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Updated October 3, 2025
If you’re buying or selling a home, choosing the right real estate agent can make a big difference in your experience and outcome. Top real estate agents in Ames, Iowa close more deals, negotiate better prices, and move homes faster than their peers.
We analyzed transactions and performance metrics for 115 real estate agents in Ames, IA to identify the best of the best. These are the top-rated agents in Ames based on local experience, sales history, and overall results.
Identify agents with solid experience in your price range, neighborhood, and property type
Prioritize agents with high customer review counts and strong ratings
Look at active or recently sold listings to assess marketing quality and performance
Interview 2–3 agents minimum (actually meet or speak with them)
Gauge communication, honesty, and expertise during the interview process
Verify included services and specifics about terms and pricing before signing anything
Our team spends hundreds of hours each month analyzing real estate agents across the country so you don’t have to. We focus on the most important data for typical buyers and sellers in Ames — people looking for a knowledgeable, well-rounded agent who can deliver strong results.
To identify the best agents for most people, we apply a consistent set of filters to narrow the field to agents with relevant experience, strong performance in the local market, and a balanced track record. We then sort those agents based on key metrics like sales volume, speed, pricing accuracy, and client mix.
We regularly update our rankings as new data becomes available and continue refining our approach to surface the most useful recommendations. See our full methodology.
Ames, IA top real estate agents (October 2025 rankings)
Top 1% local
Top 1% Iowa
Listing specialist
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Marc Olson is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They primarily work with sellers and have closed at least 55 transactions over the past 12 months — 119 in the past two years. Marc Olson's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 1% local
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Multi-family homes
Manufactured homes
Traci Jennings is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 85 transactions over the past 12 months — 187 in the past two years. Traci Jennings's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Fast sales
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
10+ years experience
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Sherry Hosteng is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. Sherry Hosteng has worked in real estate for over 10 years. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 24 in the past two years. Sherry Hosteng's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 5% local
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Manufactured homes
Ethan Hokel is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 81 transactions over the past 12 months — 149 in the past two years. Ethan Hokel's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 5% local
Top 5% Iowa
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Kyle Van Winkle is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 40 transactions over the past 12 months — 75 in the past two years. Kyle Van Winkle's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 5% local
Top 5% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Senior living
Single-family homes
Condos
Nerem Nate is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 23 transactions over the past 12 months — 52 in the past two years. Nerem Nate's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 10% local
Top 10% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Manufactured homes
Nichols Amanda is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 20 transactions over the past 12 months — 43 in the past two years. Nichols Amanda's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Top 10% localFast sales
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Vacant land
Benjamin Kelsey is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 34 in the past two years. Benjamin Kelsey is experienced with first-time homebuyers.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Johnson Sharon is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 21 transactions over the past 12 months — 34 in the past two years. Johnson Sharon's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Top 5% Iowa
Pricing strategyFast sales
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Vacant land
Abby Hausmannvirgil is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 33 transactions over the past 12 months — 72 in the past two years. Abby Hausmannvirgil's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Kim Olmstead is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 16 transactions over the past 12 months — 34 in the past two years. Kim Olmstead's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Aaron Ackerlund is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 36 transactions over the past 12 months — 90 in the past two years. Aaron Ackerlund's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Jason Jennings is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 14 transactions over the past 12 months — 29 in the past two years. Jason Jennings's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Heather Schmitz is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 19 in the past two years. Heather Schmitz's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 5% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Bo Cosens is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 28 transactions over the past 12 months — 52 in the past two years. Bo Cosens's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Kevin Patterson is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 4 transactions over the past 12 months — 22 in the past two years. Kevin Patterson's experience includes first-time homebuyers and sales involving HOAs.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Miller Jason is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 12 transactions over the past 12 months — 24 in the past two years. Miller Jason's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Senior living
Single-family homes
Condos
Susie Sheldahl is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 52 transactions over the past 12 months — 89 in the past two years. Susie Sheldahl's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Ewing Randy is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 11 in the past two years. Ewing Randy's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and properties in senior communities.
