Best Realtors in Santa Rosa, CA (2026 Guide)

By Matthew Martinez

Santa Rosa is the Sonoma County seat and its largest city, with about 179,000 residents. The market runs from downtown bungalows and Railroad Square to hillside homes in Fountaingrove, the Oakmont 55+ community and the rebuilt Coffey Park neighborhood, and several brokerages keep offices in the city.

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:

1. 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.
2. A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under.
3. A public page that names Santa Rosa. We opened each agent’s brokerage profile or office roster and confirmed it names Santa Rosa or places the agent in a Santa Rosa office.

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.

Santa Rosa housing in numbers

Source: U.S. Census QuickFacts, Santa Rosa city.

Close to half of Santa Rosa households rent, which is why the city draws both owner-occupants and small investors. The median value above is a survey estimate of what owners think their homes are worth across 2020–2024, not a current sale price; ask an agent for recent sales in the neighborhood you are considering.

Fountaingrove, Bennett Valley, Oakmont and Santa Rosa’s neighborhoods

Santa Rosa is a city of distinct districts. Fountaingrove and the hills to the northeast hold larger homes with views, much of it rebuilt after the 2017 Tubbs Fire; Coffey Park in the northwest was largely rebuilt as well. Bennett Valley and Rincon Valley on the east side mix ranch-style homes with open space, and Oakmont is a 55+ community near Annadel State Park. Closer to downtown, the Junior College, McDonald Avenue and Railroad Square areas have many older and historic homes, and the city also has a large stock of condos and investment property. See our Santa Rosa real estate guide and Fountaingrove page for more.

Costs and rules specific to a Santa Rosa purchase

• County and city transfer tax. The Sonoma County Recorder’s transfer tax page lists the county tax at $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000) and a separate Santa Rosa city tax of $2.00 per $1,000, collected in addition to the county tax. On a $713,900 sale, that is about $785 in county tax plus about $1,428 in city tax. The county page notes that assumed loans are not exempt from the city tax. Who pays is negotiable; our California transfer tax guide explains local custom.
• Mobilehome space rent. The City’s mobilehome parks page describes a Mobilehome Rent Control Ordinance (City Code Chapter 6-66, amended in 2023) that covers 16 parks and caps annual space-rent increases at a share of CPI. If you are buying a home in a Santa Rosa park, ask whether the park is covered. See also our Sonoma County mobile homes page.
• Renting out a house or apartment. For other rentals, ask the City’s Department of Housing and Community Services whether any local rule applies to the property, and ask an agent or attorney how the state’s rent cap and just-cause rules apply to it. Our Sonoma County vacation rental rules article covers short-term rentals.
• Fire hazard and insurance. Much of the city’s eastern and northern hillside sits near mapped fire hazard areas. 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.

Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490

On the DRE record, Coldwell Banker Realty agents are licensed under NRT West, Inc., Compass agents under Compass California II, Inc., W Real Estate agents under W Real Estate, and the Corcoran Icon Properties agent under Norcal United Real Estate Partners, whose record lists Corcoran Icon Properties as a business name and a branch on Third Street in Santa Rosa. Both W Real Estate agents list the firm’s office on Bicentennial Way in Santa Rosa on their profiles. "Santa Rosa office" means the agent appears on the roster of Coldwell Banker’s Santa Rosa Bicentennial office. For agents elsewhere in the county, see our Sonoma County agents guide.

How to vet a Santa Rosa agent

1. Ask which neighborhoods they sell most. A Fountaingrove hillside home, an Oakmont 55+ home and a downtown bungalow call for different pricing and disclosure work.
2. Ask about rebuilt homes. In fire-rebuilt areas, ask for permits, final inspections and any warranty paperwork from the builder.
3. Get the transfer tax on the net sheet. Santa Rosa sellers and buyers should see both the county and the city tax on the estimate.
4. Ask about insurance early. Agents who sell in the hills should know which carriers are writing policies and what a quote looks like.
5. For rentals, ask about tenant rules. If the home is rented or you plan to rent it, ask how state and any local rules apply before you write an offer.
6. Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.

Santa Rosa questions we hear

Sources & notes

• California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
• U.S. Census QuickFacts, Santa Rosa city
• Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax
• City of Santa Rosa, Mobilehome Parks in Santa Rosa
• CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones
• Norcal United Real Estate Partners DRE record (Corcoran Icon Properties business name and Santa Rosa branch)
• Coldwell Banker Santa Rosa Bicentennial office roster; agent profiles on coldwellbankerhomes.com, compass.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: Penngrove · The Springs · Russian River · Occidental

Related: Santa Rosa real estate guide · Santa Rosa 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.