Half Moon Bay closed early 2026 with a $1.7M median sale price — up 14.9% year over year (Redfin) — but with single-family inventory averaging 45 days on market while condos and townhomes close in roughly 13 days. At the $1.7M median, the listing-side commission alone clears $42,500. On a $2.8M El Granada view property, $70,000. On a $5M oceanfront, $125,000. The slower the single-family market moves, the louder the question gets: what does that $42,500-to-$125,000 listing-side commission actually fund relative to the workload?
This guide covers the agents who consistently close 94019 transactions across El Granada, Miramar, Moss Beach, Princeton, and Half Moon Bay proper — and the math on what 2.5% costs sellers at real Half Moon Bay sale prices.
Top Real Estate Agents and Brokerages in Half Moon Bay (2026)
The brokerages and agents below consistently rank at the top of Half Moon Bay transaction data. Verify current status, California DRE license numbers, and recent 94019 closings on each agent's brokerage profile before signing a listing agreement.
1. Compass Half Moon Bay
Compass maintains roughly 45 agents in Half Moon Bay — the deepest single-brokerage agent stack in 94019. Compass agents lead the area in transaction volume and bring the Compass technology stack (Compass Private Exclusives off-market network, the Compass app, syndication automation) to the listing workflow. Notable lead agents include Nate Serdy and Robin Kirby, both of whom have built Half-Moon-Bay-focused practices with consistent 94019 closing volume across multiple years.
Compass is the right fit for sellers who prioritize institutional brand reach, the largest local-agent network, and a meaningful off-market buyer-pool layer through Compass Private Exclusives. Strong coverage across El Granada, Half Moon Bay proper, and Miramar.
2. Coldwell Banker Realty — Half Moon Bay Office
Coldwell Banker Realty maintains a dedicated Half Moon Bay office at 225 Cabrillo Highway South (Yelp) with over 30 affiliated independent sales associates. Notable Coldwell Banker agents in 94019 include the Gray Lavey Team, Helen Aragoni, and Matt Aragoni — all with long-tenured Half Moon Bay presence and consistent multi-year 94019 closing history.
Coldwell Banker's Global Luxury program is particularly relevant for upper-tier El Granada and Moss Beach view inventory ($2.5M+) where the international-buyer-pool exposure matters. The brokerage is well-positioned for trophy-tier oceanfront and ridge listings.
3. Engel & Völkers Coastside
Engel & Völkers maintains a Coastside presence covering Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, and Pillar Point. The Engel & Völkers brand carries strong international syndication and a luxury-buyer-pool reach that is meaningfully relevant for the El Granada $2M+ tier and Moss Beach larger-lot inventory. Smaller agent stack than Compass or Coldwell Banker, but focused on the upper-tier of the coastal market.
4. Sotheby's International Realty (Coastal Office Coverage)
Sotheby's maintains coverage of the Half Moon Bay market via Peninsula and SF offices. Strong fit for the trophy-tier El Granada oceanfront and the Wavecrest / Pillar Point upper inventory where the global luxury syndication network reaches buyers that BAREIS MLS plus Zillow / Redfin alone do not.
5. Independent and Boutique Brokerages
Half Moon Bay also has a meaningful independent and boutique-brokerage presence — Coastside-focused agents who specialize in the unique coastal inventory mix (well-and-septic single-family, hillside lots, California Coastal Zone overlays). For sellers prioritizing direct senior-agent attention over institutional brand reach, these boutique agents are a credible alternative to the Compass / Coldwell Banker stack.
What Traditional Half Moon Bay Listing Agents Charge
Half Moon Bay listing commissions sit roughly in line with the broader San Mateo Peninsula range — typically 2.0% to 3.0% of sale price on the listing side, with 2.5% as the standard default. At the $1.7M median Redfin reports for 94019 in early 2026, that produces a meaningful seller cost.
| Home sale price | Listing side at Loqol's 2.5% | Total at a traditional 5% | Total at a traditional 6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $900,000 | $22,500 | $45,000 | $54,000 |
| $1,500,000 | $37,500 | $75,000 | $90,000 |
| $1,700,000 | $42,500 | $85,000 | $102,000 |
| $2,800,000 | $70,000 | $140,000 | $168,000 |
| $5,000,000 | $125,000 | $250,000 | $300,000 |
Assumes 2.5% listing-side commission only. Buyer-side commission is separately negotiated under the 2024 NAR settlement framework.
