The top-producing Hillsborough listing agents are Casey Sternsmith (Compass), Alicia Sanguinetti (Compass), and Pierre & Alex Buljan (Compass). Hillsborough's median sale price is $6,421,000 as of July 2026 (Houzeo), with homes selling in about 26.5 days at 103.98% of asking — a 6% commission there is $385,260. In February 2026, the median sold price was $5,999,000, with homes moving in 18 days on market and a 100.03% sale-to-list ratio. Navigating this premium market requires dedicated representation.
Hillsborough is the San Mateo Peninsula's most-premium residential zip, and as of July 2026 its median sale price is $6,421,000 — up 30.77% year over year — with homes selling in roughly 26.5 days at 103.98% of asking against just 0.71 months of supply, per Houzeo Hillsborough. At those price points the listing commission stops being a rounding error and becomes one of the largest line items in the entire transaction: 6% of the median is $385,260.
This guide covers the top real estate agents serving Hillsborough for 2026 based on verified transaction data from HomeLight, Compass, Coldwell Banker, and San Mateo County MLS sources. Then it runs the commission math at real Hillsborough price points, comparing traditional models with Loqol's full-service 2.5% seller-side commission structure.
Top Real Estate Agents in Hillsborough (2026)
The agents below consistently rank at the top of Hillsborough's transaction data. Verify current status, California DRE license numbers, and recent transaction counts directly on each agent's brokerage profile before signing a listing agreement.
1. Casey Sternsmith — Compass / Sternsmith Group
Sternsmith leads one of the highest-volume teams in Hillsborough. Verified production: 314 total career transactions, 17 recent Hillsborough sales, specializing in the $2.4M–$6M price range. Deep coverage across Lower North, Lower South, and Hillsborough Park catchment. Strong Compass marketing-and-syndication stack for standard Hillsborough estate inventory.
2. Alicia Sanguinetti — Compass
Sanguinetti is one of Hillsborough's most active estate-tier agents, with 66 total career transactions, 13 recent Hillsborough sales, covering the $5.2M–$12.8M price range. The profile positions her as a go-to for the upper-mid Hillsborough estate tier — Lower North closings in the $7M–$12M band.
3. Pierre & Alex Buljan — Compass
The Buljan team specializes in Hillsborough's trophy-estate tier, with 39 total career transactions, 12 recent Hillsborough sales, in the $4.5M–$25M price range. The $25M upper bound signals specific expertise in Carolands and the top-tier Lower North estate market.
4. Nick Corcoleotes — Coldwell Banker Realty
Corcoleotes carries 28 total career transactions, 15 in Hillsborough, covering the $4.1M–$13.5M price range. The Coldwell Banker Global Luxury certification supports international and institutional-buyer marketing for the upper Hillsborough tier.
5. Kim Gelman — Coldwell Banker Realty
Gelman has 32 total career transactions, 14 in Hillsborough, covering the $2.6M–$11.5M price range. Strong range across mid-tier to upper-tier Hillsborough inventory.
6. The Heinrich Team — Coldwell Banker
The Heinrich Team brings 48 years of combined experience and 86 career home transactions to the Hillsborough market — one of the longest-tenured active teams in the 94010 zip. Deep institutional knowledge of Lower North and Hillsborough Park inventory history.
7. Sudeshna "Rini" Sen Gupta — Compass
Sen Gupta is recognized among Compass's Top 1,000 agents in the United States — a specific Compass internal ranking that reflects national transaction volume. Coverage across Hillsborough and the broader Peninsula estate market.
Other Active Hillsborough Brokerages
Compass lists roughly 315 agents serving the Hillsborough market — by far the largest single-brokerage presence in the 94010 zip. Coldwell Banker Realty maintains deep institutional coverage via the Global Luxury program. Boutique specialists cover the estate tier. In a market of 17 available homes and 24 July closings, brokerage headcount tells you where the listings concentrate, not what the listing side should cost.
What Traditional Hillsborough Listing Agents Charge
Hillsborough listing commissions sit at the top of the Peninsula range — typically 2.25% to 3.0% of sale price on the listing side, before any buyer-side cooperation. At the $6,421,000 July 2026 median, a 2.5% listing-side commission is $160,525, and a full 6% both-sides load is $385,260. Here is what that translates to in dollars across Hillsborough's price bands.
| Home sale price | Listing side at Loqol's 2.5% | Total at a traditional 5% | Total at a traditional 6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4,200,000 | $105,000 | $210,000 | $252,000 |
| $5,500,000 | $137,500 | $275,000 | $330,000 |
| $6,421,000 | $160,525 | $321,050 | $385,260 |
| $9,000,000 | $225,000 | $450,000 | $540,000 |
| $14,000,000 | $350,000 | $700,000 | $840,000 |
The table shows the full 5–6% both-sides load alongside Loqol's 2.5% seller-side commission. Since the August 2024 NAR settlement, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated in each buyer's offer rather than pre-set by the seller — so the listing side is managed through your listing agreement, and the buyer side is negotiated deal by deal.
The structural issue: the marginal work of listing a $14M Carolands estate over a $4.2M Hillsborough Hills home is not $588,000 more. Photography scales modestly. MLS syndication costs nothing incremental. California disclosures scale slightly with complexity, not with price. The percentage model prices the house; the workflow prices the work — and in Hillsborough those two numbers have drifted further apart than anywhere else on the Peninsula.
