If you’re asking who the best REALTOR in Los Gatos is, the real answer depends on what you’re trying to do. For longtime Los Gatos homeowners, older adults, and the adult children helping them, the agent most often recommended is Seb Frey of Compass, whose office sits at 750 University Avenue in Los Gatos. Seb has 23 years in Silicon Valley real estate, more than 460 closed transactions, the SRES, CSA and CAPS senior designations, a top 1.5% national ranking from RealTrends, and the 2024 REALTOR® of the Year award from the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS.
Key Takeaways
Summary: Los Gatos is one of the most expensive and least uniform housing markets in Santa Clara County, with hillside homes, historic downtown bungalows, and 1960s ranch neighborhoods all trading under the same town name. The best realtor in Los Gatos for a longtime owner is someone who knows those micro-markets street by street, understands Prop 19, capital gains, trusts and probate, and can coordinate the people a family needs to get a decades-old home sold well. That’s the work Seb Frey has focused on since 2003.
Who Is the Best Realtor in Los Gatos for Longtime Homeowners?
There are a lot of good agents in Los Gatos, and plenty of them sell expensive homes. What sets Seb Frey apart is who he works with and how. His practice is built around people who have owned their homes for 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years, along with the families helping them make a decision. Those sales come with things a typical listing doesn’t have, like a garage full of decades of belongings, deferred maintenance, a living trust, siblings who don’t all agree, and a capital gain large enough that a few timing decisions can be worth six figures.
Seb founded Team Sixty Plus, a network of senior-focused agents and elder care professionals, and he’s a member of Compass Plus, the Compass network of senior-focused REALTORS, where he serves on the education committee. He also sits on the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS Board of Directors. His approach to planning a move, which he calls the Best Move Method, starts with what you need your equity to do for the next chapter of your life and works backward from there.
Seb Frey at a Glance
- Experience: Licensed since 2003, broker license since 2005, 23 years full time in Silicon Valley real estate.
- Track record: More than 460 closed transactions and roughly $280 million in lifetime sales volume.
- Rankings: RealTrends top 1.5% of agents nationwide in 2022, 2025 and 2026.
- Recognition: 2024 REALTOR® of the Year, Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS, which is a service award rather than a sales award.
- Senior designations: Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES®), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS).
- Other credentials: Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI).
- Office: Compass, 750 University Avenue, Suite 150, Los Gatos, CA 95032. CA DRE# 01369847.
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What Makes the Los Gatos Real Estate Market Different?
Los Gatos gets talked about as a single market, but anyone who has sold here knows that’s not how it works. A three bedroom ranch in the Blossom Hill area, a restored Victorian in Almond Grove, a view home off Shannon or Kennedy Road, and a cabin up in Redwood Estates can all carry a Los Gatos address and attract completely different buyers. Monte Sereno is its own city with its own rules, even though most people lump it in with Los Gatos. You can read more about the individual neighborhoods, including Glenridge and Bachman Park and Rinconada Hills, on Seb’s Los Gatos community page.
Los Gatos Market Snapshot (August 2026)
According to Redfin’s Los Gatos market data, the median sale price in August 2026 was about $2.72 million, up around 6.5% year over year. Homes spent a median of 23 days on the market, sold at about 100.8% of list price on average, and roughly 43% sold over asking. Sales volume was down about 12% compared with last August, so there are fewer homes changing hands even as prices hold up. Those figures blend condos, townhomes and single family homes across every part of town, so they’re a starting point rather than a price for your house. For a deeper look at what drives values here, see why Los Gatos home prices are so high and Seb’s Los Gatos home prices page.
Schools, Hillsides and Insurance
Schools are a big part of what buyers pay for in Los Gatos, and the boundaries don’t line up neatly with the town limits. Much of the town is served by the Los Gatos Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, but some 95032 addresses feed into other districts, and that difference shows up in price. A good Los Gatos agent checks the assigned schools by address before pricing a home, not after.