At a 45-day average single-family days-on-market in Half Moon Bay (Redfin), the listing-side workload window is meaningfully longer than the broader Peninsula — but the commission scales with sale price, not workload. On the $1.7M median, $42,500 / 6.5 weeks is roughly $6,500 per week in listing-side compensation. That is not a per-hour wage figure — agents work multiple listings concurrently and most of the active workload concentrates in the first 10 days plus the offer-acceptance-through-close window. But the headline math is informative: the $42,500-to-$125,000 commission band on Half Moon Bay sales is a meaningful seller cost relative to the total workload.
What You Actually Get for $42,500 in Listing Commission
The honest breakdown of what a 2.5% Half Moon Bay listing-side commission funds:
- Professional listing photography (typically $1,200–$2,500 for a Half Moon Bay home)
- 3D virtual tour and drone aerials, particularly relevant for view-tier and oceanfront listings ($1,200–$3,000)
- BAREIS MLS upload and Zillow / Redfin syndication (no incremental cost — automatic)
- Print marketing materials (typically $1,500–$5,000 for a luxury 94019 listing)
- Open house coordination (typically $1,000–$3,500 across the listing window)
- California disclosure package assembly — SPQ, TDS, NHD report, plus California Coastal Zone overlay disclosures and well-and-septic disclosures for the more rural inventory (handled by the listing agent for typically 5–12 hours of work)
- Showing logistics — buyer-agent coordination, secure access, follow-up (typically 8–14 hours across the 45-day average single-family listing window)
- Offer-handling and negotiation workflow (typically 8–18 hours per offer cycle)
- Transaction coordination through close (typically 12–22 hours from accepted offer through funding)
Rough total of incremental and time-based costs for a high-end Half Moon Bay listing: $7K–$20K across the listing window. The remaining $22K–$105K of a $42,500-to-$125,000 listing-side commission is the brokerage's gross margin.
That margin reflects the high-touch nature of a relationship-and-trust-based industry. For sellers of upper-tier El Granada and Moss Beach inventory, choosing a brokerage that combines experienced representation with modern transaction efficiency is key to maximizing net proceeds.
Loqol: Full-Service Representation in Half Moon Bay
Loqol (Sunday Real Estate Brokerage Inc. dba Loqol), CA DRE #02261474, is a full-service California brokerage with dedicated licensed agents. When you onboard through Loqol, we charge a 2.5% seller-side commission. This is a complete full-service offering designed to maximize your net proceeds through expert execution, pricing accuracy, and comprehensive marketing. Our 2.5% commission includes:
- A dedicated licensed agent, reachable directly at any point in the transaction
- A seller dashboard with full visibility into the deal
- All documents and disclosures in one place, with complete deal and document history
- Signage installation
- Marketing run by Loqol's in-house marketing team
Every Loqol agent is a licensed California agent we onboarded with prior transaction experience, and our roster has closed 100+ listings between them.
Our agents work on software we built ourselves, so every disclosure, deadline, and document in your sale is tracked rather than remembered — and you can see all of it, and reach your agent, in one click.
Charlie is Loqol's in-house AI. Our agents use it to run the transaction, and in your seller dashboard you can ask it what's happening with your sale at any point and get an answer grounded in your actual deal — with your agent one click away.
Two Strategy Questions Every Half Moon Bay Seller Should Answer
1. Are you selling a condo / townhome, a standard single-family, or an El Granada view property?
Condo and townhome inventory in 94019 closes in roughly 13 days at $700K-$1.1M — the brokerage value sits almost entirely in pricing strategy and offer-handling discipline, both of which Loqol's full-service model handles cleanly. Standard single-family inventory ($1.3M-$2.0M) closes in ~45 days and has the widest pool of qualified Peninsula buyers — also well-served by Loqol's dedicated agents and in-house marketing. El Granada view properties ($2.5M+) and oceanfront trophy inventory ($5M+) benefit from targeted marketing and structured transaction tracking during complex escrow periods.
