If you’re buying or selling a home, choosing the right real estate agent can make a big difference in your experience and outcome. Top real estate agents in California close more deals, negotiate better prices, and move homes faster than their peers.
We analyzed transactions and performance metrics for 43,261 real estate agents in California to identify the best of the best. These are the top selling realtors across the state based on local experience, sales history, and overall results.
- Identify agents with solid experience in your price range, neighborhood, and property type
- Prioritize agents with high customer review counts and strong ratings
- Look at active or recently sold listings to assess marketing quality and performance
- Interview 2–3 agents minimum (actually meet or speak with them)
- Gauge communication, honesty, and expertise during the interview process
- Verify included services and specifics about terms and pricing before signing anything
» More: How to find a real estate agent
Our team spends hundreds of hours each month analyzing real estate agents across the country so you don’t have to. We focus on the most important data for typical buyers and sellers in California — people looking for a knowledgeable, well-rounded agent who can deliver strong results.
To identify the best agents for most people, we apply a consistent set of filters to narrow the field to agents with relevant experience, strong performance in the local market, and a balanced track record. We then sort those agents based on key metrics like sales volume, speed, pricing accuracy, and client mix.
We regularly update our rankings as new data becomes available and continue refining our approach to surface the most useful recommendations. See our full methodology.
10 best real estate agents in California by total recent sales (March 2026 rankings)
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Gabriel Valdez
Opendoor Brokerage Inc.Riverside, CARecent sales*369Price range*$280K - $2.3MTypical price*$680,000HighlightsAbout -
Doreen A Davis
Wilson Homes, Inc.Fresno, CARecent sales*322Price range*$351K - $525KTypical price*$405,391HighlightsAbout -
Lily Campbell
First Team Real EstateLos Angeles, CARecent sales*306Price range*$497K - $9.4MTypical price*$1,397,500HighlightsAbout -
Real Estate Team
Deleon Team
Deleon RealtySan Jose, CARecent sales*281Price range*$1.2M - $45.5MTypical price*$4,450,000HighlightsAbout -
Erin Collins
D R Horton America's BuilderRiverside, CARecent sales*274Price range*$510K - $1MTypical price*$630,588HighlightsAbout -
Laurie F Mccarty
Coldwell Banker Preferred, REALTORS®Bakersfield, CARecent sales*268Price range*$25K - $2.6MTypical price*$395,000HighlightsAbout -
Will Rahill
KELLER WILLIAMS BIG BEARRiverside, CARecent sales*255Price range*$41K - $2.2MTypical price*$475,000HighlightsAbout -
Goran Forss
Team Forss Realty GroupRiverside, CARecent sales*251Price range*$87K - $2.9MTypical price*$715,000HighlightsAbout -
Elizabeth Do
Keller Williams RealtyLos Angeles, CARecent sales*250Price range*$140K - $4.1MTypical price*$965,000HighlightsAbout -
Jessica L Nieto
eXp Realty of California Inc.Los Angeles, CARecent sales*239Price range*$245K - $2.2MTypical price*$685,000HighlightsAbout
Top California real estate agents near you
Top real estate agents in Los Angeles, CA
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Lily Campbell
First Team Real Estate305 local sales -
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Elizabeth Do
Keller Williams Realty233 local sales -
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Neal Weichel
RE/MAX of Santa Clarita213 local sales -
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Craig Martin
Pinnacle Estate Properties, Inc.177 local sales -
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Tracy B Do
Coldwell Banker Realty232 local sales -
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Stephanie Vitacco
Equity Union213 local sales -
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Gary Keshishyan
Pinnacle Estate Properties125 local sales -
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Richard Schulman
Keller Williams Los Angeles127 local sales - See all real estate agents in Los Angeles, CA »
Top real estate agents in San Francisco, CA
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David Gunderman
KW Advisors East Bay223 local sales -
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Renee White
Keller Williams Realty188 local sales -
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Own Marin
Own Marin188 local sales -
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Amy Li
Century 21 Masters91 local sales -
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Negar Souza
Red Oak Realty89 local sales -
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Khrista Jarvis
Coldwell Banker Realty169 local sales -
