Best Realtors in Penngrove, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Penngrove is a small unincorporated community of about 2,100 people between Petaluma and Rohnert Park, along Old Redwood Highway at the foot of Sonoma Mountain. The market is a mix of homes in the small village center and larger rural parcels with wells, septic systems and room for animals, and the agents who name Penngrove mostly work out of Petaluma and Sebastopol offices.
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, with a responsible broker or broker-associate affiliation that matches the brokerage on the agent’s profile.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under.
- A public page that names Penngrove. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Penngrove, either as a served area or in the agent’s bio, listings or past sales.
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.
No brokerage office in our check is in Penngrove itself; the agents below work from Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.
Penngrove housing in numbers
| Census measure (ACS 2024 5-year) | Penngrove CDP |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,119 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $1,196,000 (±$81,270) |
| Median household income | $107,147 (±$35,310) |
| Persons per household | 2.2 (±0.5) |
| Median age | 50.8 (±12.6) |
| Mean travel time to work | 35.2 minutes (±5.8) |
| Housing units | 1,036 (±184) |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, as presented by Census Reporter. Figures for a small community carry wide margins of error; treat them as rough guides, not current sale prices.
With only about 1,000 housing units, a handful of sales of acreage or newer homes can move local figures a lot. Ask an agent for recent sales of property like the one you are considering.
The village, Sonoma Mountain and rural parcels
Penngrove has no city government, so Sonoma County handles zoning, permits and code enforcement. The village center sits along Main Street and Old Redwood Highway near the SMART rail line, with older homes on smaller lots. Beyond it, roads east toward Sonoma Mountain and west toward the Petaluma River lead to homes on acreage, small farms and horse property, many on private wells and septic. See our Penngrove real estate guide, our notes on rural water and wastewater, private roads and site access and parcel jurisdiction and services, and our equestrian and acreage article.
Costs and rules specific to a Penngrove purchase
- Transfer tax. Penngrove is unincorporated, so only the county tax applies. The Sonoma County Recorder’s transfer tax page lists it at $0.55 per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000: about $1,316 on a $1,196,000 sale. Petaluma’s added city tax applies only inside Petaluma city limits, so confirm the parcel’s jurisdiction on your title report. Our California transfer tax guide explains who usually pays.
- Wells and septic. Ask for well logs, a yield and water-quality test, and a septic inspection, and locate the leach field before you plan an ADU, barn or pool. Our wells, septic and rural utilities article covers what to request.
- Land use and ADUs. Zoning, ADUs and agricultural uses are handled by the County; see our land, lots and ADUs article and agricultural zoning page.
- Fire hazard and insurance. Look up the address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, read the natural hazard disclosure report, and get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies.
Penngrove 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 Penngrove. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jen Birmingham (licensed as Jennifer Brenner Birmingham) | Compass, Petaluma | Salesperson #01770390 | Petaluma, Penngrove, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley |
| Doug Hecker (licensed as Douglas Michael Hecker) | Coldwell Banker Realty, Petaluma | Salesperson #01347843 | Petaluma, Penngrove, Santa Rosa, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, among others |
| Kathy Jensen (licensed as Kathleen Mae Jensen) | Coldwell Banker Realty, Petaluma | Salesperson #00979860 | Petaluma, Penngrove, Santa Rosa, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Sonoma |
| Katie Kelly (licensed as Katherine R. Kelly) | Compass, Santa Rosa | Broker #01798624 | Santa Rosa, Healdsburg; Penngrove listing |
| Sheila Lawrence | Coldwell Banker Realty, Sebastopol | Salesperson #01301026 | Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Penngrove |
| Sharon Vallejo (licensed as Sharon Elaine Waugh-Vallejo) | Compass, Petaluma | Broker #00826851 DRE record name: Waugh-Vallejo, Sharon Elaine. | Sonoma and Marin counties; Penngrove and Petaluma listings and sales |
On the DRE record, Coldwell Banker Realty agents are licensed under NRT West, Inc. and Compass agents under Compass California II, Inc. For more agents in the area, see our Sonoma County agents guide.
How to vet a Penngrove agent
- Ask about rural sales. Penngrove acreage involves wells, septic, outbuildings and sometimes animals; ask how many such sales the agent has handled.
- Confirm the jurisdiction. Some addresses near Penngrove are inside Petaluma or Rohnert Park; the answer changes the transfer tax and who issues permits.
- Get water and septic reports early. Build well and septic inspections into the contingency period.
- Check permits on outbuildings. Ask whether barns, second units and garage conversions were permitted.
- Get fire insurance quotes early. Parcels toward Sonoma Mountain may be in mapped fire hazard zones.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Penngrove questions we hear
Is there a city transfer tax in Penngrove?
No. Penngrove is unincorporated, so only the Sonoma County tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies, per the County Recorder.
What is the median home value in Penngrove?
Census estimates put the median owner-occupied value at about $1,196,000 for 2020–2024, with a margin of about $81,000. Ask an agent for recent sales of similar property.
Who handles permits in Penngrove?
Sonoma County, since Penngrove has no city government.
Why are the agents in this guide based in Petaluma and Santa Rosa?
None of the brokerage offices we checked is in Penngrove itself; the agents who name Penngrove work from nearby Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol offices.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- Census Reporter, Penngrove CDP profile (ACS 2024 5-year)
- Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Agent profiles on coldwellbankerhomes.com and compass.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: Santa Rosa
Related: Penngrove real estate guide · Penngrove home valuation · Sonoma 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.
