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Updated October 5, 2025
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 Santa Cruz, California close more deals, negotiate better prices, and move homes faster than their peers.
We analyzed transactions and performance metrics for 359 real estate agents in Santa Cruz, CA to identify the best of the best. These are the top-rated agents in Santa Cruz 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
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 Santa Cruz — 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.
Santa Cruz, CA top real estate agents (October 2025 rankings)
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Top 1% local
Listing specialist
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Condos
Multi-family homes
Mobile homes
Vacant land
The Madani Team is a real estate team who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They primarily work with sellers and have closed at least 100 transactions over the past 12 months — 193 in the past two years. The Madani Team's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Top 1% localFast sales
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Mobile homes
Manufactured homes
Vacant land
Brezsny Associates is a real estate team who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 48 transactions over the past 12 months — 83 in the past two years. Brezsny Associates's experience includes luxury homes, sales involving HOAs, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 1% localFast sales
Neighborhood expert
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Condos
Vacant land
Michael Bloch is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 31 transactions over the past 12 months — 51 in the past two years. Michael Bloch's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Top 5% localFast sales
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Multi-family homes
Nick Bailey is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 26 transactions over the past 12 months — 38 in the past two years. Nick Bailey's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Condos
Justin Mcnabb is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 14 transactions over the past 12 months — 24 in the past two years. Justin Mcnabb's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
15+ years experience
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Condos
Michele Whitehead Samples is a real estate agent who is active in Salinas, CA. Michele Whitehead Samples has worked in real estate for over 15 years. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 25 transactions over the past 12 months — 39 in the past two years. Michele Whitehead Samples's experience includes luxury homes, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Offer strategy
Negotiation expert
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Multi-family homes
Condos
Pete Cullen is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 13 in the past two years. Pete Cullen's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Top 5% localFast sales
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Condos
Caroll Basile is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 22 transactions over the past 12 months — 41 in the past two years. Caroll Basile is experienced with luxury homes.
Offer strategy
Negotiation expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Condos
Jesse Collins is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years.
Top 5% local
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Multi-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Vacant land
Kasey Hinchman is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 21 transactions over the past 12 months — 33 in the past two years. Kasey Hinchman's experience includes luxury homes and investment properties.
Pricing strategyFast sales
Negotiation expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Manufactured homes
Gina Carling is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 15 transactions over the past 12 months — 23 in the past two years. Gina Carling is experienced with luxury homes.
Gina Odom is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 6 in the past two years. Gina Odom is experienced with luxury homes.
Fast sales
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Condos
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Christine Clayton is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 15 transactions over the past 12 months — 26 in the past two years. Christine Clayton's experience includes sales involving HOAs and luxury homes.
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Amba Jane Desjardins is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years. Amba Jane Desjardins's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Pricing strategy
Negotiation expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Condos
Natalie Pinkerton is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 19 transactions over the past 12 months — 22 in the past two years. Natalie Pinkerton's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and VA loans and military buyers.
Top 5% localFast sales
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Manufactured homes
Amy Jeske is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 22 transactions over the past 12 months — 43 in the past two years. Amy Jeske is experienced with luxury homes.
Offer strategy
Negotiation expert
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
David Webb is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 12 in the past two years.
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Condos
Mobile homes
Multi-family homes
Michele Replogle is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 12 transactions over the past 12 months — 21 in the past two years. Michele Replogle's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Condos
Mobile homes
Teresa Marlow is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 14 transactions over the past 12 months — 21 in the past two years. Teresa Marlow's experience includes sales involving HOAs and luxury homes.
Top 10% local
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Mobile homes
Shemeika K Fox is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 15 transactions over the past 12 months — 28 in the past two years. Shemeika K Fox is experienced with luxury homes.
Top 1% local
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Manufactured homes
Multi-family homes
Commercial properties
Jessica L Wallace is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 34 transactions over the past 12 months — 50 in the past two years. Jessica L Wallace's experience includes sales involving HOAs and luxury homes.
Top 5% local
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Tony Melo is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 22 transactions over the past 12 months — 38 in the past two years. Tony Melo's experience includes first-time homebuyers, luxury homes, and sales involving HOAs.
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Multi-family homes
Townhouses
Vacant land
Liz Foster is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 12 in the past two years. Liz Foster's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 5% local
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Mobile homes
Manufactured homes
Erick Fernandez is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 19 transactions over the past 12 months — 46 in the past two years. Erick Fernandez's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Genie Lawless is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 19 transactions in the past 12 months.
