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.
That's where I come in.

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SimpliCity Real Estate office in Lincoln, Nebraska at dusk
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.

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

Moving Day

Keys out in the morning. Keys in that afternoon.

See the full method

Who I am.

Wade Bartels, SimpliCity Real Estate

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 situations another agent would have walked away from. Here's what happened instead.

The house with the leaky roof

Young family in Hickman. Two kids, third on the way. They'd outgrown the starter home, but the roof had a soft spot and they didn't have $12K sitting around to fix it. Three agents told them to fix it first or list it as-is and take a $30K hit. I covered the $12K up front. Listed clean two weeks later. Sold at full asking. Closed on the move-up home the same day.

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. They didn't have a plan. They had a Zillow tab open. Different things. We ran the plan in one call. Prepped the house in three weeks. Listed, got 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.

The basement nobody else would touch

Finished basement that flooded twice in two years. Walls had cosmetic damage. Family wanted out before it got worse. Two agents wanted them to drop the price $40K and sell as-is. A third wouldn't take the listing at all. I brought in a drainage contractor, fronted the fix and the cosmetic repairs, and listed at the number I knew the house was actually worth. Sold at list in nine days.

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

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.

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 HomePrep+. 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

That's where I come in.

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