Wade Bartels

SimpliCity Real Estate · Lincoln, Nebraska

The Move-Up Method.

The starter home was perfect, until it wasn't. Now you need to move up, and every path looks like a headache: sell first or buy first, where you'll land, how you'll afford the work it needs. I've got a system for exactly this.

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Wade Bartels at home in an armchair with his dog on the armrest
500+ career transactions · Top 25 in Lincoln · Top 1% in Nebraska · Marine Corps veteran · 5.0 stars · 100+ Google reviews

If you know, you know.

The starter home was perfect. Then life happened.

Toddler standing in a living room scattered with toys

Your oldest needs their own room. Your youngest is out of the crib. The dog has nowhere to run. Dinners are loud because there's no dining room, just a kitchen table crowded against the wall.

The basement leaks. The dishwasher quit. There's a crack in the drywall that wasn't there last year.

And the neighborhood you loved when you bought the place, it's changing too.

You already know you need to move.

You just don't know how to pull it off: what to do first, what your house will sell for, what you can afford next, how to keep the whole thing from turning into a mess.

That's where I come in.

The Move-Up Method.

Five steps. Built for young families moving up from the starter home.

01

Plan

Run the numbers together before anything else.

02

Prep

I can front the prep costs. You write no check.

03

Search

Start looking the same week we prep yours.

04

Sell

Listed the week you're ready to write an offer.

05

Close

Keys out in the morning. Keys in that afternoon.

"We appreciated the analytics he came with the first time we met about selling our home. He definitely did his homework on what we would be able to get for our home and was confident in our home. We definitely felt that he was on our side and had our best interest in mind." Jeff C. · Google review

See the full method

Who I am.

Wade Bartels in Lincoln's Haymarket

Farm kid from south of Tecumseh. Five years in the Marines (most of them in California). Came back to Nebraska because this is home.

500+ career transactions. Top 25 agents in Lincoln. Top 1% in Nebraska. Licensed in 2018, full-time since 2019. Those are numbers. What I care more about is the reputation: that when a friend or family member needs to move up to a bigger house and they don't know how to pull it off, I'm the agent their friends send them to.

I'm not a firefighter. But I'm out here every day fighting fires for the families I work for. I'm not a farmer. But I care about my flock.

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Stories from families who were stuck.

Three houses other agents said to sell as-is and take less for. Here's what happened instead.

Single-story family home on a quiet street
The house every agent wanted to hand to a flipper

Solid house, hadn't been touched since the nineties. Wallpaper borders, worn carpet, a faucet that dripped, a few dead outlets. Two agents said the same thing: sell as-is, price it for an investor, take about $25K less than the neighbors got. They almost signed. Instead we walked the house together and made a short list of what actually mattered: paint, carpet, a plumber for an afternoon, an electrician for a morning, a deep clean. I fronted the cost and ran the work. Three weeks later it didn't look like a project. It looked like a home, and it sold like one, to a young family who loves it.

Small ranch-style house with a wide grassy yard
The couple who'd been "about to move" for three years

Two kids. A dog. A 1,150-square-foot ranch they'd bought right after the wedding. Every December they said "next summer." Every summer came and went. What actually stopped them wasn't the market. It was the fix-up list they couldn't cash-flow with two kids in daycare: paint, a handful of small repairs, a garage full of stuff. We ran the plan in one call. I fronted the prep costs, my crew did the work, and they didn't write a check until closing. Listed, under contract, found the next house, closed back-to-back. They've got a dining room now. Kids have their own rooms. Dog has a yard.

Hands placing a sold sticker on a home for sale sign
The house that was too full to list

Three kids in, the house was working overtime. Toys everywhere, a garage you couldn't park in, and a list of little things by the door: a sticking door, a running toilet, a light that flickered. One agent said "declutter and call me back." Another wanted to price it low and sell as-is. They didn't need a lecture. They needed help. We set the plan, I brought the dumpster, the cleaners, and my handyman, and it got done in two weekends while they kept living their lives. Listed clean. Multiple offers. At closing they told me it was so much easier than they expected. It wasn't easy. It just wasn't theirs to carry alone.

Two free tools to start.

Faster than calling. No pressure. Use them and decide what's next.

What's your house worth?

Real number. Real Lincoln comps. Pulled from the same data agents use, not a Zillow guess.

Get My Home Value

Want a 15-minute call?

No pitch. No pressure. You tell me your situation, I tell you what's realistic, you decide what to do.

