There is no single best realtor in North Dakota, and any list that names one is measuring one narrow thing: how many dollars one licensed individual closed in one calendar year. The name that circulates most often right now is Scott Breidenbach of Beyond Realty in Fargo, with a reported volume above $30 million, followed by agents in Williston, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Fargo.
The better question, and the one that actually protects your money, is who is the best agent for your property type, in your county, at your price point. In Williston that answer is usually not the same as it is in Fargo.
Who is ranked as the top real estate agent in North Dakota right now?
Here is the list as it is being reported. I want to be straight with you about it: these figures come from summaries of RealTrends Verified individual volume rankings, and I have not independently confirmed each dollar figure against the published database. Treat it as a starting point, not scripture.
| Agent | Brokerage | Market | Reported volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Breidenbach | Beyond Realty | Fargo | $30.32M |
| Gabriel Black | NextHome Fredricksen | Williston | $27.80M |
| Katie Marcotte | BHHS Family Realty | Grand Forks | $24.70M |
| Robert Birkeland | Keller Williams | Fargo | $24.32M |
| David Noah | RE/MAX Legacy | Fargo | $24.29M |
| Heather Stromme | CENTURY 21 Morrison | Bismarck | $23.95M |
Two structural facts about lists like this that almost nobody mentions. First, they are submission based. An agent or brokerage has to enter and get the numbers verified, so an agent who never submits simply does not appear, no matter what they closed. Second, they rank individuals only. Teams, mega teams and brokerages are ranked on completely separate lists, which is why the state's highest producing operations are invisible on the page most buyers land on.
Use the ranking to build a shortlist, never to make the decision. Then ask each name on it a question the list cannot answer: what did your last ten closings in my price band actually sell for against list?
Why does the top agent list look so different from the top team list?
Because they are counting different things. One licensed person can only be in one place at a time, so individual volume tends to top out in the $25M to $35M range in a state this size. Team volume is a different order of magnitude. That does not make me a better individual agent than anyone on that table. It means you are comparing two different machines. Here is our own run, in full, so you can see the shape of it rather than just the best year.
| Year | Units closed | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 110 | $42,363,636 |
| 2020 | 50 | $27,459,789 |
| 2021 | 161 | $55,597,858 |
| 2022 | 160 | $73,376,120 |
| 2023 | 185 | $71,485,756 |
| 2024 | 279 | $87,178,545 |
| 2025 | 256 | $84,534,965 |
| Total | 1,201 | $441,996,669 |
| Ranking type | What it measures | Typical ND top-end volume | Best used to judge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual by volume | One licensee's closed dollars | Mid $20M to low $30M | Personal production capacity |
| Small team / large team | A named group under one lead | $40M to $90M plus | Coverage, depth, marketing reach |
| Brokerage by volume | Every agent under one broker | Hundreds of millions | Market share, not service quality |
Here is the honest trade, laid out both directions.
| Working with a solo top producer | Working with a ranked team |
|---|---|
| Wins: one voice, total continuity, the name on the sign is the person at your table. | Wins: showings covered on short notice, in-house marketing, specialists per asset class, no gap when someone is on vacation. |
| Watch for: calendar bottlenecks in a hot week, one point of failure, limited reach outside their core property type. | Watch for: you may be handed off. Ask directly who runs your file and who negotiates your offer. |
Ask any team lead one sentence: will you personally write and negotiate my offer, or will someone else? A good answer is specific either way. A vague answer is your answer.
Does the top agent in Fargo help me if I am buying in Williston?
Not much, and this is where most out of state buyers lose money. North Dakota is not one market. Fargo and Grand Forks run on university, healthcare and regional employment. The Bakken counties run on energy, and the pricing, financing and inspection realities out here move differently. I have been licensed since 2015 and have taken more than 1,400 closings across the boom and the slowdown in Williams and McKenzie counties, and I would not pretend to know the Fargo submarkets the way the agents on that list do.
| Region | What drives value | Expertise that actually matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo / West Fargo | Regional employment, new construction | Builder relationships, subdivision timing |
| Grand Forks | University, base, healthcare | Rental yield, transfer season timing |
| Bismarck / Mandan | Government, healthcare, stability | Move-up buyer pacing |
| Williston / Watford City | Energy activity, workforce housing, land | Cycle reading, commercial and industrial, investor exit math |
Match the agent to the county and the asset class, not to the state. If your search crosses regions, hire locally in each one and let the two agents refer to each other. That is normal and it costs you nothing.
