Gilroy Realtor and Real Estate Agents: Don Orason and the Silicon Valley Real Estate Team
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Looking for a Gilroy realtor? Don Orason and the Silicon Valley Real Estate Team help buyers and sellers in Gilroy and the rest of Santa Clara County. The team's office is on Meridian Avenue in San Jose, and its agents serve Gilroy and the rest of South County. You can call the team or send a text today, or read on for what to ask any Gilroy real estate agent before you hire one.
A Gilroy realtor should know a city of about 60,000 people with one residential ZIP code, a few large planned communities, older streets around downtown and rural parcels on county land. Check the agent's DRE license, ask for recent Gilroy sales they handled, and ask how they would price your home or shape your offer.
How Do You Choose a Gilroy Realtor?
The best way to choose a Gilroy realtor is to check the license, then test what the agent knows about Gilroy itself. Every agent in California must hold a license from the Department of Real Estate. You can look up any name, and see whether there is any discipline on record, with the DRE public license lookup.
After that, the interview matters more than the ad. Ask each agent for the Gilroy sales they handled recently and how those homes were priced. Ask how they would market your home, or how they would write your offer if other buyers are bidding. Find out who you'll actually talk to each week. A good answer comes with real sales behind it, not just confidence.
Reviews help too. Read them on more than one site, and look for comments about the hard parts of a sale: a low appraisal, a repair request, an escrow that almost fell apart. Those tell you more than a five-star score alone.
What Should a Gilroy Real Estate Agent Know?
A Gilroy real estate agent should know that this is not one market, even though it's one ZIP code. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 60,000 people live in Gilroy, spread over roughly 16.5 square miles. The City calls itself the Garlic Capital of the World and puts Gilroy about 25 miles south of San Jose.
The City of Gilroy doesn't publish official neighborhood names. Buyers usually go by the planned areas. Glen Loma Ranch covers about 359 acres in the western foothills, and the Hecker Pass plan area covers about 423 acres at the west edge of town. Eagle Ridge is built around its golf course. Older homes line the streets near downtown, where the historic center runs along Monterey Street between Third and Eighth Streets.
The 95020 ZIP code also reaches past the city limits onto county land. Homes out there can come with private wells, septic systems and bigger lots. Those details change how a home is priced, inspected and financed. A good agent asks about them on day one and looks up the parcel with the Santa Clara County Assessor.
How Do You Sell a Home in Gilroy?
Selling a home in Gilroy starts with a price built on recent sales of similar homes nearby. Asking prices tell you what sellers hope for. Sold prices tell you what buyers paid. The Gilroy single-family market report and the Gilroy condo market report show both, one property type at a time.
Preparation comes next. Small repairs, a deep clean and good photos often pay for themselves. Some sellers order a home inspection before listing, so buyers see the report up front and have fewer surprises to bargain over. On a rural parcel, gather the well and septic records before the first showing.
Want a number to start with? Get a free home value estimate, then have an agent walk through the house. The sellers guide covers the rest of the process step by step. Selling a home held in a trust or going through probate? The probate and trust sales page explains the extra steps. Thinking about selling on your own? Read how to sell a home without a realtor first.
Pro Tip: Ask your agent to show you the Gilroy homes that sold, not just the ones listed, because the lender's appraiser will judge your price against those sales.
How Do You Buy a Home in Gilroy?
Buying a home in Gilroy starts with a loan approval and a written buyer agreement. Under California law and current NAR rules, you sign that agreement with your agent before touring homes, and it states how your agent gets paid. Read it, ask questions, and know that the terms are negotiable.
Then decide what you want to see. You can search Gilroy single-family homes for sale or Gilroy condos for sale, or look at recent single-family sales and recent condo sales to see where prices land. The buyers guide and the mortgage calculator help you plan the money side.
Commute and schools matter here. US-101 runs through town, and Gilroy is the southern end of the line for Caltrain, with weekday commute service only. VTA Rapid 568 buses run to downtown San Jose. Walk Score can rate a street, but it can't tell you when the next train leaves. Gilroy is served by Gilroy Unified School District; GreatSchools posts ratings, but only the district decides which school serves a home, so verify enrollment for any address with the district before you make an offer.
Gilroy Areas the Team Covers
The team covers all of Gilroy, from the newest planned streets to the older blocks near downtown and the county land beyond. Several parts of town have their own pages, with live listings. Start with all Gilroy homes for sale or 95020 homes for sale.
For a closer look, see Glen Loma Ranch, Hecker Pass, Eagle Ridge Country Club and Gilroy condos and townhomes. There are also pages for new construction in Gilroy and Gilroy foreclosures.