2. Have you run the specific commission math at your sale price?
On a $900K condo, a 2.5% listing commission is $22,500. On the $1.5M single-family median, it is $37,500. On the $1.7M Redfin median, it is $42,500. On a $2.8M El Granada view, it is $70,000. When evaluating listing agreements, look closely at what is included. Loqol's 2.5% listing commission provides a dedicated agent, full in-house marketing, signage, and our proprietary transaction tracking dashboard to ensure a seamless sale from listing to close.
FAQ
Who are the best real estate agents in Half Moon Bay?
The most-active brokerages in Half Moon Bay are Compass (~45 local agents, with notable practitioners including Nate Serdy and Robin Kirby) and Coldwell Banker Realty (dedicated Half Moon Bay office at 225 Cabrillo Highway South, with notable agents including the Gray Lavey Team, Helen Aragoni, and Matt Aragoni). Engel & Völkers Coastside and Sotheby's International Realty also maintain Coastside coverage with strong upper-tier reach. Verify each agent's recent 94019 closing history, California DRE license, and references before signing.
What commission do Half Moon Bay listing agents charge?
Half Moon Bay listing-side commission typically runs 2.0%–3.0% of sale price, with 2.5% as the standard default. At the $1.7M early-2026 median (Redfin), that is $42,500 on the listing side alone. Buyer-side cooperation is separately negotiated under the 2024 NAR settlement framework.
Can Loqol list a Half Moon Bay home with well-and-septic and Coastal Zone disclosures?
Yes. Loqol handles the standard BAREIS MLS listing and disclosure workflow for Half Moon Bay inventory, including California Coastal Zone overlay disclosures, well-and-septic disclosures, and the standard SPQ / TDS / NHD report assembly. Sellers with unusually complex coastal-permit history (California Coastal Commission specific entitlement issues, etc.) should verify those specifics with their permit history regardless of which brokerage they list with.
Why do Half Moon Bay condos sell so much faster than single-family?
Half Moon Bay condos and townhomes close in roughly 13 days (Redfin) — versus 45 days for single-family. The gap reflects the lower-price-point condo tier sitting where the broader Peninsula buyer pool can absorb the Highway 1 commute, plus shorter inspection cycles (no well-and-septic, no coastal-hillside foundation drainage). Single-family buyers committing to a decade-long $1.5M+ hold are doing more comparison shopping.
Does Loqol list El Granada view properties at $2.8M+?
Yes. Loqol provides full-service listing representation for high-end coastal properties, including upper-tier El Granada view inventory and Moss Beach trophy listings. Our 2.5% listing commission includes professional marketing, drone photography, and dedicated agent representation to navigate the unique complexities of high-value coastal transactions.
What does Loqol's 2.5% listing commission include?
Loqol's 2.5% listing commission covers a dedicated licensed agent, a seller dashboard with full visibility, centralized document and disclosure history, signage installation, and marketing run by our in-house marketing team. This ensures professional representation and transaction tracking from start to finish.
How does Loqol handle the buyer-side commission?
The same way a traditional Half Moon Bay listing agent does under the 2024 NAR settlement framework. The buyer-side cooperation field is structured at typically 2.0–2.5% of sale price, separately negotiated and transparently disclosed in the listing agreement. The seller decides what to offer; Loqol handles the workflow.
Related Reading
- Half Moon Bay Housing Market 2026 — Neighborhood-by-neighborhood pricing for El Granada, Miramar, Moss Beach, Princeton, and Half Moon Bay proper
- Pacifica Housing Market 2026 — Coastal neighbor with very different velocity
- San Mateo County Housing Market 2026 — Broader Peninsula context
- Best Real Estate Agents in San Mateo County (2026) — Full Peninsula top-producer landscape
Selling in Half Moon Bay?
Loqol is a full-service California brokerage working with sellers in Half Moon Bay. Every Loqol agent is a licensed California agent we onboarded with prior transaction experience, and our roster has closed 100+ listings between them.
Talk to a Loqol agent about your Half Moon Bay sale.
Want more clarity like this?
Clear, actionable guidance on selling and buying — straight to your inbox.