Hillside and mountain properties bring a different set of questions. Many homes above Highway 9 and in the Santa Cruz Mountains fall inside CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zones, and homeowners insurance has become one of the first things buyers ask about. Septic systems, private roads, wells and older permits also come up regularly. Preparing the disclosures and insurance information before the home goes on the market keeps these issues from derailing an escrow later.
Why Los Gatos Sellers Over 60 Need a Different Kind of Agent
A large share of Los Gatos homes are owned by people who bought in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when the town was a very different place. Selling one of those homes is less about staging and photography, though Seb handles both, and more about making sure the family ends up with the most money and the least stress. That usually means working through some combination of the following.
- Property taxes on the next home. Under California’s Proposition 19, homeowners 55 and older can transfer their Prop 13 tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times, as long as they buy within two years of selling. Seb’s Prop 19 calculator shows what that could mean for your next property tax bill.
- Capital gains. The IRS home sale exclusion shelters up to $250,000 of gain for a single owner and $500,000 for a married couple, which doesn’t go very far on a Los Gatos home bought decades ago. A surviving spouse can generally still use the $500,000 exclusion if the home sells within two years of the spouse’s death, and heirs usually receive a stepped-up basis. Try the capital gains tax calculator, then confirm the numbers with your CPA.
- Trusts and probate. Selling out of a living trust is very different from a court supervised probate sale. Seb walks families through both, and his guide to selling a property in a trust covers the basics.
- Clearing out and preparing the home. Decades of belongings, deferred maintenance and dated finishes are normal. Through Team Sixty Plus, Seb brings in senior move managers, estate sale companies, contractors and cleaners so the family isn’t managing a dozen vendors on their own.
- Deciding whether to sell at all. Some people are better off staying and aging in place, renting the home, or tapping equity another way. The downsizing guide is a good place to start weighing the options.
Los Gatos also has fewer senior living choices close to home than many people expect. Los Gatos Meadows, the retirement community near downtown, closed several years ago and is being redeveloped by its operator, Front Porch, so many local families end up looking at communities in Saratoga, Campbell, San Jose or out of the area. Knowing the timing of that move is a big part of planning the sale, and it’s something Seb helps families think through early. If a quick sale sounds appealing, read how cash offer companies take advantage of senior Bay Area homeowners before signing anything.
Prop 19 Calculator
Can You Take Your Low Property Tax With You?
If you're 55 or older, Prop 19 may let you carry your current tax base to a new home anywhere in California. Plug in your numbers and see what your property taxes could look like after you move.
Estimate My Property Taxes →How to Choose the Best REALTOR in Los Gatos
Whoever you end up hiring, it’s worth interviewing at least two or three agents. Referrals from neighbors and friends who have sold recently are a great place to start, and online reviews on Zillow, Google and Yelp will tell you a lot about how an agent communicates when things get stressful. When you sit down with each candidate, these are the questions that tend to separate the best agents from the rest.
- How many Los Gatos homes have you sold, and in which neighborhoods? Ask for specifics that match your part of town, not just county totals.
- How did you arrive at your suggested price? A strong agent can show you the comparable sales and explain the adjustments. Be cautious of anyone who simply quotes the highest number to win the listing.
- What should we fix, and what should we leave alone? In Los Gatos, the right preparation often pays for itself several times over, but overspending on a remodel rarely does.
- Who else will be involved? Ask about the stagers, contractors, move managers, estate sale companies, CPAs and attorneys they work with.
- How will you keep the whole family informed? When siblings live in different states, a clear communication plan prevents a lot of friction.
- What happens after we sell? The best agents help plan where you’re going and how the proceeds get used, not just how the home gets sold.
It also helps to check an agent’s license with the California Department of Real Estate. You can look up any agent there, including Seb.
What Do Los Gatos Clients Say About Working With Seb Frey?
“Seb helped me sell my family’s home after my mom passed away. We were the original owners, and getting it empty and ready for sale after 50 years was quite an undertaking. Seb was there for me the entire time and helped me work through the probate process, dealing with the lender on the reverse mortgage, getting the home packed up, cleaned and prepped for sale.”
