Top 10 Real Estate Agents in San Diego, CA (2026 Guide)

San Diego County has more than 4,800 active real estate agents, so “find a good realtor” is easier said than done. To make the search easier, we cross-referenced third-party ranking sources — U.S. News Real Estate, RealTrends Verified, HomeLight, and EffectiveAgents — to build a transparent, sourced list of the agents who consistently show up at the top of San Diego’s production data. We’ve also included our own team, Adam Kelley Real Estate, at #10, because we work with San Diego buyers and sellers every day and wanted to give you an honest look at where we fit alongside the county’s highest-volume producers. Every entry below links back to its original data source so you can verify it yourself.

How We Selected These Agents

This list isn’t pay-to-play. Instead of ranking by opinion, we prioritized agents who show up repeatedly across independent, data-driven sources using the following criteria:

• Verified transaction volume or sales figures over the last 12–24 months
• Independent client review counts and star ratings (Google Business Profile, Zillow, or brokerage-verified reviews)
• Years of active California DRE licensure
• Specialization or geographic focus within San Diego County
• Recognition from established industry rankings (RealTrends, WSJ Top 1,000, Tom Ferry)

Note on contact details: rather than publish phone numbers or office addresses we can’t verify in real time, each listing below links directly to that agent’s sourced profile or brokerage page, where you can confirm current contact information and Google Business Profile details yourself.

Quick-Look Comparison Table

The Top 10 Real Estate Agents in San Diego for 2026

1. Melissa Goldstein Tucci — Coldwell Banker Realty

Melissa Goldstein Tucci has worked in San Diego real estate for over 28 years and is affiliated with Coldwell Banker, whose local firm holds the distinction of being the official Realtor of the San Diego Padres. She recorded roughly $119 million in 2023 sales volume, according to RealTrends, and her focus spans San Diego County broadly — including East County, North County, the coastal corridor, South Bay, and Central San Diego. Her experience covers HOA sales, luxury homes, and VA loans for military buyers, which matters given San Diego’s large military community.

Source: U.S. News — Top Real Estate Companies in San Diego

2. Gregg Neuman — Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

Gregg Neuman has sold more than 7,000 properties in San Diego since 1981 and leads the 14-agent Neuman Team, one of the county’s longest-running high-volume groups. The team concentrates on La Jolla, Mission Valley, Del Mar, Point Loma, and La Mesa, and Neuman personally recorded about $115 million in 2023 sales volume per RealTrends. Four decades of continuous licensure in the same market is a genuine differentiator when you’re weighing an agent’s neighborhood-level knowledge.

Source: U.S. News — Top Real Estate Companies in San Diego

3. Jonathan Minerick — Homecoin.com

Jonathan Minerick is a former Marine Corps captain turned real estate entrepreneur and the founder of Homecoin.com, a brokerage built around a one-time flat-fee structure rather than a traditional percentage commission. His reach extends well beyond San Diego, and he posted more than $473 million in 2023 sales volume according to RealTrends — the highest of any agent on this list. If commission structure is a priority in your decision, his model is worth a closer look. 

Source: U.S. News — Top Real Estate Companies in San Diego

4. Chad Dannecker — Compass

Chad Dannecker at Compass ranks among San Diego’s highest-volume career producers, with 1,880 closed transactions, 438 client reviews, and $2.1 billion in all-time sales volume according to EffectiveAgents’ verified-transaction data. That scale of career volume typically comes with a larger support team, so it’s a reasonable question to ask how much of the transaction you’ll handle directly with Dannecker versus a team member. 

Source: EffectiveAgents — Top Realtors in San Diego, CA

5. Alan Shafran — Shafran Realty Group

Alan Shafran is an active San Diego agent working with both buyers and sellers, closing at least 135 transactions in the past 12 months and 238 over the past two years, per aggregated agent-matching data. That transaction pace places him among the more consistently active individual agents in the county’s current market. 

Source: Top Real Estate Agents in San Diego, CA

6. Rob & Joy Aumann — LuxurySoCalRealty

Rob and Joy Aumann host the “Selling San Diego” show and have been named to the WSJ & RealTrends Top 1,000 agents nationwide. With more than 15 years of experience and upwards of $750 million in career sales, the duo focuses on coastal neighborhoods including La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, UTC/University City, Del Mar, and Carmel Valley — useful to know if you’re specifically house-hunting along the coast. 

Source: LuxurySoCalRealty — Top-Rated Agents in San Diego

7. Ty Aumann — LuxurySoCalRealty

Ty Aumann is a 2025 Tom Ferry Top Under 30 Honoree and one of San Diego’s most active listing agents, with a listing-focused practice (roughly 73% of his business) that leans into maximizing sale price through marketing. His footprint covers Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Point Loma, and surrounding UTC-area neighborhoods, making him a strong option for sellers prioritizing presentation and pricing strategy. 