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Own Real Estate Team
KW Advisors93 local sales -
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Kristie Martinelli Team
Coldwell Banker Realty93 local sales - See all real estate agents in San Francisco, CA »
Top real estate agents in Riverside, CA
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Will Rahill
KELLER WILLIAMS BIG BEAR255 local sales -
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Erin Collins
D R Horton America's Builder274 local sales -
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Gary Doss
COMPASS168 local sales -
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Goran Forss
Team Forss Realty Group203 local sales -
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Jelmberg Team
KW Coachella Valley159 local sales -
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Sandy Hernandez
CENTURY 21 SYNERGIA REALTY135 local sales -
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John K Miller Group
Bennion Deville Homes124 local sales -
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Lori Bowers
The Lori Bowers Group14 local sales - See all real estate agents in Riverside, CA »
Top real estate agents in San Diego, CA
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View profileMelissa Goldstein Tucci
Melissa Goldstein Tucci154 local sales -
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Alan Shafran
SRG205 local sales -
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Emma Lefkowitz
Real Broker180 local sales -
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Chad Dannecker
Compass190 local sales -
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Gregg Phillipson
Keller Williams Realty125 local sales -
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Tyler Hagerla
Coastal Premier Properties72 local sales -
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Patti Mckelvey
Coldwell Banker West112 local sales -
View profileMike N Aqrawi
San Diego Homes Realty102 local sales - See all real estate agents in San Diego, CA »
Top real estate agents in Sacramento, CA
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Linda Granger
Christie's Int'l R.E. Sereno71 local sales -
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Juliann Cretsinger
Signature Homes25 local sales -
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Jamison Blair
COMPASS56 local sales -
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C Kelly Smith
Centr-21 Tahoe North, Realtors30 local sales -
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Joseph N Maehler
Pacaso Inc.43 local sales -
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Scott E Willers
Compass24 local sales -
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Mona Gergen
Dunnigan, REALTORS5 local sales -
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Julia L Beals
Realty ONE Group Complete7 local sales - See all real estate agents in Sacramento, CA »
What to know about top real estate agents in California
Top California real estate agents combine deep, local expertise with higher-than-average performance. Here’s what that looks like in California.
General
- High transaction volume: Does more than 10 sales per year (local median)
- Well established: At least 3–5+ years of experience in the local market
- Good reputation: High total review count and average ratings
Sellers
- Pricing expertise: Few-to-no price drops
- High sale-to-list ratios: Typically sells near or above list price (median sale-to-list in California is 100%)
- Strong marketing strategy: Beautiful photos, compelling listing descriptions, maximum visibility
- Faster-than-average sales: Gets homes under contract quickly (median sale timeline in California is 59 days)
Buyers
- Strong negotiator: The best buyer’s agents in California often save 5-10% off list price
- Local expertise: Know neighborhoods, schools, amenities, regulations
- Responsive and accessible: Reviews consistently call out these specific traits
Most likely, yes. The vast majority of home sellers in California will get the best outcome and most money selling with a top local real estate agent. That said, it really depends on your goals.
Consider listing with a California realtor if:
- You're aiming for top dollar or need help navigating pricing and offers
- You want someone to handle the full process—marketing, showings, negotiation, paperwork
- Your property is typical for the area and priced at or above $200,000
Consider alternatives if:
- You want a faster sale and are open to a cash offer from a cash home buyer or iBuyer
- You’re cost-conscious and want to save on commission with a discount real estate broker
- You want to avoid realtor commission altogether and are comfortable trying FSBO (for sale by owner), knowing that FSBO sales usually net less and require a lot of work.
