mapped fault, landslide or flood zone.
Martinez 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 Martinez. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sindy Anderson | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #02203627 | Pinole, Richmond, Orinda, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Concord |
| Kimberly Barnett | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #01904955 | Pittsburg, Antioch, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez and many other Bay Area cities |
| Kris Fogarty | Coldwell Banker Realty, Orinda office | Salesperson #01456924 | Martinez, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Walnut Creek and other central county cities |
| Kiersten Fouts | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #02204189 | Clayton, Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez and other central and east county cities |
| Dessy Gueorguieva | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Broker #01301988 | Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Pacheco, Martinez and many other Bay Area cities |
| Chris Luna | Coldwell Banker Realty, Danville office | Salesperson #02226845 | Concord, Danville, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pacheco and other East Bay cities |
| Nathan Rahmatti | Coldwell Banker Realty, Danville office | Broker #01258952 | Concord, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Pleasant Hill and other East Bay cities |
| Natalie Signorelli | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #01425148 | Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Orinda, Martinez, Concord and other central county cities |
All agents in the table are licensed under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), which operates Coldwell Banker Realty; Dessy Gueorguieva and Nathan Rahmatti are broker associates with that firm. None of the agents above works from an office inside Martinez; their profiles name Martinez as an area served. Other brokerages also have agents active in Martinez; we list only those we could verify for this edition. Some DRE records list a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses professionally (for example, Dessislava Gueorguieva, Kristina Fogarty and Najib Rahmatti).
How to vet a Martinez agent
- Ask them to confirm City or County jurisdiction. For any address, ask how they check whether the parcel is inside city limits, since permits and planning depend on it.
- Ask how they review older homes. For homes near downtown, ask which inspections they recommend (foundation, sewer lateral, electrical) and how they compare permit records with what was built.
- Ask how they handle HOA documents. In planned neighborhoods, ask how they review budgets, reserves and assessments before you remove contingencies.
- Ask for comparables from the same neighborhood. A downtown cottage, a hillside home and a newer tract home should not be priced from the same sales.
- Ask about fire zones and insurance. For hillside homes, ask how they check the Fire Hazard Severity Zone and when they suggest getting insurance quotes.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
Martinez questions we hear
Does Martinez have its own transfer tax?
The Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s transfer tax page lists city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond, so a Martinez sale typically shows the county tax of $0.55 per $500. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
Is every home with a Martinez address inside the city?
No. Some nearby areas with Martinez addresses are unincorporated and follow Contra Costa County rules. Ask your agent to confirm jurisdiction before you plan work.
Why do all the agents in this guide work for one brokerage?
They are the agents whose public profiles name Martinez and whose licenses we could verify for this edition. Other brokerages also serve Martinez; you can check any agent’s license on the DRE lookup.
How do I check a Martinez 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 Martinez agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent sales near the homes you are considering, and compare how they explain jurisdiction, HOA and inspection questions for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter: Martinez, CA (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates)
- Coldwell Banker Realty agent profiles linked in the table
- Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- State Fire Marshal: Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Related: Martinez real estate guide · Martinez 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.