Source: LuxurySoCalRealty — Top-Rated Agents in San Diego

8. Team Forss — Forss Realty Group

Team Forss carries a 5.0 out of 5 average across more than 500 client reviews, the largest review volume of any team on this list, according to HomeLight’s agent database. A review base that size, sustained at a perfect average, generally signals a consistent, repeatable client experience across a high number of transactions rather than a handful of standout deals. 

Source: HomeLight — Top Real Estate Agents in San Diego

9. Brett Jennings — Real Estate Experts

Brett Jennings of Real Estate Experts holds a 5.0 out of 5 rating across 117-plus reviews per HomeLight’s verified data, with a brokerage name that reflects a specialized, boutique approach rather than a high-volume franchise model — an option worth considering if you’d prefer more individualized attention over a large team structure. 

Source: HomeLight — Top Real Estate Agents in San Diego

10. Adam Kelley — Adam Kelley Real Estate

We’ll be upfront: we’re including our own team here, and we’re not pretending to have the same decades-long transaction history as the veteran producers above. What we can offer is deep, current coverage of San Diego’s individual neighborhoods and micro-markets — Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, and communities like Torrey Highlands and Aviara — plus in-depth buyer and seller guides built from real, local transactions. If you’re weighing a high-volume team against a locally-focused agent, it’s worth reading our guide on 

how to choose the right real estate agent for you before deciding, and browsing our Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Escondido neighborhood pages to see the areas we work in most.

a) Adam Kelley — Carlsbad Real Estate

For buyers and sellers in Carlsbad, Adam Kelley Real Estate brings a locally focused approach to one of San Diego County’s most competitive coastal markets. We provide guidance on Carlsbad homes, neighborhoods, pricing, market trends, and the details that can affect a real estate decision—from Aviara and La Costa to Carlsbad Village and surrounding communities. Whether you’re buying your first home, looking for a coastal property, or preparing to sell, our Carlsbad real estate expertise is designed to help you make a confident, informed decision.

What to Look for When Choosing a San Diego Real Estate Agent

Rank on a list is a starting point, not a decision by itself. Before you commit, it helps to know exactly what separates a good fit from a bad one — we cover this in full in our guide to 

how to choose the right real estate agent for you

• Local expertise: has the agent closed deals in your specific neighborhood in the last 12 months?
• Communication style: will you work directly with them, or primarily with a team member?
• Review consistency: look for a steady volume of recent reviews, not just a high average from a handful
• Specialization: some agents focus on listings/selling, others on buyer representation — match that to your situation
• Fee structure: traditional commission split vs. flat-fee models like Homecoin’s can meaningfully change your net proceeds

If you’re specifically buying or selling in a particular San Diego pocket, it’s also worth reviewing what documentation to expect after closing — our guide on 

essential real estate documents after closing walks through exactly what you’ll receive and when, and our home viewing checklist is a useful companion when you start touring properties with any agent on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do U.S. News, RealTrends, and HomeLight rank real estate agents?

Most third-party ranking sites use a mix of closed-transaction volume, sales price, review counts and ratings, and years of licensed experience, pulled from MLS records and public review platforms. None of the agents on these lists pay for placement — rank is based on production data, not advertising.

Do I have to use one of the top-ranked agents to get a good deal in San Diego?

No. High-volume production tells you an agent closes deals reliably, but fit matters just as much — responsiveness, neighborhood knowledge, and communication style. See our full breakdown in how to choose the right real estate agent for you.

What’s the average real estate commission in San Diego?

Commission is negotiated per transaction and typically split between listing and buyer’s agents, commonly landing between 5–6% combined, though this varies by brokerage and deal structure.

Is a bigger sales volume always better?

Not necessarily. High-volume teams often hand off day-to-day communication to buyer’s agents on the team, while solo or boutique agents may offer more direct, hands-on service — worth asking about before you sign.

Where can I verify an agent’s license and complaint history?

Check the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) license lookup, which shows license status, brokerage affiliation, and any disciplinary actions on file.

Methodology & Sources

Figures cited above (transaction counts, sales volume, review totals) come from the third-party sources linked under each agent — U.S. News Real Estate, RealTrends Verified, HomeLight, EffectiveAgents, and LuxurySoCalRealty — current as of their most recent published update. We did not independently verify each figure with MLS records; treat this as a starting point for your own research, not a guarantee of current standing. Always confirm an agent’s active license status via the 

California DRE license lookup

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homepage or browse current listings on our buy property page.