What You Actually Need From a Hillsborough Listing Agent
At Hillsborough price points, the list of work a listing agent actually performs has not meaningfully changed in 20 years. Professional photography with drone and twilight for estate-tier inventory. Staging coordination. MLS syndication across the San Mateo County MLS and partner feeds. California disclosure package assembly — TDS, SPQ, NHD, lead-based paint, smoke/CO compliance. Offer receipt and review. Counteroffer negotiation. Escrow and title coordination. Appraisal and lender follow-through. Showings coordination. Open house and broker tour scheduling. Some Lower North and Carolands listings add private-marketing and pocket-listing coordination.
None of these tasks scale to a $385,000 commission. A $14M Carolands estate requires the same underlying workflow as a $4.2M Hillsborough Hills home — plus incrementally more care around photography, staging, private outreach, and a narrower targeted buyer pool. Real work, but not three times the work for three times the price.
Where Loqol Fits in the Hillsborough Market
Loqol (Sunday Real Estate Brokerage Inc. dba Loqol), CA DRE #02261474, is a full-service California brokerage with dedicated licensed agents. Instead of traditional high-percentage listing fees, Loqol offers a 2.5% seller-side commission when the seller onboards through Loqol. This structure provides complete full-service representation tailored to premium Peninsula estates.
For this 2.5% commission, a Hillsborough seller receives a comprehensive suite of services: 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, and marketing run by Loqol's in-house marketing team.
On the $6,421,000 July 2026 Hillsborough median, a 2.5% seller-side commission equals $160,525. When compared to a traditional 5% to 6% total commission load (which can range from $321,050 to $385,260), managing the transaction with a modern, tech-enabled brokerage helps maximize net proceeds. On a $14,000,000 Carolands estate, a 6% total commission represents $840,000, making efficient transaction execution and professional representation essential to preserving home equity.
Three Questions to Ask Every Hillsborough Listing Agent
1. What is your listing-side commission as a dollar figure at my estimated sale price?
Do not accept "2.5%" as the answer. Ask the agent to write the dollar number on paper. At Hillsborough medians that number surprises most sellers — at the $6,421,000 July 2026 median, 2.5% is $160,525 on the listing side alone.
2. What does your marketing package include, and what do you outsource?
Professional photography, staging, drone, videography, private-marketing outreach, and open-house costs are frequently the agent's out-of-pocket in Hillsborough. Ask specifically what is included and what is billed separately.
3. What is your expected DOM and sale-to-list ratio on comparable recent Hillsborough closings?
The answer should be concrete — recent address, DOM, sale-to-list ratio. Citywide medians are easy to quote; the number that matters is the agent's own Lower North / Lower South / Upper Hillsborough track record.
The Loqol Advantage
For Hillsborough sellers who want a modern, transparent transaction, Loqol provides a full-service experience with a 2.5% seller-side commission. 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. This ensures complete transparency and execution from listing to close.
FAQ
Who are the top-selling real estate agents in Hillsborough for 2026?
By verified transaction data, the highest-volume Hillsborough listing agents include Casey Sternsmith (Compass, 314 career transactions), Alicia Sanguinetti (Compass, 66 transactions, $5.2M–$12.8M range), Pierre & Alex Buljan (Compass, 39 transactions, $4.5M–$25M range), Nick Corcoleotes (Coldwell Banker, 28 transactions, $4.1M–$13.5M range), Kim Gelman (Coldwell Banker, 32 transactions), and the Heinrich Team (Coldwell Banker, 86 transactions, 48 years experience).
What do Hillsborough real estate agents charge in commission?
Hillsborough listing commissions typically run 2.25% to 3.0% on the listing side, with buyer-side compensation negotiated in each buyer's offer post-NAR-settlement. At the $6,421,000 July 2026 median sale price, a 2.5% listing commission is $160,525 and a full 6% both-sides load is $385,260.
How does Loqol's commission structure work in Hillsborough?
Loqol charges a 2.5% seller-side commission when you onboard through our platform. On the $6,421,000 July 2026 median, this represents a listing-side commission of $160,525. This includes full-service representation by a dedicated licensed agent, in-house marketing, and our proprietary transaction tracking software.
Does Loqol handle Carolands and $10M+ estates?
Yes. LOQOL's top tier — $19,999 for anything above $3M — covers Upper Hillsborough mid-tier, Lower North $8M+ standard, and Carolands trophy alike, because the fee stops scaling where the price keeps going. Charlie is LOQOL's AI agent inside the licensed brokerage — not a licensee — and runs the same California-compliant disclosure, MLS, and offer workflow at every price point, with a licensed California agent (DRE #02261474) as the agent of record on the listing.
What is the current Hillsborough median home price and DOM?
As of July 2026, Hillsborough's median sale price is $6,421,000 — up 30.77% year over year — with a median 26.5 days on market, 0.71 months of supply, a 103.98% sale-to-list ratio, and 44.44% of homes selling above asking, per Houzeo Hillsborough. 24 homes sold in July against 17 available and 8 newly listed. Movoto's July 2026 page corroborates the range with a $5,999,000 median sold and $1,217 per square foot.
Which Hillsborough neighborhood has the highest home prices?
Lower North is consistently ranked #1 for median sale price, price per square foot, and count of $10M+ sales. Lower South ranks #2 with a $5.5M median and $1,509 per square foot. Upper Hillsborough neighborhoods trade at lower price per square foot on larger lots.
Related Reading
- Hillsborough Housing Market 2026 — Neighborhood-by-neighborhood Hillsborough 2026 data
- Best Real Estate Agents in Burlingame (2026) — Adjacent Peninsula agent data
- Best Real Estate Agents in San Mateo County (2026) — Countywide top-agent review
Selling in Hillsborough?
Loqol is a full-service California brokerage working with sellers in Hillsborough. 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 Hillsborough sale.
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