Best First-Time Buyers Real-Estate Agents in Minneapolis, MN (2026)

1. Graham Smith

9.1/10

$150K–$2.8M · 100 reviews

Graham Smith has run The Graham Smith Team at Keller Williams Integrity Lakes since 2002, building $125M+ in career volume and 100 Zillow reviews at 5.0 (172 across platforms). He's the deeply-reviewed choice for Minneapolis city neighborhoods — from first-time buyers to investment — backed by a full team and two decades in the market.

2. Jim Dropps

9.1/10

$240K–$1.2M · 33 reviews

Jim Dropps has lived in the Sheridan neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis since the mid-2000s and founded Northeast Real Estate Group, an independent two-agent brokerage, in 2012. His recorded sales cluster almost entirely in Northeast and North Minneapolis neighborhoods — Audubon Park, Waite Park, Windom Park, Holland, Sheridan, and Near North — and his firm markets itself specifically around neighborhood duplexes and starter homes. Public reviews are limited in number but uniformly five-star, and a construction-and-building background in the family gives him a practical angle on the area's older housing stock.

3. Karissa White

8.7/10

$250K–$890K · 5 reviews

Karissa White has sold real estate in the Bloomington market for close to two decades, working as an associate with RE/MAX Advantage Plus. Her production is heavily concentrated in Bloomington itself, and trailing five-year transaction data shows a roughly even split between buyer- and seller-side closings. Public reviews are uniformly five stars, but the verified count is small — five on RateMyAgent — thin for a career this long.

4. Beth Reilly

8.4/10

$225K–$2.1M

A hyper-local West Bloomington specialist who, with husband-and-wife partner Dan Burling, has built a 13-year practice concentrated almost entirely in one submarket.

5. Dan Schneider

8.4/10

$200K–$1.2M

A Dale/Grand-neighborhood local whose design-and-staging partnership with his husband is a genuine, uncommon differentiator.

6. Bob Reidell

8.3/10

$150K–$900K

A 46-year Twin Cities veteran whose Grand Avenue team runs almost entirely on repeat clients and referrals.

7. David Chase

8.3/10

$184K–$1.4M

A two-decade Twin Cities Realtor and Bloomington broker-owner who has lived in the area since 1982, running his own small independent brokerage rather than a large franchise team.

8. Heidi Swanson

8.2/10

$172K–$913K

A boutique Grand Avenue agent whose Old Home Certification is a genuine edge for Saint Paul's historic housing stock.

9. Katie Fears

8.1/10

$180K–$1.2M · 6 reviews

Katie Fears is an active Edina Realty agent in Eden Prairie (part of the Leicht Fears Group) with a fast-growing practice — 61 homes sold and 21 in the last year, at a perfect 5.0 across her reviews. She's a strong, responsive choice for mid-market buyers and sellers across Eden Prairie and the west metro, from first purchases up to about $1.2M.

10. Gary Metchnek

8.0/10

$100K–$860K · 87 reviews

A steady, full-service Edina Realty solo agent with a perfect 5-star record and verified buyer-side experience in Plymouth.

11. Chad Anderson

7.9/10

$200K–$1.6M

A Bloomington-headquartered brokerage co-founder whose interest in real estate started young at his grandfather's rental properties, and who now runs his own small local firm.

12. Eda Rivers

7.8/10

$60K–$1.6M

Eda Rivers is an individual Realtor with Compass Minnesota, based out of the brokerage's office in Edina. Zillow attributes roughly 70 career sales to her, about 14 in the past year, across a price range from around $60,000 to $1.6 million and an average near $409,000. Client accounts on Zillow and her brokerage bio consistently describe her as responsive and patient, particularly with first-time buyers. She works as a solo agent rather than leading a team, so the person a client hires is the person handling the transaction.