In California, the average real estate commission is about 5.47%, while the national average is (5.7%).
- Typically, this gets split between the listing and buyer’s agents (2.73% and 2.74%, respectively).
- Rates are negotiable and may be lower for higher-priced homes or repeat clients.
- Following the NAR settlement, buyers may need to negotiate their agent's fee directly.
Sell with a top agent and save
With Clever, sellers can list with a top local agent for just 1.5% (or $3,000 flat) — up to 50% less than the typical rate in California.
Whether you’re hiring a buyer’s or seller’s agent, you should ask about their past experience. You should find out their plan to market a property you’re selling or how they will help you find the perfect home to buy. You should also ask how often they’ve handled homes in the price point and neighborhood that you’re selling or purchasing in.
It’s a good idea to review at least three real estate agents, so you can compare their offerings. You’ll want to find an agent that’s the best fit, so focus on their communication skills, their professionalism, their pricing, and their familiarity with transactions similar to yours.
If you’re both selling a home and purchasing a new one, using the same agent can simplify the process. But you’ll need to find an agent with a successful track record as both a listing agent and a buyer’s agent. While some real estate agents do both, some of the best real estate professionals specialize in either representing buyers or listing properties
If a traditional agent isn’t the right fit, here are some California alternatives:
- Get fast, no-obligation offers from investors, iBuyers, and bridge loan providers.
- Ideal for distressed homes, tight timelines, or sellers prioritizing speed over top price.
- Offer lower commissions (often 1–2%) while still providing MLS access and support.
- Good option if you want to save but still prefer professional help.
- Pay a one-time fee to list your home on the MLS.
- You'll handle pricing, showings, and negotiation yourself — best for experienced sellers.
- No agent involvement, no commission—but you’ll do everything yourself.
- FSBO homes typically sell for less, so weigh potential savings vs. final sale price.
Pro tip: Even if you go non-traditional, consider services like Clever or local offer platforms — they help you compare your options and connect with agents or investors offering discounts, fast offers, or both.
California is currently a buyer's market, due to fewer active homebuyers and more homes available for sale.
- The market has an average of 4.8 months of supply, meaning it would take about that long for all available homes to sell if no new listings were added. There were 59,620 homes for sale in CA in the last month. Sellers added 5,414 new listings, and 2,998 home sales closed in that time.
- On average, properties spend 59 days on the market, and it takes 32 days for a home to go under contract.
Homes in California are selling for more on average compared to the previous month. More sellers reduced their listing price this month compared to last month.
- 2,687 homes dropped in price this month. That's around 5% of all homes on the market, compared to the 1.54% of listings that lowered prices the month before.
- The median home in California ultimately sells for its original list price: $795,000.
Related guides and resources
Find more top California realtors near you
How we research and evaluate top realtors in California
Data sources
Our rankings are powered by real estate transaction data, internal research, and other publicly available sources. We compiled and analyzed over 62,178,600 data points for 43,261 real estate agents across California.
We make every effort to ensure accuracy, but no dataset is perfect. Some activity may not be captured if information isn’t available or accurate from our sources. We update and refine our data regularly to improve coverage and reliability.
Methodology
There’s no single “best” real estate agent — the right fit depends on your goals and situation. Our approach is designed to highlight agents with strong, well-rounded performance and make it easier to compare real estate agents in California.
We look at factors that matter most to typical buyers and sellers, such as:
- Transaction volume and recent activity
- Balance of buyer- and seller-side representation
- Pricing accuracy and negotiation outcomes
- Speed of sales relative to the local market
- Years of experience and proven track record
- Specialized expertise with certain property types or client needs
We use these key indicators to surface agents who are likely to be a good fit for most people, while giving you the data you need to decide which qualities matter most for your own situation.
Ongoing updates
Rankings are updated regularly as new data becomes available. Our goal is to provide a clear, objective view of agent performance to help you make an informed choice when hiring a real estate professional.
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