Schedule a Call

What my clients actually say.

Real names. Real houses. Real outcomes.

★★★★★

"Selling with Wade is like selling with your old best friend. Feels like you're sitting on a tailgate chatting it up while digging into the cooler as offers come rolling in. Wade is as reliable as that old farm truck your grandpa swore by that just kept running. He's as warm as your grandma's love and loves your dog as much as you do."

DJ · Lincoln seller

★★★★★

"I love this dude. Moved out of state for a job, my renters were putting me in a financial hardship and about to ruin my credit. Wade knocked it out of the park. Went to the house the same night I called and put it in the market a week later. Got the renters out without an eviction. Cleaned the place up in a couple of days for an open house. No regrets. Very painless."

Melanie G. · Out-of-state seller

★★★★★

"Wade Bartels went above and beyond helping my boys and I find our next home. He listened and let us look at houses we 'thought' might work. When we found our perfect home Wade helped us through all the steps! Wade made sure we had a smooth process of selling our old home and purchasing our new home."

Amanda F. · Move-up seller + buyer

★★★★★

"Wade is an amazing realtor! He doesn't just sell houses, he solves all the problems that go along with it. Every time something came up, he helped find a prompt solution. Wade really listens to what his clients want and need, even if they don't know quite how to put it into words themselves. I will recommend Wade again and again!"

Jen P. · Lincoln seller

★★★★★

"Going in, I knew almost nothing about what to look for in a house, and Wade not only offered his expertise, but taught me a lot too. Having him in my corner gave me a lot of peace of mind throughout the entire home buying process. He is someone you can trust and count on, and that is evident from the first day you begin working with him."

Noah H. · First-time buyer

★★★★★

"He was trustworthy, professional, reliable, competent, and incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. He was always available to answer questions, provide guidance, and ensure everything went smoothly. If you're looking for a realtor you can trust, Wade is the person to call."

Vicki S. · Lincoln seller + buyer

Read every Google review See them on Google

You hire me. You get a whole team.

I lead every transaction myself. Your calls, your decisions, your strategy - those are mine. Behind me is a team that keeps the operational stuff humming so I can spend my time on the part that actually matters: getting your house sold and your family moved.

Megan handles the paperwork, the inspections, the deadlines, the closing. Ana keeps the communication tight so nothing slips. That's how I can answer the phone when it rings, drive across the county for a walkthrough, and still have every file perfect at closing.

Wade Bartels Amanda Davis Sydney Hrouda Ana Perin Megan Lehman
"It is abundantly clear that Wade and his team are well-connected, well-respected, and strive to provide an incredible service in a professional, ethical, and upstanding manner. I am 100% certain this experience could not have possibly been better with anyone else!" Ethan F. · Google review

Meet the team

Common questions.

Who is Wade Bartels?

Wade Bartels is an agent at SimpliCity Real Estate in Lincoln, Nebraska. 500+ career transactions. Top 25 agents in Lincoln. Top 1% of agents in Nebraska. 5.0 stars from 100+ Google reviews. Marine Corps veteran. Licensed 2018, full-time since 2019. He built The Move-Up Method, a system for selling your starter home and buying the next one at the same time.

What is The Move-Up Method?

The Move-Up Method is Wade's 5-step system for young families ready to leave their starter home and move up to the house they'll raise their kids in. It keeps everyone on the same page and gives you clarity at every step.

What areas does Wade Bartels serve?

Lincoln, Lancaster County, and surrounding communities in southeast Nebraska: Waverly, Hickman, Bennet, Unadilla, Malcolm, Firth, Eagle, Panama, Hallam, Roca, Cortland, and Denton.

Does Wade front repair costs for sellers?

Yes, through his Fully Managed listing. Up to $8,000 covers paint, carpet, repairs, and prep work. Wade fronts the cost out of pocket. You write no check. Costs come out of your sale proceeds at closing, line-itemed on the settlement statement so there are no surprises.

How do I schedule a consultation?

Call 402-796-6136, email [email protected], or fill out the form on the contact page. Consultations are free, 15 minutes, and no pressure.

Let's talk.

Free 15-minute call. No pressure. You decide if I'm the right agent for your family.

Start a conversation 402-796-6136
Wade Bartels working at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee

You talk. I'll listen. We'll go from there.

Straight answers for Lincoln buyers and sellers.

Built from recorded Lancaster County sales and real transactions, not estimates.

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