Top Realtors in San Rafael, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Disclosure: This guide is published by Diamond Real Estate Group, one of the brokerages listed. Our own broker is listed first so you know who wrote it. Every other agent is listed alphabetically; the order is not a ranking, and inclusion is not an endorsement.
San Rafael, home of the Marin County Civic Center and about 59,400 residents, is the only Marin city whose own transfer tax appears on the county’s recording form. Choose an agent who can explain that extra closing cost and knows which neighborhood sales to compare, from Gerstle Park to Terra Linda. This guide lists licensed agents whose profiles name San Rafael, each with a link to the state license record.
The city’s median sale price was $1,301,639 in August 2026, up 17.3% from a year earlier, with 158 sales against 114. Homes took a median of 37 days, unchanged, and 48.1% sold over list (Redfin).
How we chose the agents in this guide
We started with agents active in San Rafael and kept only those we could verify: a current California real estate license on the Department of Real Estate public lookup (checked October 2026), a named brokerage, and a public profile that names San Rafael, a nearby town or the county among the areas they serve, or an office in the area. We don’t rank agents or report sales volumes, reviews or awards. Areas and specialties are as shown on each agent’s public profile or directory listing; we link profiles on agent and brokerage sites, not ranking or review sites. License status and brokerages change, so check the DRE record before you hire anyone, and interview more than one agent.
San Rafael in numbers
| Census measure | San Rafael |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 59,410 |
| Land area | 16.59 sq mi |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $1,355,600 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 53.0% |
| Median gross rent | $2,377 |
| Median household income | $119,435 |
| Mean commute | 25.3 min |
Census QuickFacts, 2020-2024 estimates.
Ownership is lower here than in the county as a whole: 53.0% of San Rafael homes are owner-occupied, against 64.7% across Marin (Census). Over the three months to August, prices averaged $689 a square foot, up 1.2%, and about a quarter of listings (25.5%) had price cuts; Redfin scored the city 65 out of 100, or “somewhat competitive” (Redfin). Its neighborhood list for San Rafael includes Gerstle Park, Sun Valley, Terra Linda, Smith Ranch, Peacock Gap and the San Pedro Peninsula, along with nearby Marinwood and Kent Woodlands.
Getting around from San Rafael
SMART has two San Rafael stops: Marin Civic Center, served by Marin Transit’s on-demand Connect shuttle, and the downtown San Rafael station, a block from the Bettini Transit Center (SMART). Trains continue to Larkspur, where the Golden Gate ferry terminal sits on the north bank of Corte Madera Creek with four berths and, as of 2008, 1,808 parking spaces (Golden Gate Ferry).
Two public landmarks frame the city. The county runs docent-led Frank Lloyd Wright tours of the Civic Center (Marin County), and China Camp State Park covers 1,514 acres on San Pablo Bay four miles east of town, including more than 100 acres of tidal salt marsh and a historic Chinese fishing village (California State Parks).
What’s different about buying or selling in San Rafael
- City transfer tax: San Rafael charges $2.00 per $1,000 on top of the county’s $0.55 per $500, and the city portion has no exclusion for assumed liens (Marin County Assessor-Recorder transfer tax form). On a $1.3 million sale, that is about $4,030 in total, versus about $1,430 in a Marin city without its own tax.
- Wildfire help: San Rafael Fire offers a 360-degree wildfire evaluation of a home and its lot, and lets residents check whether an address is in the wildland urban interface (San Rafael Fire). The city is also one of the Measure C taxing entities (Frontline Wildfire Defense).
- Disclosure at sale: on any San Rafael lot mapped High or Very High for fire hazard, California requires either a defensible-space inspection dated within six months of the sale or a signed agreement for the buyer to bring the property into compliance (State Fire Marshal).
- Water: central Marin is in Marin Water’s service area; about 75% of the district’s supply is local rain held in seven reservoirs, five of them in the Mount Tamalpais watershed (Marin Water).
- Rental demand: 47% of homes are renter-occupied and the median gross rent is $2,377 (Census), which matters if you are buying a duplex or a condo to rent out.
