Best Realtors in Muir Beach, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Muir Beach is a tiny unincorporated coastal community in southern Marin, off Highway 1 below Mount Tamalpais and just west of Mill Valley, surrounded by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Its roughly 190 homes sit on steep hillsides above the beach and Redwood Creek, few come up for sale in a given year, and coastal permits, wildfire exposure and the narrow road in shape most purchases.
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 or a responsible broker that did not match the brokerage on their profile.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under, and it matches their profile.
- A public profile that names Muir Beach or a neighboring area. We opened each agent’s profile. Four name Muir Beach, through a biography, a service area or a recent sale. One names nearby Stinson Beach and West Marin instead, and the table says so plainly.
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.
Muir Beach housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Muir Beach CDP |
|---|---|
| Population | 311 |
| Housing units | 187 (±48) |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $2,000,001 (the Census top-code: "$2 million or more") |
| Median household income | $140,227 (±$68,298) |
| Persons per household | 1.9 |
| Median age | 63.7 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. The margins of error are wide for a community this small; treat these as rough guides, not sale prices.
The median value sits at the survey’s $2 million top-code, so more than half of owner-occupied homes were valued above it. With under 200 homes, a single sale can move any average; ask an agent for recent Muir Beach and Tamalpais Valley sales of similar homes.
Hillside homes, the beach and the national park
Muir Beach has no city government, so Marin County handles zoning and permits, and the community is in the Coastal Zone. Federal parkland surrounds it, and access is by Highway 1 and Muir Woods Road, both narrow and winding, which matters for construction, deliveries and evacuation. Homes range from small cottages to larger view homes on steep lots, many with long stairs, retaining walls and drainage questions. For more, see our Muir Beach real estate guide and nearby Stinson Beach.
Costs and rules specific to a Muir Beach purchase
- Transfer tax. The Marin County Recorder’s transfer tax sheet lists the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000). Muir Beach is unincorporated, so no city tax applies: $2,200 on a $2 million sale. Who pays is negotiable; confirm it on your escrow estimate.
- Coastal permits. In the Coastal Zone, county coastal zoning (Chapter 20.62) and the Local Coastal Program apply, most development needs a Coastal Development Permit, and many county decisions can be appealed to the Coastal Commission.
- Short-term rentals. Stays under 30 days need a county license under Chapter 5.41, with licenses capped and issued from a waitlist through the county STR program. Do not assume a seller’s rental history transfers to you.
- Fire hazard and AB 38. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. In High and Very High zones, sellers may need to provide AB 38 defensible space documentation, and insurance quotes should come early.
- Septic, slopes and hazards. Order a septic inspection and read the natural hazard disclosure report for landslide, flood and tsunami zones; on steep lots, a geotechnical review can be worth the cost.
Muir Beach 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 Muir Beach. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa Anderson | Compass | Salesperson #02350719 | Muir Beach (biography), Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Tiburon |
| Carrie Buchanan-Goodman (licensed as Carol Buchanan Goodman) | Sotheby’s International Realty, San Francisco | Salesperson #01736609 | Muir Beach (2026 sale); San Francisco |
| Terry Donohue | Coldwell Banker Realty, Greenbrae office | Broker #01276710 | Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Olema, Point Reyes; West Marin |
| Jen Pennington | Coldwell Banker Realty, Greenbrae office | Broker #00609688 | Muir Beach (2026 sale), Mill Valley, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Sausalito; coastal Marin |
| Rick Trono | Compass | Broker #01045523 | Stinson Beach and West Marin (neighboring, not Muir Beach), Mill Valley, Southern Marin |
Alyssa Anderson and Rick Trono are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235); Trono is a broker associate there. Terry Donohue and Jen Pennington are broker associates for NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), the broker for Coldwell Banker Realty. Carrie Buchanan-Goodman is licensed under Sotheby’s International Realty Inc (DRE #00899496), a separate company from Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. Alyssa Anderson’s profile names Muir Beach in her biography rather than as a service area, and Carrie Buchanan-Goodman’s and Jen Pennington’s profiles name it through a recent sale; their profiles are on homes.com, a listing site.
How to vet a Muir Beach agent
- Ask about Muir Beach sales. With so few homes, ask which Muir Beach and Tamalpais Valley sales the agent would use as comparables.
- Pull the coastal permit history. Ask the agent to help you compare what was built with the County’s coastal permit records.
- Check fire and access. Ask about the fire hazard zone, defensible space, AB 38 documentation and the evacuation route.
- Look at the slope. For steep lots, ask about retaining walls, drainage and whether a geotechnical report exists.
- Do not count on rental income. Ask how the county STR cap and waitlist would affect you.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Muir Beach questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Muir Beach?
No. Muir Beach is unincorporated, so only the county tax of $0.55 per $500 applies, per the Marin County Recorder.
Who handles permits in Muir Beach?
Marin County, under its coastal zoning code and Local Coastal Program, with appeals of many decisions to the California Coastal Commission.
What is the median home value in Muir Beach?
The Census estimate for 2020–2024 is top-coded at "$2 million or more," per Census Reporter. Ask an agent for recent comparable sales.
Why does this guide include an agent who does not name Muir Beach?
Few profiles name Muir Beach. We included one agent whose profile names nearby Stinson Beach and West Marin, and the table says so.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter, Muir Beach CDP (ACS 2024 5-year)
- Marin County Recorder, documentary transfer tax
- Marin County Code Chapter 20.62, Coastal Zoning Districts and Chapter 5.41, Short-Term Rentals (GoCodebook); Marin County STR program
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on compass.com, coldwellbankerhomes.com and homes.com, linked in the table
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Nearby agent guides: Stinson Beach · Belvedere
Related: Muir Beach real estate guide · Muir Beach home valuation · Marin 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.
