Best Realtors in Pinole, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Pinole is a west Contra Costa County city of about 18,500 people along I-80 and San Pablo Bay, with an Old Town near the shoreline and mostly single-family neighborhoods climbing into the hills. A Pinole agent should be able to read the permit history of an older home, explain HOA documents on a condo or townhome and flag hillside drainage, fire zone and insurance questions.
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, or whose responsible broker did not match the brokerage they are listed with.
- 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 Pinole. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile and confirmed it names Pinole as an area served or places the agent in the brokerage’s Pinole office.
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.
Pinole housing in numbers
| Census measure | Pinole |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 18,543 |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2020–2024) | 79.4% |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes (2020–2024) | $718,600 |
| Median gross rent (2020–2024) | $2,700 |
| Median household income (2020–2024, 2024 dollars) | $127,717 |
| Persons per household (2020–2024) | 2.83 |
| Mean travel time to work (2020–2024) | 35.0 minutes |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Pinole city, California.
About four in five Pinole homes are owner-occupied, a high share for west Contra Costa County, and the 2020–2024 median owner-occupied value was about $719,000. These are five-year survey figures, not current sale prices. To price a specific home, an agent should pull recent sales of the same property type in the same neighborhood.
Pinole settings: Old Town, hillside neighborhoods and condos
Pinole’s Old Town sits near the bay along San Pablo Avenue, with some of the city’s oldest homes, while most of the city is single-family neighborhoods on rolling and hillside streets on both sides of I-80. Condo and townhome complexes add a smaller share of attached housing. Older homes call for a close look at permit history and inspections, hillside lots bring drainage, fire zone and insurance checks, and attached homes come with HOA budgets and rules. Our guides to comparing Pinole housing settings, older-home records and inspections and condo and townhome ownership costs go into more detail. See also our Pinole real estate guide.
Costs and rules specific to a Pinole 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, so a Pinole sale typically carries the county tax only. On a $720,000 sale, the county tax is $792. Who pays is negotiable; confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
- Older-home records. Compare the seller’s disclosures with permit records for additions, conversions and other work; our Pinole older-home records guide covers the basics.
- Condos and townhomes. Request the HOA budget, reserve study, rules and any special assessments before you remove contingencies. Our Pinole condo and townhome costs guide explains what to review.
- Ownership budget. Our Pinole homeownership budget guide lists the recurring costs to plan for.
- Fire hazard zones and AB 38. Check whether the address sits in a State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone. 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 earthquake fault, landslide or flood zone.
- City or county? Some homes near Pinole, such as parts of El Sobrante, are in unincorporated Contra Costa County. Confirm the jurisdiction on the title report, since it determines which permits and planning rules apply.
Pinole 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 Pinole. 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, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Richmond, Orinda, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Concord |
| Bonnie Andrews | Windermere Rowland Realty, Pinole office | Salesperson #01085442 | Pinole office (930 San Pablo Ave) |
| Kimberly Barnett | Coldwell Banker Realty, Walnut Creek office | Salesperson #01904955 | Pinole, El Sobrante, Richmond, Crockett and many other Bay Area cities |
| Lisa Chilton | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #02155460 | Pinole, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Richmond, Rodeo, Hercules, Crockett and other Bay Area cities |
| Veronica Fernandez | Windermere Rowland Realty, Pinole office | Salesperson #01432121 | Pinole office (930 San Pablo Ave) |
| Eric Herbert | Windermere Rowland Realty, Pinole office | Salesperson #01793470 | Pinole office (930 San Pablo Ave) |
| Karlene Lopez-Piedra | Coldwell Banker Realty, Berkeley office | Salesperson #01980076 | Oakland, Richmond, Emeryville, San Pablo, Vallejo, El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, El Sobrante, Pinole, Hercules |
| Mike Rowland | Windermere Rowland Realty, Pinole office | Broker #01331280 | Pinole office; San Francisco Bay Area |
Windermere Rowland Realty agents work from the brokerage’s Pinole office at 930 San Pablo Ave. The DRE lists Windermere Rowland Realty as a DBA of Sam’s Doghouse Inc (DRE #01520592), the responsible broker on each salesperson’s record; Mike Rowland is that corporation’s designated officer. Coldwell Banker Realty agents are licensed under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304) and name Pinole as an area served; they work from offices outside Pinole. Some DRE records list a legal name that differs from the name the agent uses professionally (Bonita Andrews and Mike Nelson Rowland).
How to vet a Pinole agent
- Ask for comparables from the same setting. An Old Town home, a hillside single-family home and a townhome trade in different ranges; make sure the agent prices from the right sales.
- For an older home, ask about permits and inspections. Ask which inspections they usually recommend (sewer lateral, foundation, roof, drainage) and how they compare permit records with what was built.
- For a hillside home, ask about fire zones, drainage and insurance. Ask how they handle AB 38 documentation and when they recommend getting insurance quotes.
- For a condo or townhome, ask how they review HOA documents. Ask what they look for in the budget, reserves and minutes.
- Ask for a net sheet. An estimate should show the county transfer tax, title and escrow costs, HOA fees if any and the commission terms you agreed to.
- Verify the license yourself. Look up the agent on the DRE site and confirm the responsible broker matches the brokerage they name.
Pinole questions we hear
Does Pinole 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 Pinole sale typically shows the county tax of $0.55 per $500. Confirm the figure on your escrow estimate.
Is El Sobrante part of Pinole?
No. El Sobrante is an unincorporated community governed by Contra Costa County. Check the title report to confirm which jurisdiction a specific address is in.
What should I check before buying a Pinole condo or townhome?
Request the HOA budget, reserve study, rules, insurance details and recent minutes, and ask whether any special assessments are planned. Our Pinole condo and townhome costs guide has a checklist.
How do I check a Pinole 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 Pinole agent?
Yes. Interview at least two or three, ask each for recent sales near the homes you are considering, and compare how they explain pricing, inspections and HOA documents for that address.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pinole city, California (V2025 population estimate; 2020–2024 ACS figures)
- Agent profiles at Windermere Rowland Realty, Pinole and Coldwell Banker Realty, 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: Pinole real estate guide · Pinole 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.