- Insurance: with the state reporting slower FAIR Plan growth in early 2026 (California Department of Insurance), still get a quote on any San Rafael hillside home before your contingency period ends.
Licensed agents who name San Rafael
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Broker, California DRE #01869679; brokerage Diamond Group Estates Inc, DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490. Based in Sonoma, working with buyers and sellers across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties and nearby areas. About Matthew | Contact
Most agents below name San Rafael itself on a public profile. Where we found fewer city-level profiles, we add agents who list Marinwood, Lucas Valley, neighboring towns or Marin County.
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Matching areas on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Narodny | Side, Inc. | Salesperson, DRE #01942938 | San Rafael, San Anselmo, Larkspur |
| Annaliese Quisisem | Side, Inc. | Salesperson, DRE #01359625 | San Rafael |
| Ben Faber | Compass | Broker, DRE #01913767 | Larkspur, San Anselmo, San Rafael |
| Corey Robinson | Real Brokerage Technologies | Salesperson, DRE #01783258 | San Rafael, San Anselmo |
| Craig Ackerman | Compass | Broker, DRE #01358899 | San Rafael |
| Denise Montalvo | Compass | Salesperson, DRE #01780793 | San Anselmo, San Rafael, Larkspur |
| Eric Gelman | Coldwell Banker Realty | Salesperson, DRE #01417335 | San Anselmo |
| Erin McGinnis (Team McGinnis) | Compass | Salesperson, DRE #01796588 | San Rafael |
| Madeline Schaider | Madeline Schaider Real Estate | Broker, DRE #01082913 | San Anselmo, San Rafael |
| Renee Adelmann | Bay Area Modern Real Estate | Salesperson, DRE #01725634 | San Rafael, Lucas Valley, Marinwood, Larkspur |
| Thomas Henthorne | Decker Bullock Dreyfus Inc. | Salesperson, DRE #01892608 | San Rafael |
| Whitney Potter | Own Marin | Salesperson, DRE #01468633 | San Rafael |
12 agents, in alphabetical order. 11 of them name San Rafael on a public profile; the other 1 list a nearby town or the wider county, as the last column shows.
Interviewing agents for a San Rafael home
- Ask them to show the city transfer tax on your estimate. A seller’s net sheet or a buyer’s cost estimate should include both the county and the San Rafael portions.
- Ask which neighborhood’s sales they would compare. A Sun Valley hillside home, a Terra Linda single-story and a Peacock Gap house near the bay are priced off different sales.
- For condos and townhomes, ask how they review HOA budgets, reserves and rules; our HOA explainer lists what to request.
- Ask whether the home is in the wildland urban interface and whether it has had the fire department’s evaluation.
- Ask how they would reach commuters, given the SMART stations and the ferry connection at Larkspur.
- Check the DRE record linked in the agent table before you sign a listing or buyer agreement.
For more on the city, read our San Rafael community page and our notes on Dominican University and Marin farmers markets. Sellers can start with our selling process. Nearby lists cover Novato and Larkspur, and the Marin County guide covers the rest.
San Rafael questions
Who pays San Rafael’s extra transfer tax?
The purchase contract decides. The county form simply adds the city’s $2.00 per $1,000 to the county tax, and assumed loans don’t reduce the city portion.
How competitive is San Rafael right now?
Moderately. Redfin’s Compete Score was 65, nearly half of homes sold over list in August 2026, and the typical home took 37 days.
Is there a train from San Rafael?
Yes. SMART stops at Marin Civic Center and downtown San Rafael and runs south to Larkspur and north through Novato into Sonoma County.
Does San Rafael pay the Measure C wildfire tax?
Yes. The City of San Rafael is one of the taxing entities that fund the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.
Sources & notes
- California DRE license lookup
- Census QuickFacts: San Rafael
- Redfin: San Rafael housing market (August 2026); Census QuickFacts: Marin County
- Marin County Assessor-Recorder transfer tax form; San Rafael Fire; Frontline Wildfire Defense on Measure C; State Fire Marshal AB 38 bulletin; California Department of Insurance; Marin Water system
- SMART stations; Golden Gate Ferry; Marin County Frank Lloyd Wright tours; China Camp State Park
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
