For some time now we’ve been profiling the top-rated real estate agents in America. Previously, we relied on HomeLight almost exclusively, in order to reveal the professionals who are rated tops in their city or region. This time we decided to diversify a bit and to use a wider cross-section of opinions/ratings. Today, we take a look at Omaha, Nebraska through a wider media/information lens, to reveal a shortlist of the best agents there.
The main reason is that HomeLight agent ratings are not as easily discovered as they used to be. Last time we relied on the most recent U.S. News & World Report profiles, which are powered by HomeLight. But it seems like the marketing funnel has been narrowed to drive leads directly to agencies. Whether this is true, or not, revealing Omaha, Nebraska’s top agents via HomeLight has become more difficult. For this roundup, we correlated reviews from Epertise.com, correlated with Google Reviews to show you this city/region’s best.
Adam Briley is Epertise.com’s top-rated agent in Omaha, and with over 1,000 5-star reviews on Google, he has the best reputation, by far. Briley is rated A+ for both reputation and professionalism by Expertise, and the 1,098 Google reviews are rave. Briley has been with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices since 2006, and Briley’s Home Selling Team is consistently rated among the best in the region.
Searching social and traditional media, Briley’s efforts shine through on Facebook, Instagram, and even in Google News with a recent mention on Fox Business. What this means is, that the agent not only knows the full spectrum of business, PR, and marketing, but he’s acting upon this knowledge. And this is fairly rare, in my experience.
Another of Epertise’s top Omaha agents, Angela May works as a team leader at the Husker Home Finder Team at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate. Since agents who do not operate independently have less of a media footprint, I had to do a bit more digging to differentiate her from some others in the area. The agency she works with also has 5-star reviews on Google, albeit not nearly as many as Adam Briley’s firm. Looking deeper, I discovered her LinkedIn profile which helps to explain how she’s been so successful.
On Expertise.com May is rated A+ for her reputation, and A for her professionalism. I found it interesting, and indicative, that she seems to have leveraged her experience with the military, in order to become perhaps the premier agent in the region for military PCS and corporate relocations. This is a really important niche that few people talk about, but May’s put her experiences as a military housing inspector in Stuttgart, Germany to good use.
Another Better Homes and Gardens professional on the list, Aubrey Hess has been in the top 2% of all agents and teams affiliated with Better Homes and Gardens. Expertise gives her A+ in both reputation and professionalism. She is very active on Facebook, and her independent agency also has perfect reviews on Google. Hess is on Vimeo, Instagram, and she makes no bones about her being down to earth.
Hess relating how she thinks everyone should have experience waiting tables resonated with me. I also think every young person should do a stent washing several thousand dishes and/or stand on their feet 16 hours a day.
Aubrey sells homes about as fast as a street vendor sells hotdogs. In 2017 she sold, then in 2018, she moved 100 homes. An average agent in this region sells something like 7 properties in a year. From my perspective, this agent should be Expertise’s top agent if only for her dynamic sense of humor. I could not resist sharing a screen of an Instagram post of hers as the profile pic. At the end of the day, everyone should have the confidence to create their own personalized statues and toys!
Ben Smail also works with Better Homes and Gardens. He’s A+ in both of Expertise’s categories, active on Facebook and the rest of social media, and like Aubrey Hess and the others, is an award-winning real estate professional. Expertise evaluated Smail and the other agents based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and the average minimum rating received across an array of review platforms. We factored in things like Google reviews and intangibles gleaned from Google search, news, and social in order to confirm what Expertise found.
Smail takes the time to post on his Instagram at least once a week. But what makes so many of these top agents successful is their personal branding via personable sharing. More and more, I find this real deal aspect benefitting real estate pros. Right here is a perfect moment, with Smail’s help, to share what I am talking about. Here is the comment that went with the Instagram shot I used as his profile photo. It’s priceless.
“I laugh a little when Realtors promote themselves as having the qualities of an aggressive animal (shark, lion, bulldog). Aggressive Realtors make enemies instead of advocates and can greatly hurt their client’s chances of having success. Choose a Realtor who is well-respected and liked in their community, competent, professional, and who has high character. I don’t describe myself as being any particular type of animal but I think an intelligent, loyal, energetic Airedale Terrier would be the best fit.” – Ben Smail via Instagram
The co-owner of the Blythe Real Estate Team, Brent Blythe got 4.9 stars on Google, but 5-stars on Facebook and just about everywhere else. Expertise.com gives him A+ across the board, and the veteran agent gets his fair share of traditional media in the region. He’s noted for his finely honed negotiating skills after 30+ years in the business. Of the professionals listed, Blyth’s digital presence is the least compelling.
It looks like his firm has somebody managing the profiles, which are not all that bad. The good news is, that whoever is running his social profiles has seen fit to engage on Twitter, which is a bit uncommon. And finally, Blythe’s agency was rated Omaha Magazine’s Best for 2022. Like I always say, “If you can’t win at home, you can’t win anywhere.” Experience counts, I guess this is my final take on all these professionals.
Other successful agents on the Expertise list include Gary Carpenter, Troy Trumm, Tim McGee, Terisa Elliot, and Megan Owens, just a few more from among the top 31 on the list.