SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION 2015 Austin, San Antonio OFESSIONALand Central Texas Region Five Star Home Professionals Real Estate Mortgage Home/Auto Agents Professionals Insurance Professionals Five Star Professional partnered with Texas Monthly to identify real estate, mortgage and insurance professionals in the central Texas region who deliver outstanding service and client satisfaction. The Five Star AR PR Professional research team contacted thousands of recent homebuyers, as well as other consumers. Clients may also submit evaluations online. Phone, mail and online respondents rated their service professional on criteria such as overall satisfaction and whether they would recommend the provider to a friend. The research methodology allows no more than 7 percent of professionals in each category to receive the award. This year’s winners are listed and profiled in the following pages (see each award winner’s listing for more details). Determination Research of Award Winners Professionals who satisfied each of the FIVE STAR PROFESSIONALDisclosures following objective criteria were named a 2015 Austin, San Antonio TAR• The 2015 Five PROFESSIONAL Star Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Professionals and and Central Texas Region Five Star IVE ST Home/Auto Insurance Professionals do not pay a fee to be included Real Estate Agent, Five Star Mortgage in the research or the final list. Professional or Five Star Home/Auto F • Each professional is screened against state governing bodies to Insurance Professional: verify that licenses are current, and no disciplinary actions are 1. Received a qualifying client satisfaction pending. rating. • The inclusion of a real estate agent, mortgage professional or 2. Satisfied the applicable state licensing insurance professional on the final lists should not be construed as requirements. FIVE STAR PROFESSIONALan endorsement by Five Star Professional or Texas Monthly. 3. Actively employed as a licensed • The research process incorporates a statistically valid sample in professional for a minimum of three years. order to identify the professionals in the local market who score highest in overall satisfaction. These professionals are not included 4. Favorable regulatory and complaint on the list unless their score is statistically valid. history review. 5. Satisfied minimum client volume or FIVE S For more information on the Five Star award and the research/ production on a one-year and three-year selection methodology, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com. basis (number and volume of IVE STAR PROFESSIONALtransactions or number of client F households served). Know a great home professional? Find us online: F: Facebook.com/FiveStarProfessional To nominate an outstanding home professional T: Twitter.com/FiveStarPros FIVEfor nextSTAR year’s award, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com. PROFESSIONALwww.fivestarprofessional.com www.fivestarprofessional.com FIVE STAR PROFESSIONALtexasmonthly.com REA-1 ROFESSIONAL IVE STAR PROFESSIONAL F FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL IVE STAR PROFESSIONAL F FIVE STAR P FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL Five Star SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Real Estate Agents PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL STAR PROFESSIONAL Micah Harper STAR Attorney/Broker PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR FIVE-YEAR WINNER • Residential real estate • Luxury real estate PROFESSIONAL • Commercial real estate STAR • Investment real estate FIVE • Multifamily real estate My business is client-driven, and I work hard to make sure that every client feels like my only client. This award, more than any other, PROFESSIONAL means a great deal to me because my clients recognized me for it. I take the approach that every customer is a lifetime friend and that, if I over-deliver each time I work with them, they will continue to Five-year winner Micah Harper FIVE STARreward me with their continued business and that of their friends and PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR • Real estate ownership structures (LLC, IRA) • Portfolio real estate salesPROFESSIONAL www.fivestarprofessional.com • Urban real estate development FIVE STAR • Medical/healthcare development REA-2 family. As both an attorney and a broker, I off er a unique and powerful 13526 George Road, Suite 106 | San Antonio, TX 78230 combination that allows me to give my clients the highest level of PROFESSIONAL service available. If you are thinking about buying, selling or investing texasmonthly.com [email protected] | www.Micah.ExquisiteSA.com in real estate, please give me a call and see for yourself why I have won this award fi ve years in a row. FIVE Office: 210-494-1695 | Cell: 214-738-4986STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVECommercial, Residential, InvestmentSTAR Real Estate. Lic. 597438. FIVE STAR FIVE STAR FIVE FIVE SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Five Star Real Estate Agents Marie Crabb PROFESSIONALGRI, M.A. PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL STAR PROFESSIONAL STAR PROFESSIONAL2015 winner Marie Crabb FIVE STAR • Extremely client-oriented and responsive • Developed real estate programs to benefi t animal • Dedicated seven days