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Content is loading, please wait.Independent public-evidence review · no pay-to-rank
Someone recommended an agent. Verify the recommendation.
Check licensing, reviews, public claims, specialty evidence and important limitations—then compare credible alternatives before you sign a Minnesota representation agreement.
182 profiles across 856 Minnesota communities and 87 counties. Editorial scores evaluate public evidence; they are not statewide MLS production rankings.
The verification layer
Start with the recommendation you already have
Checking an agent
Validate a referral
Find the agent, inspect the evidence we captured, confirm the current state license and identify what still needs direct verification.
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Comparing a shortlist
Compare evidence, not slogans
Separate editorial fit, public review snapshots, team structure and material limitations before choosing whom to interview.
Review comparisons →
Choosing with context
Find a better-fit alternative
Shortlist by researched city, property specialty and client need when the original recommendation is not the right match.
Browse by client need →
New · Original research
How completely are Minnesota agent profiles backed by inspectable evidence?
Explore the 2026 evidence-transparency study: exact-source coverage, license and review documentation, reproducible calculations, and every limitation stated in the open.
What a reviewed profile contains
Bryce Caldwell
RE/MAX Advantage Plus · Minnetonka, MN
Bryce Caldwell is a Minnetonka-based RE/MAX Advantage Plus agent whose strongest public differentiator is a library of sourced west-metro and Lake Minnetonka due-diligence guides. Zillow displayed 27 reviews at 5.0, 17 sales in the prior 12 months, 62 total sales and a $126K–$891K range when reviewed. His own About page claimed 64 career sales, so the two totals remain separate rather than being blended.
Inspect this profile9.1/10
Score breakdown
Local knowledge
9.4
Client reviews
9.0
Communication
9.1
Market expertise
9.0
Specialization fit
9.0
Category funnels
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Specialties
Find an agent by what they do best
Buyer & seller intent
Agent shortlists for…
Best Real-Estate Agents for Lake Homes
Choosing an agent for a Minnesota lake home is partly an evidence problem: the public records reviewed here do not establish a standardized lake-specific closing record, while shoreland, dock, septic, floodplain and title questions are property-specific and controlled by different authorities. This guide separates the evidence behind four editorial picks from the official sources a buyer can use to test the process. It is not a verified statewide lakefront-production ranking.
4 recommended agents →
Best Real-Estate Agents for Luxury Buyers
Luxury buyers should compare recent property-specific work, representation roles, marketing resources and conflicts rather than infer fit from a brand or career total. These editorial picks have attributable high-end evidence, but they are not an official production ranking.
2 recommended agents →
Best Real-Estate Agents for First-Time Buyers
A first purchase rewards patience, responsiveness and clear explanation. The agents below specialize in guiding first-time buyers through inspection, financing and the parts of the process that are genuinely confusing the first time.
2 recommended agents →
Best Real-Estate Agents for School-Boundary Guidance
Minnesota school-district and attendance boundaries rarely match city limits. This guide evaluates whether agents can help any buyer verify an address against official boundary resources. It does not rate schools, characterize neighborhood suitability, or assume which school factors a consumer values.
3 recommended agents →
Best Real-Estate Agents for Relocating to Minnesota (2026)
Relocating buyers spend months researching before their first call. The agents below pair deep, researchable market content with structured onboarding — tours, official boundary resources and budget guidance — for a long-distance move.
3 recommended agents →
Best Real-Estate Agents for New Construction
New construction is a different transaction—builder contracts, upgrade allowances, inspections and, on the lake, watershed permitting. The current pick publishes first-party new-construction guidance and has an issued Minnesota qualifying-builder credential; consumers should still verify recent buyer-side examples and the representation agreement.
1 recommended agents →
Current editorial evaluations
Profiles with the strongest public-evidence scores
Ben Ganje
9.5/10$121K–$3.3M · 320 reviews
Ben Ganje leads a team at Lakes Sotheby's International Realty in Edina. Zillow displayed 320 team reviews at a 5.0 average, 79 team sales in the trailing 12 months and 2,012 total team sales when this profile was reviewed. Those are Zillow platform snapshots, not a standardized individual MLS production record.
Luxury+2 more
Read review→
Joe Houghton
9.4/10$127K–$1.9M
Joe Houghton operates Minnesota Property Group under RE/MAX Results in Plymouth. Minnesota Commerce showed resident-broker license 40503429 Active through June 30, 2028 when checked August 2, 2026. His biography claims 1,600-plus career sales since 2002, while Zillow separately displayed 1,597 team sales, 20 in the prior 12 months and 183 team reviews at a displayed 5.0.
Waterfront+2 more
Read review→
Ellen DeHaven
9.2/10$185K–$8.8M · 2 reviews
Ellen DeHaven leads a Coldwell Banker Global Luxury team in Wayzata and held an Active Minnesota resident-salesperson record when checked August 2, 2026. RealTrends reports 9 individual sides and $22.01M for 2025, while Homes.com displayed 82 closed sales and $170.9M over five years. Her $800M career-sales and 300-plus lakeshore-sales figures remain first-party claims, not independently reconciled career totals.
Luxury+1 more
Read review→The trust mechanism
How we score every agent
Every agent is scored 0–10 across five weighted dimensions, applied identically to everyone in the directory. No agent can pay to raise a score. Sponsorship, where offered, appears in a labeled module outside the editorial ranking.
Read the full methodology- Local knowledge25%
- Client reviews25%
- Communication15%
- Market expertise20%
- Specialization fit15%
Journal
Guides for Minnesota buyers & sellers
Evidence reviewed July 2026
How to Compare and Choose a Real-Estate Agent in Minnesota
Compare Minnesota agents using license records, transaction evidence, review scope, working model and agreement terms—with a private interactive three-candidate worksheet.
Evidence reviewed July 2026
Minnesota Real-Estate Commissions in 2026: What Is Actually Negotiable
What Minnesota listing and buyer agreements must say about compensation, what changed in 2024, and the questions to resolve before you sign.
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