Top 5% local
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Daniel Oster is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 18 transactions over the past 12 months — 40 in the past two years. Daniel Oster is experienced with luxury homes.
Top 5% local
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Mobile homes
Marvin Christie is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 17 transactions over the past 12 months — 38 in the past two years. Marvin Christie's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Fast sales
Neighborhood expert
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Condos
Ryan Fontana is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 15 transactions over the past 12 months — 20 in the past two years. Ryan Fontana is experienced with sales involving HOAs.
Fast sales
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Condos
Discover Real Estate is a real estate team who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 18 in the past two years.
Listing specialist
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Manufactured homes
Katy Cowley is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 5 transactions over the past 12 months — 12 in the past two years.
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Condos
Manufactured homes
Brandi S Jones is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 13 in the past two years. Brandi S Jones is experienced with sales involving HOAs.
Fast sales
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Multi-family homes
Townhouses
Robin Garcia is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 12 transactions over the past 12 months — 19 in the past two years. Robin Garcia's experience includes first-time homebuyers and luxury homes.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Darcy Thole is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 18 in the past two years. Darcy Thole is experienced with luxury homes.
Guy Chanda is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 1 transaction over the past 12 months — 9 in the past two years.
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Mobile homes
Condos
Amber Grewer is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 11 transactions over the past 12 months — 15 in the past two years. Amber Grewer is experienced with luxury homes.
Offer strategy
Negotiation expert
Single-family homes
Gordon Rudy is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years.
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Manufactured homes
Condos
Peter Eubank is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 22 transactions over the past 12 months — 23 in the past two years. Peter Eubank's experience includes sales involving HOAs and luxury homes.
Kroft Hulsey Team is a real estate team who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 7 in the past two years. Kroft Hulsey Team is experienced with luxury homes.
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Vacant land
Condos
Wagnermarsh Team is a real estate team who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 14 transactions over the past 12 months — 22 in the past two years. Wagnermarsh Team's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Condos
Townhouses
Multi-family homes
Paul Cuccia is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 12 in the past two years.
Erica Pittman is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 4 transactions over the past 12 months — 7 in the past two years. Erica Pittman is experienced with sales involving HOAs.
Sean Pate is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years. Sean Pate is experienced with luxury homes.
Top 10% localFast sales
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Vacant land
Condos
Multi-family homes
Datta Khalsa is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 29 in the past two years. Datta Khalsa is experienced with VA loans and military buyers.
Top 5% local
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Condos
Heidi Hart is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 19 transactions over the past 12 months — 31 in the past two years. Heidi Hart is experienced with first-time homebuyers.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Vacant land
Matthew Mora is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 3 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years. Matthew Mora's experience includes VA loans and military buyers and first-time homebuyers.
Single-family homes
Townhouses
Mobile homes
Condos
Sugaree Sands is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 8 in the past two years.
Top 5% localBuyer specialist
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Condos
Mobile homes
Townhouses
Katie Keeler is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 21 transactions over the past 12 months — 38 in the past two years. Katie Keeler's experience includes sales involving HOAs, VA loans and military buyers, and first-time homebuyers.
Negotiation expert
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Condos
Ben Rush is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 8 transactions over the past 12 months — 18 in the past two years. Ben Rush's experience includes luxury homes and sales involving HOAs.
Matt Draper is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 13 in the past two years. Matt Draper is experienced with luxury homes.
Repeat clients
Single-family homes
Multi-family homes
Chuck Fischer is a real estate agent who is active in Santa Cruz, CA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 9 in the past two years.
Works with: 44% sellers, 56% buyers
Total recent sales: 9
Local ranking by total sales: #214
State ranking by total sales: #26,484
Median days on market: 51 days
Median sale-to-list ratio: 100%
License #: 00755878 (CA)
What to know about top real estate agents in Santa Cruz, CA
Top Santa Cruz real estate agents combine deep, local expertise with higher-than-average performance. Here’s what that looks like in Santa Cruz.
General
High transaction volume: Does more than 12 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz is 52 days)
Buyers
Strong negotiator: The best buyer’s agents in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
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.
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.
How we research and evaluate top real estate agents in Santa Cruz
Data sources
Our rankings are powered by real estate transaction data, internal research, and other publicly available sources. We compiled and analyzed over 571,800 data points for 359 real estate agents across Santa Cruz, 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 in Santa Cruz, California and make it easier to compare your options.
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.
Want to offer a correction for one of the agent profiles listed above? Fill out this form.
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Real Estate Team