a week to real estate rescue organizations • Master’s degree from St. Mary’s UniversityPROFESSIONAL• Contributing writer for Texas Dogs and Cats Magazine • Passionate about doing business ethically • More than 50 fi ve-star reviews on Zillow.com FIVE STAR• Animal rescue advocate I am proud to have received the recognition from my clients as a FivePROFESSIONAL my patience. I strive to be a real estate advisor and advocate for my Star Real Estate Agent award winner. The most important thing to clients during any transaction. I ensure that my clients understand me is to represent my clients to the utmost of my abilities. My past and are comfortable with the process; I work so that they are getting FIVE STARexperiences working at the Offi ce for Civil Rights at the Department the absolute best deal possible and also keep communication often of State in Washington, D.C. and being a trained mediator through and ongoing. Learning new things in the ever-changing market is St. Mary’s University have informed my approach to real estate. One one of the aspects I love most about real estate. of the qualities my clients say they appreciate about me the most is PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL 13526 George Road, Suite 106 | San Antonio, TX 78230 FIVE STAROffice: 210-494-1695 | Cell: 210-326-2355 [email protected] | Marie.ExquisiteSA.com PROFESSIONAL FIVE STARCommercial, Residential and Investment Real Estate PROFESSIONAL www.fivestarprofessional.com FIVE STAR texasmonthly.com REA-3 PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR FIVE STAR FIVE STAR FIVE FIVE Five Star SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Real Estate Agents PROFESSIONALThe Ryan Smith Home Selling Team PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL STAR PROFESSIONAL STAR TWO-YEAR WINNER Left to right: Alyssa Kudo; Abbey O’Brien; WillPROFESSIONAL Sears; Karey Poe; two-year winner Ryan Smith; Rachel Holman; Ronny Bourland; Raechel Adams FIVE STAR How many people would begin a real estate career in a town where to grow, as has their collective desire to become one of America’s they literally knew no one? Not many. Yet, this was the decision Ryan premier real estate teams. Focusing on providing world-class service Smith made after fi nishing up his enlistment in the United States to the residents of Bell County, Ryan and his team have enabled Army. Determined to make up for his initial lack of localPROFESSIONAL connections countless clients, family members and friends to achieve true real by good old-fashioned hard work, he rolled up his sleeves and did estate success. just that, going from the “new agent” in town to selling more homes The overwhelmingly happy clients and consistent results speak for STARthan any other real estate agent in the Temple/Belton area in only a FIVE themselves. If you’re thinking about buying or selling in the Temple few short years. and Belton area, the Ryan Smith Home Selling Team brings the track As business continued to dramatically increase, the Ryan Smith HomePROFESSIONAL record, proven systems and market-leading expertise to help you win Selling Team was born as Rachel Holman joined the team as their fi rst in today’s real estate market. FIVE STARhomebuying specialist in 2011. Since then, the team has continued PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR st PROFESSIONAL 4016 South 31 Street, Suite 200 | Temple, TX 76502 Office: 254-598-4055 | Direct: 254-563-6350 FIVE [email protected] | www.RyanSmithHomes.com PROFESSIONAL FIVE ProvenSTAR Systems. World-Class Service. Consistent Results. PROFESSIONAL www.fivestarprofessional.com FIVEREA-4 texasmonthly.com STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL FIVE STAR FIVE STAR FIVE STAR FIVE FIVE SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Five Star Real Estate Agents Kat Brooks PROFESSIONALRealtor, CRS, ABR®, EcoBroker®, CLHMS PROFESSIONAL 1801 South Mo-Pac Expressway, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78746 Phone : 512-656-2722 [email protected] Nobody does it better than Kat! STAR “We were never going to sell the family home we built 16 years ago. Then tragedy struck, and we wanted to move — fast. We needed to sell and buy simultaneously during a very PROFESSIONALemotional transition in a hot market. “Though we know many Realtors, we wanted a ‘partner’ who cared about us personally, really knew the market and could STAR maximize our invesment, had “inside” contacts and would market, market, market to sell our old home and show, show, show to fi nd us a new home that met our high expectations. PROFESSIONAL“Then we met Kat. What made her diff erent? We quickly developed a personal, as well as a professional relationship. I STAR knew this relationship would last long past the transactions. FIVE She spared no expense on marketing, and she spent unlimited hours sharing her professional time, knowledge and resources. PROFESSIONAL“The results? A quick sale and purchase. “And the best part? We settled in our new home, and we’re now friends and neighbors.” STARTHREE-YEAR WINNER FIVE — Howard and Karen Three-year winner Kat Brooks PROFESSIONAL • Luxury Home International Specialist FIVE STAR• Global Properties Specialist • Million Dollar Guild member PROFESSIONAL I am so proud of this award again in 2015 because it represents the voices of my happySTAR clients.