Top 10% Iowa
Pricing strategyFast sales
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Otool Aaron is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 14 transactions over the past 12 months — 40 in the past two years. Otool Aaron's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Pricing strategyFast sales
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Dose Becky is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 20 in the past two years. Dose Becky's experience includes first-time homebuyers and sales involving HOAs.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Multi-family homes
Graeve Emily is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 26 in the past two years. Graeve Emily's experience includes first-time homebuyers, luxury homes, and sales involving HOAs.
Top 5% IowaBuyer specialist
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Atcheson Ginger is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They primarily work with buyers and have closed at least 51 transactions over the past 12 months — 72 in the past two years. Atcheson Ginger's experience includes first-time homebuyers, VA loans and military buyers, and sales involving HOAs.
Lincoln Donald is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 11 in the past two years. Lincoln Donald is experienced with first-time homebuyers.
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Brockman Miranda is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 4 transactions over the past 12 months — 19 in the past two years. Brockman Miranda's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Dennis Amy is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers They have closed at least 6 in the past two years. Dennis Amy's experience includes first-time homebuyers and VA loans and military buyers.
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Tibben Kristen is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 20 in the past two years. Tibben Kristen's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Block Christian is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 2 transactions over the past 12 months — 10 in the past two years. Block Christian's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and VA loans and military buyers.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Manufactured homes
Chris Kew is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 56 transactions over the past 12 months — 108 in the past two years. Chris Kew's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and VA loans and military buyers.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Manufactured homes
Condos
Heather Rawlins is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 50 transactions over the past 12 months — 100 in the past two years. Heather Rawlins's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Burkamper Jen is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 17 transactions over the past 12 months — 31 in the past two years. Burkamper Jen's experience includes first-time homebuyers and sales involving HOAs.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Ring Ralph is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 9 in the past two years. Ring Ralph's experience includes first-time homebuyers, luxury homes, and sales involving HOAs.
Top 5% local
Top 10% IowaBuyer specialist
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Nicole Leusink is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They primarily work with buyers and have closed at least 23 transactions over the past 12 months — 44 in the past two years. Nicole Leusink's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and luxury homes.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Danielle Seifert is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 29 transactions over the past 12 months — 87 in the past two years. Danielle Seifert's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 5% Iowa
Pricing strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Senior living
Single-family homes
Condos
Manufactured homes
Heather Knittel is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 21 transactions over the past 12 months — 58 in the past two years. Heather Knittel's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and properties in senior communities.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Multi-family homes
Vacant land
Hora Amber is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 8 transactions over the past 12 months — 29 in the past two years. Hora Amber's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Offer strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Multi-family homes
Condos
Samms Sara is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 9 transactions over the past 12 months — 21 in the past two years. Samms Sara's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Top 10% local
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Nancy Marion is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 19 transactions over the past 12 months — 37 in the past two years. Nancy Marion's experience includes sales involving HOAs, luxury homes, and first-time homebuyers.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Investor-friendly
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Multi-family homes
Condos
Betts Christopher is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers They have closed at least 37 in the past 12 months. Betts Christopher's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and investment properties.
Weigel Jennifer is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 6 transactions over the past 12 months — 14 in the past two years. Weigel Jennifer's experience includes first-time homebuyers and sales involving HOAs.
Buyer specialist
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Ro Smith is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They primarily work with buyers and have closed at least 12 transactions over the past 12 months — 22 in the past two years. Ro Smith's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Mike Jenkins is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 17 transactions over the past 12 months — 37 in the past two years. Mike Jenkins's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Ezra Walker is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 5 transactions over the past 12 months — 8 in the past two years. Ezra Walker is experienced with first-time homebuyers.
Top 1% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Senior living
Single-family homes
Condos
Manufactured homes
Tim Lucken is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 61 transactions over the past 12 months — 109 in the past two years. Tim Lucken's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Pricing strategy
Listing agent
Buyers agent
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Holmes Kevin is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 7 transactions over the past 12 months — 19 in the past two years. Holmes Kevin's experience includes sales involving HOAs, VA loans and military buyers, and first-time homebuyers.