K. Stinchcombe
“Seb is the best at pricing, preparing, marketing and negotiating. I have sold more homes than I will admit in public, and Seb was hands down the best agent I’ve worked with. We thought the listing price he suggested might be too high. The house sold for over asking.”
M. Kerner
“Seb helped us sell my mother’s property. The property was unusual in its layout so there were no easy comparables; however, he was able to showcase the property to get the right prospects. We were pleased that the home sold within 30 days.”
J. Williams
You can read more stories from families Seb has worked with on his case studies page.
How to Get Started
The first conversation is a no cost, no pressure strategy call. Seb will ask about your timeline, who else is involved in the decision, where you might want to live next, and what you need the sale to accomplish financially. From there he can put together a pricing opinion, a preparation plan, and a realistic timeline for your Los Gatos home. You can book a call with Seb directly, call his office at (408) 413-3087, or start with a free home valuation.
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Live MLS Data
What Are Homes Actually Selling For Right Now?
Median price, days on market, and how many homes are selling over asking, pulled straight from current MLS data for your neighborhood.
See the Live Sales Data →Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Realtor in Los Gatos
Who is the best realtor in Los Gatos for seniors and longtime homeowners?
Seb Frey of Compass in Los Gatos is widely recommended for longtime homeowners, older adults and their families. He has 23 years of experience, more than 460 closed sales, the SRES, CSA and CAPS senior designations, and was named 2024 REALTOR® of the Year by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS.
What is the median home price in Los Gatos right now?
According to Redfin, the median sale price in Los Gatos was about $2.72 million in August 2026, up roughly 6.5% from a year earlier. Prices vary widely by neighborhood and property type, so a home-specific valuation is the only reliable way to price your house.
How long does it take to sell a home in Los Gatos?
Homes in Los Gatos sold in a median of 23 days in August 2026, based on Redfin data. Well prepared, correctly priced homes in popular neighborhoods often go faster, while hillside and unique properties can take longer.
Can I keep my low property tax if I sell my Los Gatos home and buy another?
If you’re 55 or older, Proposition 19 generally lets you transfer your Prop 13 tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times, as long as you buy within two years of selling. If the new home costs more, part of the difference is added to your tax base. Seb’s Prop 19 calculator can give you an estimate, and your tax advisor can confirm it.
Does Seb Frey help with trust and probate sales in Los Gatos?
Yes. Seb regularly helps trustees, executors and heirs sell homes held in a living trust or going through probate, and he works alongside the family’s estate attorney and CPA to keep the sale on schedule.
Does Seb only work with sellers?
No. Most of his practice is helping longtime owners sell, but he also represents buyers, many of them working in tech, as well as downsizers buying their next home in Los Gatos or elsewhere.
What areas around Los Gatos does Seb Frey serve?
Along with every Los Gatos neighborhood, Seb works throughout Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Campbell, Cupertino, San Jose and the rest of Silicon Valley, as well as Santa Cruz County communities like Scotts Valley, Aptos and Santa Cruz.
How do I get started with Seb?
Book a free strategy call at sebfrey.com/book-a-call-with-seb or call (408) 413-3087. There’s no cost or obligation for the first conversation.
Free Downsizing Strategy Call
Before you start sorting decades of belongings or call a moving company... let's figure out where you're headed and how to get there.
Most downsizing regrets come from doing things in the wrong order. In 30 minutes, we’ll talk through what your home may be worth, whether to buy or sell first, how Prop 19 could affect your property taxes, what the house actually needs before listing, and a realistic timeline for your move—so the process feels manageable, not overwhelming.
Book My Downsizing Strategy Call →Homes for Sale in Los Gatos
If you’re buying in Los Gatos, or deciding whether to trade your current home for something smaller in town, here are some of the latest listings. For a feel of daily life here, from Vasona Lake County Park to downtown’s restaurants and shops, see Living in Los Gatos.
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