Kirsten Hagen

Real Estate, Guided by Relationship

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Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll make, and it rarely feels simple. Real estate comes with a maze of decisions, deadlines, emotions, and fine print, and Kirsten Hagen's job is to be the steady guide who walks you through it, so you can focus on what the move actually means for your life.

Kirsten has been a licensed Realtor® since 2005, with more than 20 years of experience across the San Mateo County Peninsula, from the Coastside communities of Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, El Granada, Moss Beach, and Montara to Bayside communities like San Mateo, Redwood City, and Palo Alto. She's worked with first-time buyers, longtime homeowners, investors, and retirees looking to make their next chapter count.

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Kirsten has specific training in helping people through the most overwhelming parts of a later-life move: preparing a home for sale, finding and buying the right next home, and actually managing the move itself. It's common to feel frozen before even starting, unsure where the process begins. Kirsten's role is to break it into manageable steps and keep things moving at a pace that works for you.

Kirsten has handled everything from single-family homes, duplexes and condos to vacant land and new construction, and she's straightforward about what a property is and isn't. She helps guide her clients through their due diligence, digging into inspections, disclosures, and fine print, always with a focus on protecting their interests.

Just as important as her market knowledge is her network. Over two decades, Kirsten has built an expansive and ever-growing network of lenders, inspectors, contractors, and other specialists she trusts completely, the kind of people who return calls quickly and do the job right. When you work with Kirsten, you're not just getting an agent. You're getting access to a team she's vetted personally.

Kirsten works alongside the Palermo Properties Team at Compass, which means her clients also benefit from the marketing reach, technical resources, and negotiating support of one of the region's top teams, paired with the personal attention of someone who actually lives here. Compass is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States, and has been named the #1 independent brokerage in the country by sales volume for five years running, according to RealTrends Verified Brokerage Rankings. That scale gives Kirsten's clients national reach and leading-edge marketing tools, without losing the personal, one-on-one attention that makes the process feel manageable.

After moving to the Bay Area more than 30 years ago, Kirsten lived in Redwood City and Santa Clara and worked in San Mateo, Palo Alto, and Redwood Shores before settling in Half Moon Bay, where she now lives full time and enjoys the coastal lifestyle she's proud to introduce to her clients. She's been active in the community for years, including leadership roles with the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, Sea Hugger, the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce, and the BNI Mavericks chapter, and supporting many local non-profit organizations including Mavericks Community Foundation and Table of Plenty. She holds a BBA in Management Information Systems and a BS in Psychology from Southern Methodist University, graduating magna cum laude.

Before real estate, Kirsten spent 15 years in the software industry, including programming, management, technical support, project marketing, and early artificial intelligence work in Expert Systems. That background shows up in how she works today: methodical, detail-oriented, and comfortable untangling complicated contracts, timelines, and contingencies so nothing catches you by surprise. She holds additional certifications as an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist (CPRES), and Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), giving her the tools to handle a wide range of situations. Every client's situation is different, and so is every property, and Kirsten treats each one that way.

For Kirsten, real estate has never been about closing a transaction and moving on. Her goal is to build long-term relationships with her clients as their trusted real estate advisor, someone they can call years down the road with a question or for a referral. It's all about relationship and connection.

Whether you're buying your first home on the Peninsula, selling a longtime family property, or planning your retirement move, Kirsten brings the experience, patience, and local knowledge to help you get there with confidence.