Top 5% local
Top 5% Iowa
Listing specialist
Neighborhood expert
Repeat clients
Luxury homes
HOA experience
Single-family homes
Condos
Tony Mcfarland is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They primarily work with sellers and have closed at least 31 transactions over the past 12 months — 62 in the past two years. Tony Mcfarland's experience includes sales involving HOAs and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Kempe Anna is a real estate agent who is active in Ames, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 8 transactions over the past 12 months — 12 in the past two years. Kempe Anna's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Top 10% Iowa
Listing agent
Buyers agent
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Laurry Wailes is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 29 transactions over the past 12 months — 38 in the past two years. Laurry Wailes's experience includes first-time homebuyers, VA loans and military buyers, and sales involving HOAs.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
HOA experience
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Vacant land
Matt Law is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 12 transactions over the past 12 months — 29 in the past two years. Matt Law's experience includes sales involving HOAs, first-time homebuyers, and luxury homes.
Listing agent
Buyers agent
Repeat clients
HOA experience
Military buyers
First-time buyers
Single-family homes
Condos
Stephanie Dart is a real estate agent who is active in Des Moines, IA. They work with sellers and buyers and have closed at least 15 transactions over the past 12 months — 30 in the past two years. Stephanie Dart's experience includes first-time homebuyers, sales involving HOAs, and VA loans and military buyers.
Works with: 57% sellers, 43% buyers
Total recent sales: 30
Local ranking by total sales: #96
State ranking by total sales: #647
Median days on market: 108 days
Median sale-to-list ratio: 99%
What to know about top real estate agents in Ames, IA
Top Ames real estate agents combine deep, local expertise with higher-than-average performance. Here’s what that looks like in Ames.
General
High transaction volume: Does more than 25 sales per year (local median)
Well established: At least 3–5+ years of experience in the local market
Good reputation: High total review count and average ratings
Sellers
Pricing expertise: Few-to-no price drops
High sale-to-list ratios: Typically sells near or above list price (median sale-to-list in Ames is 99%)
Strong marketing strategy: Beautiful photos, compelling listing descriptions, maximum visibility
Faster-than-average sales: Gets homes under contract quickly (median sale timeline in Ames is 61 days)
Buyers
Strong negotiator: The best buyer’s agents in Ames often save 5-10% off list price
Local expertise: Know neighborhoods, schools, amenities, regulations
Responsive and accessible: Reviews consistently call out these specific traits
Most likely, yes. The vast majority of home sellers in Ames will get the best outcome and most money selling with a top local real estate agent. That said, it really depends on your goals.
Consider listing with a Ames realtor if:
You're aiming for top dollar or need help navigating pricing and offers
You want someone to handle the full process—marketing, showings, negotiation, paperwork
Your property is typical for the area and priced at or above $200,000
You’re cost-conscious and want to save on commission with a discount real estate broker
You want to avoid realtor commission altogether and are comfortable trying FSBO (for sale by owner), knowing that FSBO sales usually net less and require a lot of work.
No agent involvement, no commission—but you’ll do everything yourself.
FSBO homes typically sell for less, so weigh potential savings vs. final sale price.
Pro tip: Even if you go non-traditional, consider services like Clever or local offer platforms — they help you compare your options and connect with agents or investors offering discounts, fast offers, or both.
How we research and evaluate top real estate agents in Ames
Data sources
Our rankings are powered by real estate transaction data, internal research, and other publicly available sources. We compiled and analyzed over 429,400 data points for 115 real estate agents across Ames, Iowa.
We make every effort to ensure accuracy, but no dataset is perfect. Some activity may not be captured if information isn’t available or accurate from our sources. We update and refine our data regularly to improve coverage and reliability.
Methodology
There’s no single “best” real estate agent — the right fit depends on your goals and situation. Our approach is designed to highlight agents with strong, well-rounded performance in Ames, Iowa and make it easier to compare your options.
We look at factors that matter most to typical buyers and sellers, such as:
Transaction volume and recent activity
Balance of buyer- and seller-side representation
Pricing accuracy and negotiation outcomes
Speed of sales relative to the local market
Years of experience and proven track record
Specialized expertise with certain property types or client needs
We use these key indicators to surface agents who are likely to be a good fit for most people, while giving you the data you need to decide which qualities matter most for your own situation.
Ongoing updates
Rankings are updated regularly as new data becomes available. Our goal is to provide a clear, objective view of agent performance to help you make an informed choice when hiring a real estate professional.
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