Top Real Estate Agents in Santa Cruz, CA

We analyze millions of home sales to find the best performing real estate agents & REALTORS® for your personalized needs.

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HomeLight analyzes all 1,760 Santa Cruz, CA real estate agents and compares them on their historical performance data. The top 3% of Santa Cruz real estate agents handle an average of 680 properties and move them in 26 days.

"Realtors can claim anything, but the objective data that HomeLight collects on number of homes sold, price range, and time period, are facts that cannot be challenged."

Shirley SSold with a HomeLight Agent

Top Santa Cruz REALTOR® Rankings

Top Agents List updated on March 16th, 2024
Brett Jennings snapshot

Real Estate Experts

Brett Jennings is an award-winning luxury home marketing specialist and also holds a certificate in negotiation from Harvard Law. In 2017, the Wall Street Journal recognized Brett and his team as one of the top 250 real estate groups in the United States. With over one million agents in the country, this prestigious...

Brett Jennings's reviews

"We recently sold our rental property that the tenants had completely destroyed. Brett Jennings & his team did an amazing job of rehabbing the home, getting it to market quickly, and getting us well above our list price. We couldn't be more happy. ..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

1,282

Average Price Point

$1.6M

Years of Experience

22

“A real estate transaction is like an orchestra, if the many components are all in harmony the real estate transaction just like the music in an orchestra is beautiful. And just like an orchestra no one person can play all the instruments, and that’s why I’ve assembled the best orchestra in real estate.” Eric Boye...

Boyenga Team's reviews

"After being referred by a co-worker, we recently worked with Janelle to buy a house in San Jose. Their team was quite exceptional, and we couldn't have done it without them. Highly connected, responsive and knowledgable, they landed us in a home we wouldn't have had a chance at had we not been working with them. In ..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

265

Average Price Point

$1.8M

Years of Experience

27

Pete Ruiz snapshot

Keller Williams Coastal Estates

Born and raised in California, Pete has been a resident of the state for over 30 years. Pete has a unique background in prior work experience as a former baseball player with the Boston Red Sox organization from 2008-2014. Pete had a playing career of 7 full seasons, all with Boston, and baseball is still a big part...

Pete Ruiz's reviews

"Excellent communication throughout the total sales process. ..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

250

Average Price Point

$1.3M

Years of Experience

15

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Zaid Hanna, snapshot

Real Estate 38

Zaid Hanna is a real estate agent with Intero Almaden Real Estate Services in San Jose, California. Zaid has been serving home buyers and sellers in the Bay Area since 2004. He brings his clients the benefits of experience, market expertise, combined with unmatched skills, knowledge and passion. Zaid founded The Han...

Home Transactions

203

Average Price Point

$1.3M

Years of Experience

20

Julie Wyss snapshot

Keller Williams

Julie Wyss: Wyss Group Real Estate Professionals - Complete Concierge Service | Consistently Ranked Among the Elite 1% of 1.6M Active Agents Across the Nation. As one of Silicon Valley’s premier residential real estate brokers—ranked in the top .5% of California real estate agents in 2023—and a Seniors Real Estat...

Julie Wyss's reviews

"Julie was very kind and helpful with my partner, aunt, and I after we inherited a house in very poor condition. She sold the house quickly and made the difficult probate process just a touch easier on us. We were very grateful for her understanding because my wife and aunt had emotional attachment to the house as..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

198

Average Price Point

$1.7M

Years of Experience

17

We understand a home is much more than where you rest your head at night. A home can be a lifetime of memories, an escape from stress, a feeling of security and love, and often a home represents the most significant financial asset of a family. Understanding the importance of a home is our job and our lifetime car...

Jennifer and Andrew Oldham's reviews

"My family was fortunate to be referred to Jennifer and Andrew to act as our agents in the sale of our luxury home in Carmel. They were instrumental in assisting us with everything from home prep, contractor referrals, staging, negotiation, escrow and title issues, and an absolutely stunning marketing effort. (Th..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

167

Average Price Point

$1.4M

Years of Experience

23

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The Lurie Group snapshot

Compass, The Lurie Group

Our real estate team is committed to delivering exceptional client care and empowering every decision each step of your home buying or selling experience. Our philosophy is based on integrity, creativity, transparency, and tenacity! Our commitment is to grow with you beyond the transaction helping you match the per...

The Lurie Group's reviews

"Zander and Tabre were unrelenting in their work ethic and made sure that we found the ideal home… which happened to be a highly sought after home in Pacific Heights. They were able to use there negotiation skills, and leverage their market knowledge & relationships in the industry to get our preemtive offer accepted..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

148

Average Price Point

$1.8M

Years of Experience

10

Andy Sweat snapshot

Keller Williams Bay Area Estates

TOP 250 AGENTS NATIONWIDE AS RECOGNIZED IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Andy understands that buying or selling a home is a significant investment in your future. Andy helps his clients find success in a very competitive market with constant communication, nonstop work effort, and unparalleled knowledge of the Bay Area r...

