Best Realtors in Olema, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Olema is a tiny unincorporated village in West Marin at the junction of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, on the edge of Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, about two miles south of Point Reyes Station. Only a few homes, inns and businesses sit in the village itself, and much of the surrounding land is parkland or ranches, so properties come up rarely and coastal permits and park boundaries shape what can be done with them.
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 Olema or a neighboring town. We opened each agent’s profile. Three name Olema or the Olema Valley. Because so few profiles name the village, three others name neighboring Point Reyes Station or Point Reyes 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.
Olema housing in numbers
Olema is too small to have its own Census place profile that we could open, and we did not find a county-level source we could open for this post, so we have not included a statistics table. With only a handful of homes in and around the village, any average would say little about a particular property. Ask an agent for recent sales in Olema, Point Reyes Station and the Olema Valley, and see our Olema real estate guide for local background.
The village, the park boundary and the Olema Valley
Olema has no city government, so Marin County handles zoning and permits, and the village is in the Coastal Zone. In village commercial areas, the county’s coastal C-VCR district under Chapter 20.62 aims to keep each village’s character and self-sufficiency while serving residents and visitors. Federal parkland surrounds much of the valley, so check where a parcel’s boundary meets park land, and whether any access, grazing or scenic easement affects it. Nearby Point Reyes Station (see our Point Reyes guide) has the closest shops and services.
Costs and rules specific to an Olema 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). Olema is unincorporated, so no city tax applies: $1,100 per $1 million of value. Who pays is negotiable; confirm it on your escrow estimate.
- Coastal permits. Most development in the Coastal Zone needs a Coastal Development Permit, and many county decisions can be appealed to the California Coastal Commission. The County is also processing Local Coastal Program amendments; ask Planning how they would affect the parcel.
- Lodging and 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. Hotels, inns and B&Bs are exempt from the STR license but need their own zoning approvals.
- Septic, water and flooding. Order a septic inspection, confirm the water source, and check creekside parcels on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, read the natural hazard disclosure report, and get an insurance quote early.
Olema 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 Olema. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Barrett | Compass | Salesperson #01917077 | Point Reyes Station (neighboring, not Olema), Inverness, Marshall, Tomales; West Marin |
| B.G. Bates (licensed as Beverly Gay Buttemiller Bates) | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, San Rafael | Salesperson #00968254 | Olema, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Stinson Beach, Bolinas; West Marin |
| Cristina di Grazia | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, Stinson Beach office | Salesperson #01269252 | Olema Valley (a listing), Bolinas, Stinson Beach; West Marin |
| Terry Donohue | Coldwell Banker Realty, Greenbrae office | Broker #01276710 | Olema, Point Reyes, Inverness, Tomales, Bolinas; West Marin |
| Michela Rizzo McCurdy | Compass | Salesperson #01974228 | Point Reyes Station (neighboring, not Olema), Inverness, Nicasio; West Marin |
| Rick Trono | Compass | Broker #01045523 | Point Reyes (listing addresses, not Olema), Inverness, Marshall; West Marin |
Compass agents are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235); Rick Trono is a broker associate there. B.G. Bates and Cristina di Grazia are licensed under Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. (DRE #02027353), whose DRE record lists Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty as a business name and a branch in Stinson Beach. Terry Donohue is a broker associate for NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), the broker for Coldwell Banker Realty. Bates’s profile is on homes.com and di Grazia’s on luxuryestate.com, both listing sites.
How to vet an Olema agent
- Ask about West Marin sales. With so few Olema sales, ask how many Point Reyes, Inverness and Olema Valley sales the agent has handled.
- Map the park boundary. Ask the agent to help you confirm the parcel’s boundary with federal parkland and any easements on title.
- Pull the coastal permit history. Compare what was built with the County’s coastal permit records.
- Confirm water and septic. Ask for the septic file, an inspection and the water source before you write an offer.
- Be careful with lodging income. Ask whether an inn, cottage or rental use is permitted, and how the STR cap applies.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Olema questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Olema?
No. Olema is unincorporated, so only the county tax of $0.55 per $500 applies, per the Marin County Recorder.
Who handles permits in Olema?
Marin County, under its coastal zoning code and the Local Coastal Program, with appeals of many decisions to the California Coastal Commission.
Why do some agents name Point Reyes Station instead of Olema?
Only three of the profiles we opened name Olema or the Olema Valley. The others name Point Reyes Station or Point Reyes, about two miles north, and we say so in the table.
Why is there no Census table for Olema?
Olema is too small to have a Census place profile we could open. Ask an agent for recent comparable sales instead.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. DRE record (Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty business name and branches)
- 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
- Marin County, LCP and Housing Element amendments
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center; CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on compass.com, coldwellbankerhomes.com, homes.com and luxuryestate.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: Inverness · Nicasio · Stinson Beach
Related: Olema real estate guide · Olema 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.