Looking beyond Gilroy? The team works across Santa Clara County. Use the Advanced Search to look anywhere in the area, or visit the Silicon Valley realtor page for the other cities the team serves.
Hundreds of five-star reviews, earned one client at a time over more than 25 years. Read them all on the Client Reviews page.
About Don Orason and the Team
Don Orason has worked in Silicon Valley real estate for over 25 years, with a focus on Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. He leads the Silicon Valley Real Estate Team, which works from its office on Meridian Avenue in San Jose and serves Gilroy, Morgan Hill and the rest of the county.
Don holds California DRE license 01319840. Learn more on Don's bio page, or meet the whole team.
Gilroy Realtor FAQ
These are the questions Gilroy buyers and sellers ask most when they are choosing an agent. Each answer is general information; your own sale or purchase will have its own details.
How do I find a good realtor in Gilroy?
Start with the agent's license on the California DRE website, then ask about recent Gilroy sales they handled and how they priced them. A good Gilroy realtor can explain why homes in Glen Loma Ranch, Eagle Ridge and the older streets near downtown sell differently, and can show you the sales behind the advice.
Is a Gilroy realtor different from a San Jose realtor?
The license is the same, but the market is not. Gilroy has one residential ZIP code, 95020, a mix of planned communities and older streets, and rural parcels outside the city limits. An agent who knows South County can spot well, septic and land questions that a city-only agent may miss.
How much does a realtor cost in Gilroy?
Commissions in California are not set by law and are always negotiable. Sellers and their agent agree on the fee in the listing agreement. Buyers now sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, and that agreement spells out how the agent gets paid. Ask any agent to walk you through it.
Does Don Orason work with Gilroy buyers and sellers?
Yes. Don Orason and the Silicon Valley Real Estate Team work with buyers and sellers in Gilroy and across Santa Clara County, from the team's office in San Jose. Don holds California DRE license 01319840. You can call or text the team from the links near the top of this page.
Should I sell my Gilroy home before I buy the next one?
It depends on your loan, your savings and how much risk you can carry. Selling first removes the risk of two mortgages but may mean a short rental. Buying first is easier to plan but harder to finance. A Gilroy realtor and your lender can run both paths with real numbers before you decide.
What should I know about buying a home outside the Gilroy city limits?
The 95020 ZIP code reaches past the city limits into county land. Some of those homes use a private well or a septic system, and some sit on larger parcels with their own rules. Ask for the well and septic records early, and check the parcel's records with Santa Clara County before you remove contingencies.
Can a Gilroy realtor help me sell an inherited home or a home in a trust?
Yes. Selling a home in a trust or through probate adds steps, such as court timelines or a trustee's sign-off. Talk with an estate attorney about the legal side; the agent handles pricing, preparation and the sale itself. Start early, because gathering the paperwork and getting the right signatures often takes longer than the sale.
Do I need a realtor to sell my home in Gilroy?
No. California lets owners sell their own homes, and some do. Most sellers still hire an agent for pricing, marketing, disclosures and negotiation, because a missed disclosure or a weak price can cost more than the fee.
What is dual agency in California?
Dual agency means one agent or brokerage represents both the buyer and the seller in the same sale. California allows it only when both sides agree in writing after the agent explains what it means. Many buyers and sellers prefer their own agent, so that someone negotiates only for them.
Can I talk to more than one Gilroy realtor before I choose?
Yes, and you should. Interview two or three agents, ask each one the same questions, and compare their answers on price, marketing and how often they will update you. Nothing obligates you until you sign a listing agreement or a buyer agreement, so read those papers before you sign.
What does a listing agent do when I sell in Gilroy?
A listing agent prices the home from recent sales, helps you prepare it, markets it on the MLS and beyond, schedules showings, collects offers and negotiates for you. After you accept an offer, the agent keeps the escrow on track through inspections, the appraisal and the loan, until the sale closes.
Can a Gilroy realtor also show me homes in Morgan Hill or San Martin?
Yes. Morgan Hill sits just north of Gilroy, and the small community of San Martin lies between the two. Many Gilroy buyers search all three. The team works across Santa Clara County, so one agent can show you homes in each town and explain how they differ.
How do I know what my Gilroy home is worth?
Look at recent sales of similar homes nearby, not asking prices. The Gilroy market reports on this page show what sold and for how much, one property type at a time. For a quick estimate, use the free home value tool, then ask an agent to walk through the house and refine the number.
Ready to talk about a Gilroy home? Call the team, or pick a next step below.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For legal questions about trusts, probate or contracts, consult a California attorney; for tax questions, consult a CPA. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