Andy Sweat's reviews

"Andy was beyond patient and met all of our needs. He is the best real estate agent in this area.. hands down!!..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

113

Average Price Point

$1.4M

Years of Experience

9

Megan Archer snapshot

Keller Williams

Megan Archer is an energetic leader, strategic thinker, and fierce negotiator. She understands the psychology of selling real estate and that nets her sellers more money, in less time. Buying or selling a home, one of your largest assets, is one of the most important things you will ever do. As Discover Real Estates...

Megan Archer's reviews

"Team House Hunter is awesome!! Megan and everyone we have had the pleasure of working with in the office has been great, they worked hard to find us our home and I know it wasn't easy, they would always find the time to show us houses at the last minute and would answer our numerous messages quickly and happily. Eve..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

112

Average Price Point

$890K

Years of Experience

19

Daniel Winkler snapshot

Winkler Real Estate Group

I have been helping clients buy and sell their homes in the Bay Area for more than three decades. I love what I do, and when we meet, my enthusiasm will be palpable. Here’s what matters most to me: honesty, generosity, and persistence. I believe it’s important to take care of others and to support them in achievi...

Daniel Winkler's reviews

"Top notch expertise & knowledge. Excellent service and personal attention. Wouldn’t consider working with anyone else!..." see more reviews

Home Transactions

111

Average Price Point

$1M

Years of Experience

35

HomeLightCalifornia
Santa Cruz Top Real Estate Agents

How we select the best Santa Cruz agents

At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying.
We've analyzed transaction data of local real estate agents and REALTORS® across 6 distinct metrics to recommend a few of Santa Cruz's top Real Estate Agents.
Reviewed
1,760
Vetted
212
Top Picks
20

Top real estate agents stats at a glance

HomeLight can match you with real estate agents in the top 3% of performers who, on average, sell 1.5x faster and for 85.2% more money.

Sale Price / List Price (%)

Days on Market

Lower is better

Homes Sold / Year

Explore the top neighborhoods in Santa Cruz

Based on the available transaction data for homes bought and sold in Santa Cruz, top agents are frequently doing deals in Westside, Eastside and Downtown Santa Cruz.

Find your perfect real estate agent in Santa Cruz, CA

Tools for sellers & buyers

Check out some of our other resources for Santa Cruz homeowners

Client FAQs

What does a top real estate agent do?

Top real estate agents have more local expertise, prepare in-depth market analyses, and have industry connections that you can’t find by yourself. They know your neighborhood like the back of their hand and use their market knowledge to sell your home faster than the average agent and for money.

What should you look for when interviewing a real estate agent in Santa Cruz?

When you sell a house, your real estate agent becomes your business partner, financial advisor, and emotional support system. It’s crucial to partner with someone you trust, so make sure you’re looking for an agent who can answer all of your questions with confidence during the interview. During this process, you want to get to know the agent’s business and find out how well they know the area. You’re listening for things that signal experience, expertise in your community, and workload. Selling a home takes an enormous amount of work, so you need an agent who’s got a plan for prep, pricing, and marketing and who is ready to roll up their sleeves to get the job done.

How important is it to hire a top real estate agent in Santa Cruz?

Our data shows that the top 5% of listing agents sell homes for as much as (+9%) more than the average real estate agent. A great agent makes a difference when you buy a house, too: We’ve found that the top 5% of buyer's agents on average save their clients 2.5% more on their home purchase. So, whether you’re in the market to find your dream home or sell your house at a great price, the right agent matters. We encourage you to connect with a top real estate agent if you’re buying or selling a home in Santa Cruz, CA.

When is the right time to hire a real estate agent in Santa Cruz?

The best window to contact an agent to sell your home is anywhere from three to six months in advance of your list date. When you start the search for an agent several months before hitting the market, there’s plenty of time to find the best agent, make key renovations, and market your home effectively, all of which are essential steps in selling your home for a great price. You can also hire an agent based on the best time to sell in Santa Cruz to take advantage of seasonal and cyclical trends in the market.

The right time to hire a real estate agent depends on the temperature of the housing market. For example, the best time to sell in Santa Cruz is in May. And since it takes around 3 months to close on a home, you should list in February. We recommend that you hire a real estate agent as soon as you're thinking of selling your home. Generally speaking, that's anywhere from 3 to 6 months prior to your desired move date.

What is the average real estate agent commission for agents in Santa Cruz?

While individual real estate agent commissions do vary, most real estate agents in Santa Cruz work for 6% of the home price.

Why should I use HomeLight to find a Santa Cruz real estate agent?

HomeLight analyzes all real estate agent in Santa Cruz to bring you custom, unbiased, data-driven recommendations. We use actual home sales transaction data to compare Santa Cruz real estate agent and will only introduce you to the top performing agents. They do not pay to advertise on our site and we do not pay to list them. To give you the best object recommendations, we consider things like: how fast a real estate agent sells, how many properties they work on, how much money they save or earn their clients, and what cities and neighborhoods they specialize in. You can trust that we’ll match you with the right agents for your needs.