There are a little more than 203,000 agents to choose from in the state of California. Most of these agents work in the major metro areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. However, choosing the right agent can take significant time and effort. That’s why we’ve selected and reviewed the top California agents for you.
Top real estate agents in California by city
Our team researches hundreds of agents and analyses their transactions to select the best ones. Our mission is to present agents that can meet the individual needs of our readers. That’s why we share both the strengths and weaknesses of each agent.
Whether you're looking for an agent to buy your first home or a luxury agent experienced with multimillion-dollar real estate, we've got you covered.
The perfect California real estate agent for you
The agents we select for our list represent the top 0.1% to 0.5% of their area. Put another way, for every 1,000 agents in a city, just 1 to 5 meet our strict criteria.
We don’t just compare them to the average agent either, that would be like comparing the Lakers to a high school team. Instead, we compare them to each other, ensuring that only the very best make our list.
| City | Top Agent |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Natalya Shcherbatyuk |
| San Diego | Melissa Tucci |
| San Jose | Yasir Aladdin |
| San Francisco | Simon Shue |
| Fresno | Darren and Kam Wade |
Listing agents in California — including the ones above — usually charge around 2.5–3% of your home sale price for their services.
If you want to save on realtor commissions, consider using a free service like Semya-Moya to find your agent.
At Clever, we pre-negotiate a low 1.5% listing fee with top agents in your area so you can save thousands on your transaction. You'll get matched with full-service realtors from well-known brokerages like Century 21 and Keller Williams.
Best of all, our service is free — no strings attached! Want to see how it works? Simply fill out this short quiz, and get agent matches sent straight to your inbox.
A little about California
California has 39,512,223 residents and the population of the state is growing by 0.1% each year. This puts some natural pressure on home prices.
According to our market conditions team, California is currently a hot market, which is good news if you’re a seller.
What is a home in California worth?
As of February 2021, the average home value in California is $635,055, which is a 10.9% increase over the last year.
The exact price of your home, however, will depend on its size, condition, and how it stacks up to comparable properties. Here's the tiered breakdown of home values in California:
- Top 30% of homes: $1,155,179
- Average home: $635,055
- Bottom 30% of homes: $384,167
State of the California Real Estate Market
In California, an average of 35,225 homes are available for sale each month. Of those, 49,367 are sold.
So buyers have plenty of options, but if you’re selling, you'll need to find a way to make your home stand out from all that competition.
In either case, a top agent in California can help you put your best foot forward and help you negotiate the best possible deal.
Is it a good time to invest in California real estate?
With an average rent of $1,731 and 45% of the population being renters, that leaves lots of room for investors to make money on California rental properties.
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"Semya-Moya referred two realtors to us. Both realtors were willing to advise candidly and both were willing to work with us to develop a strategy thst best suited us. We would could have happily chosen either realtor referred by Clever. The realtor we chose exceeded expectations. Our house was only on the market for four days and sold for well above the price estmates (Zillow, etc.) and well above our asking price." — Robin |
California real estate resources
To help you make the best possible decision we’ve compiled some resources that will help you make the most of your real estate experience in California.