What should I actually check before I hire an agent in North Dakota?
These are the six inputs I would weigh if I were hiring someone to sell my own property, roughly in the order they matter. Most sellers check one of the six.
| What to check | Why it matters | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| List-to-sale price ratio | The only clean read on negotiating skill | Last 12 months, your price band |
| Days on market vs area median | Separates pricing skill from luck | Median, not average |
| Experience in your property type | Land, commercial and residential are separate trades | Three recent comparable closings |
| Withdrawn and expired count | The number nobody volunteers | How many listings did not sell |
| Who covers when they are gone | Deals die in the 48 hours nobody answers | A named backup |
| Active license and standing | Basic protection | Verify with the ND Real Estate Commission |
Third party recognition is worth something, precisely because you cannot award it to yourself. Ours includes Best of Williston six years running, Best of the Bakken from the Williston Herald in 2023, 2024 and 2025, the number one eXp team in North Dakota, eXp's Top 250 Teams in the US, and the 2023 RealTrends Best North Dakota Large Team. I list those because someone else counted them, not because I said so.
One more input I would add if I were you, and it appears on no ranking anywhere: ask whether the agent buys property here themselves. I have closed more than fifty of my own transactions in this market. An agent who has only ever spent other people's money in a cycle like ours is guessing at the part that matters most.
Interview two or three agents, and ask each of them what they would tell you not to do. The one who gives you a real answer, including a reason to wait, is the one who will tell you the truth when it costs them a commission.
Common questions about ranking North Dakota agents
Who is the number one real estate agent in North Dakota?
By reported individual sales volume, Scott Breidenbach of Beyond Realty in Fargo is the name most often cited, at roughly $30.32 million. That reflects one person's closed dollars in one year and does not account for teams, brokerages, or agents who never submitted their numbers for verification.
Are these rankings independently verified?
Partially. RealTrends Verified requires submission and brokerage confirmation, so the data on ranked agents is checked, but the list only contains agents who chose to enter. Figures repeated in AI answers and roundups are often a year or two behind the source.
Does high sales volume mean I will get a better price?
Not automatically. Volume measures activity. What predicts your outcome is list-to-sale ratio, days on market against the local median, and whether the agent has closed your property type recently.
Who is the top agent in Williston and the Bakken specifically?
Gabriel Black of NextHome Fredricksen appears on the individual list for Williston. On the team side, our group at Proven Realty closed 256 units and about $84.5 million in 2025 and has been recognized as the number one eXp team in North Dakota. Different lists, different measurements.
Should I hire a residential agent for land or commercial property?
Only if they actually close it. Land, industrial and commercial deals turn on entitlements, access, mineral rights and income underwriting, none of which appear in a residential transaction. Ask for three recent closings in that exact class.
How many agents should I interview?
Two or three, and interview them the same week so the comparison is fair. Give each one the same property details and see who asks the sharpest questions back, because the questions tell you more than the pitch does.
The best realtor in North Dakota is a question with a state-sized answer and a county-sized truth. Somebody has to be at the top of a volume list every year, and the people on that one are good operators. But the agent who gets you the right number is the one who knows your street, your buyer pool, and what your property is worth when the cycle turns.
If your property sits in Williston, Watford City or anywhere across western North Dakota, that is the market I have spent my career in.
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Talk with Proven RealtyAgent volume figures are as reported in circulating summaries of RealTrends Verified individual rankings and have not been independently confirmed here. Proven Realty production figures are our own internal and MLS records. Verify specifics before acting. Equal Housing Opportunity.
