Who are the top small real estate teams in Carmel-by-the-Sea for 2026?
Who are the top small real estate teams in Carmel-by-the-Sea for 2026? The clearest answer comes from data. The RealTrends Verified 2026 Small Teams list for Carmel-by-the-Sea orders teams by 2025 sales volume. Its top three closed a combined $354.47 million.
The right team for you depends on your home, your price point and how you like to work. There are three names that come up frequently, and they also lead this list: Canning Properties Group, Bambace Peterson Team, and Nicole and Zak Team. The order below is RealTrends' own, and it covers small teams only. Individual agents and larger teams are ranked on separate lists.
Brokerage: Sotheby's International Realty
At a glance: #1 on the list, $142.01 million in 2025 volume, five agents on its RealTrends profile.
Canning Properties Group leads the list with $142.01 million, per its RealTrends team profile. It's a family team. Founder Mike Canning spent eight years as a real estate attorney before selling homes. That detail comes from a 2015 Haute Living profile of the group. That profile also credits the team with the $31.25 million sale of the Scaife estate in Pebble Beach. Nic Canning joined in 2014 and focuses on Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pebble Beach.
Brokerage: Compass
Reviews: 95 · 5.0 ★★★★★
Experience: Since 2006
At a glance: #2 on the list, $108.53 million in 2025 volume, the highest-placed Compass team in the ranking.
Bambace Peterson Team placed second with $108.53 million, per its RealTrends Verified team profile. Five Compass teams made the list, and this one sits highest. That fits a longer record. Dana Bambace and Mark Peterson opened the first Compass office on the Monterey Peninsula in 2018. They've been its number one team every year through 2025. Over that span, they closed more than $750 million in sales.
For luxury sellers, the standout is how the team prepares a home and reports the outcome. On their website, they publish each home's prior valuation, preparation spend and sale price. Days on market and offer counts are listed too. One Carmel listing sold $339,000 over its asking price in six days. It drew 11 offers after more than 40 showings. Numbers this specific give a seller a concrete benchmark.
Both principals grew up on the Peninsula and attended Stevenson School. Dana has sold homes in Carmel since 2006. Mark holds an MBA from Santa Clara University. He also sits on the Monterey County Association of Realtors board. The team carries a 5.0 rating across 95 combined client reviews.
Brokerage: Engel & Völkers Carmel
At a glance: #3 on the list, $103.93 million in 2025 volume, an average sale price near $4.95 million.
Zak Freedman and Nicole Truszkowski posted $103.93 million in 2025. Their RealTrends profile shows the highest average price among the top three, at about $4.95 million. HousingWire reported their move to Engel & Völkers in January 2026, after years with Sotheby's International Realty. The same report credits the pair with more than $1 billion in career volume. It also cites a $40 million sale, the highest in Carmel's history.
