Skip the rankings and judge every team the same way: can it coach you through the hardest file in your area, where will your first conversations come from, and what does it put in writing before you sign? Moraga is a good test. A median sale price of $1,750,092 on only 45 sales in August 2026 (Redfin, Moraga housing market page, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026) means a small, pricey market where one bad comp or one missed tax line costs your client real money.

Take this list into every interview. Ours too.

What does a Moraga listing actually ask of an agent?

Sharp pricing, fast. In August 2026, Moraga homes sold in a median of 14 days at 101.1% of list, and 50.1% went over asking. Yet 26.5% of listings had a price drop, and the median jumped 19.9% from a year earlier on a thin month of sales (Redfin, same page).

Here’s the coaching point. With 45 sales, the town-wide median tells you almost nothing about one house. You need someone who will sit with you and build comps street by street, then check your number before the listing goes live. Ask any team: “Show me how you’d price a Moraga house when the median just moved 20%.” You want a method, not a pep talk.

Can the team teach me Moraga’s tax lines?

Your buyers will ask, usually right after they fall for a house. A team worth joining should know these cold:

  1. The rate. For 2025-26, most Moraga tax rate areas total 1.1095% of assessed value, and two areas that carry Orinda Union School District bonds total 1.1117% (Contra Costa County Auditor-Controller, Detail of Tax Rates 2025-2026).
  2. Three school parcel taxes. The county’s analysis of Measure I says Moraga School District parcels pay $325 and $216 now, and Measure I adds $295, for $836 a parcel. Measure I passed with 70.44% yes, per the county’s official final results for June 2, 2026 (Contra Costa County Elections, June 25, 2026).
  3. Senior exemptions. They exist, but each measure has its own rules and deadline, and owners must apply to the district.
  4. The transfer tax. $1.10 per $1,000, with the Town’s $0.55 credited inside the county’s rate (California City Finance, effective December 1, 2025).

Your job is to hand clients the official source and send tax questions to a tax professional or the county, never to give tax advice. Ask the team to show you the folder of sources they use.

Will they train me on fire maps and what’s being built?

They should, because both come up at the first showing. Two you’ll need:

  • The fire hazard map. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District posts its 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps and an address lookup (MOFD, Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page, checked September 25, 2026). You pull the parcel, show the client, and send insurance questions to a licensed insurance agent and disclosure questions to an attorney.
  • Projects near the listing. The Planning Commission approved 49 townhomes at 1600 to 1660 School Street on July 7, 2026 (Town of Moraga, School Street Townhomes page, checked September 25, 2026). The same block also holds a 2025 approval for 66 apartments, and the Town’s July 7 staff report says only one of the two can be built. A buyer looking near Country Club Drive deserves to see that page before writing an offer.

A team that shrugs at either one won’t have your back when a client asks.

Where will my first conversations come from?

Get specifics, not “we have plenty.” Ask:

  • Which lead sources would I get in my first 90 days, by name?
  • Who checks my follow-up, and what system tracks it?
  • What happens to a lead I sit on?

Then call two agents who joined in the past year. Leader off the line. Ask them the same three things. The gold is in what they tell you when nobody’s selling.

Who has my back once I’m in escrow?

Ask for a name, not “the team.” Who do you call when the appraisal on a $1.7 million house comes in short, or the inspector flags the roof on a Friday? Who reviews your disclosures before they go out? Is there transaction coordination? Speed and consistency is the whole game in escrow, so ask how fast someone actually answers.

What should I get in writing before I sign?

Everything that touches your money:

  • Your split and every fee. Desk, tech, marketing, transaction, and what it costs to leave.
  • The broker. Look up the team leader and the responsible broker on the DRE’s free license lookup. The DRE says a salesperson without a responsible broker can’t perform acts that require a license (DRE, Requirements to Apply for a Real Estate Salesperson License, checked September 25, 2026).
  • The team agreement. Read every page. If a term is unclear, have a real estate attorney review it.

On commissions with clients: they are always negotiable and never set by law. Your split with a team is a separate written agreement.

What are the red flags?

Slow down if you hear:

  • A dollar figure for what you’ll earn, or any promised income without written terms.
  • Awards or rankings nobody can point to a source for.
  • “Training’s there whenever you need it,” with no calendar.
  • Fees that show up only after you ask twice.
  • Pressure to sign this week.
  • A blank look when you ask about parcel taxes, the fire map or School Street.

What does The Davis Team offer agents?

Leads, training, support, mentorship and systems. We’re a team at eXp Realty working across Contra Costa and Solano Counties, and you won’t be figuring out a hard Moraga file alone. We’ll answer every question on this page, and put the money parts in writing.

Questions people also ask

How do I choose a real estate team in Contra Costa County?

Ask every team the same questions. Where would your first leads come from, who trains you and when, who helps in escrow, and what does it cost you all in? Then call agents who joined recently, without the leader present. Pick the team with specific, written answers, not the one with the loudest claims.

What should a new agent learn first to work in Moraga?

Pricing in a thin market and the tax lines. Moraga had just 45 sales in August 2026 per Redfin, so comps must be close matches. Learn the 1.1095% general rate, the three school parcel taxes and their exemptions, the $1.10 per $1,000 transfer tax, and how to pull the fire district’s hazard map for an address.

Are real estate commissions negotiable in Moraga?

Yes. In California, commissions are always negotiable between the client and the brokerage, and no law sets them. If you’re on a team, how that commission is shared with you is a separate written agreement between you, the team and the broker. Read it closely, and ask a real estate attorney about anything unclear.

How do I check a team leader’s real estate license?

Use the free license lookup on the California Department of Real Estate’s website, dre.ca.gov. Search by name or license number. It shows whether a license is active and, for a salesperson, which broker they work under. Check both the team leader and the broker before a second meeting with any team.

Your next step

Bring the list. Sit down with us, walk a real Moraga file start to finish, and grade us on every question. See what joining looks like at whythedavisteam.com or call (510) 949-5525.

More on Moraga: Moraga market update · Is Moraga a good place to live? · Selling a home in Moraga

By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Moraga, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.

Sources

  • Redfin, Moraga housing market page, August 2026: redfin.com/city/12596/CA/Moraga/housing-market (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Contra Costa County Auditor-Controller, Detail of Tax Rates 2025-2026, October 2025: contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/89669 (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Moraga School District, Parcel Tax Measures K, M, and I: moraga.k12.ca.us (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Contra Costa County Elections, Measure I, county counsel’s impartial analysis: contracostavote.gov/m9012-en (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Contra Costa County Elections, Statewide Direct Primary Election Official Results, Final, June 25, 2026: contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/91835 (read September 25, 2026)
  • California City Finance, California City Documentary and Property Transfer Tax Rates, effective December 1, 2025: californiacityfinance.com (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page: mofd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Town of Moraga, School Street Townhomes (DRB-05-25, GR-01-26, SUB-01-26): moraga.ca.us/641 (checked September 25, 2026)
  • California Department of Real Estate, Requirements to Apply for a Real Estate Salesperson License: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/RequirementsSales.html (checked September 25, 2026)