The Best of Lake Norman | Top 10 Real Estate Brokers

We’re all aware by now of how hot the real estate market is. Last year, Zillow ranked the Charlotte Metro area as the 5th hottest real estate market in the U.S. This doesn’t come as a surprise to Charlotteans who have witnessed homes selling within hours of hitting the market and for thousands over the asking price.

The Lake Norman market is especially booming. LKN is home to several of the most desirable neighborhoods in the Charlotte area. Neighborhoods like The Peninsula, The Point, River Run, and Governors Island in Westport. Add to that a few of the area’s top private schools, golf clubs, fine dining restaurants, and abundant recreational amenities, and you have the recipe for one of the best places to call home in the U.S.

While it’s a great time to sell, most homeowners will then find themselves in the position of a buyer in a seller’s market. Quite the catch-22, and a topic for another article.

In such a market, does it matter who you hire to list your home? In short, yes. It’s true that homes are just about selling themselves in this market, but there are still factors to consider when hiring a realtor.

Factors like:

•  Knowledge
•  Experience
•  Speed of response
•  and a track record for high performance.

These are precisely the criteria we used in our methodology for selecting the Top-10 real estate agents in the Lake Norman area. The following list is not a ranking, but a collection of the Best-of-the-Best real estate professionals doing business in the Lake Norman area.

Matt Sarver began selling real estate in the Lake Norman area when joined Keller Williams Lake Norman in 2005. Matt cites the company’s core values of “honesty, integrity, and service” as the key reasons for his decision to join Keller Williams. 

Matt formed The Sarver Group in 2013, which continues to operate as a Keller Williams affiliate. That same year, Matt met his wife, Britt, and she would join The Sarver Group as a licensed realtor in 2016. 

Today, Matt and Britt lead a team of real estate agents within The Sarver Group. The team is consistently among the top real estate producers in the Charlotte Metro area, and in the top-10 in the Lake Norman area year after year. 

Out of 20,000 local real estate agents in the Charlotte metro area, Matt Sarver ranked in the top-25 real estate sales producers in 2022!

Matt and his team are proud to be an Endorsed Local Provider by the Dave Ramsey organization – a distinction they’ve held since 2013.

Matt Sarver | The Sarver Group (Keller Williams Realty Lake Norman)

19721 Bethel Church Rd.
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 626-7007

Anita Sabates and Dixie Dean represent one of the most dynamic and experienced real estate broker partnerships in the Lake Norman area.

Anita Sabates is one of Lake Norman’s leading luxury real estate professionals. She has been representing buyers and sellers in the Lake Norman area as a full-time realtor since 1994.

Anita has deep ties to the Lake Norman community. Her son is a graduate of Davidson Day School, one of the Charlotte and Lake Norman area’s most prestigious private schools. Anita received the Allan Tate Chairman’s Circle award for outstanding sales and listing performance in 2021. That’s just the latest of an extremely long list of awards and accolades she’s received over her career.

Anita is an Allen Tate Luxury Certified Realtor, and her areas of expertise include waterfront, golf course, and investment properties. Anita has a degree in economics and experience as a residential mortgage originator prior to becoming a realtor.

Anita has also been consistently recognized as one of the Top 50 Lake Norman Women in Real Estate.  

Dixie Dean has been serving discerning home buyers and sellers in the Lake Norman area for over 17 years. She is frequently looked to by local media outlets for insights into the Lake Norman real estate market. Dixie holds a master’s degree in education, which combined with prior experience in the counseling field gives her an exceptional ability to build trust and rapport with her clients. Speaking of clients, Dixie has represented some of the most distinguished Charlotte and Lake Norman clientele during her career, including NASCAR celebrities, leaders of Fortune 500 companies, Wall Street executives, and several of Lake Norman’s most recognizable entrepreneurs.

Anita and Dixie have a combined 45-years of real estate experience and their real estate transactions have totaled over $500-million. In 2021 alone, they participated in over $40-million in closed properties. They were also very responsive to our requests for information for this article, and their professionalism is greatly appreciated!

Anita Sabates & Dixie Dean | Allen Tate Realtors (Luxury Portfolio)

19460 Old Jetton Road
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 896-8283

J.CASH Real Estate is one of the top-producing real estate brokers in Iredell County, year after year. Founder Julie Cash brings over 20 years of marketing experience to her real estate company. Julie began her real estate career in 2005 and quickly became one of the Lake Norman area’s top luxury home sellers. 

Julie now leads a team of 20 dedicated real estate professionals, many of whom specialize in the lakefront luxury home market. 

Julie Cash is recognized in this article for her exceptional performance in the Lake Norman luxury real estate market and her team’s speedy response to our email inquiries. Kudos to Julie Cash and the J.CASH Real Estate team!

Julie Cash | J.CASH Real Estate

*As of April 2023, J. CASH Real Estate has no office address listed.
(704) 799-5407

Christy Bradshaw has a real passion for real estate. A local resident, Christy has been listing and selling homes in the Lake Norman area for over 15 years. She currently leads Magnolia Living Homes, a team of dedicated real estate experts under the RE/MAX umbrella. 

Christy has an eye for interior design, a keen sense for marketing, and remarkable business acumen. She and her team utilize all of the best technology when promoting their listings, including high-end professional photography. She is also a prolific creator of digital content for her Instagram account @selling_charlotte_nc.

Speaking of media, Christy was a guest on a nationally syndicated podcast back in 2009 where she shared some advanced closing strategies for real estate professionals. When you call Christy, be sure to ask her about the time she was cast for an episode of HGTV!

Christy was very responsive to our inquiry. She even took our phone call!

Christy Bradshaw | Magnolia Living (RE/MAX Leading Edge)

354 George Liles Pkwy.
Concord, NC 28027
(704) 492-6161

Phil Puma began his real estate career right here in the Lake Norman area over 20-years ago. He is consistently the top real estate producer in the Lake Norman area in terms of sheer volume, and among the top-10 in the entire Charlotte Metro area.

Phil leads a team of 12 high-performing real estate agents at Puma & Associates Realty in Cornelius. Phil was also kind enough to join us here on The Best of LKN podcast in episode 61. In that episode, Phil shares the story of his entrepreneurial journey, as well as some great advice for home buyers and sellers in this crazy market.

Phil Puma | Puma & Associates Realty, Inc.

18716 W. Catawba Ave.
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 375-2495

Ben Bowen served the greater Charlotte area as a highly successful realtor before founding his own real estate company, Ben Bowen Properties – a boutique real estate firm located in Cornelius.

Ben and his team specialize in the luxury home and golf community market. Their office is strategically and conveniently located near the entrance to one of the Lake Norman area’s most coveted golf and waterfront communities, The Peninsula.

Ben’s real estate sales performance ranks in the top 1% of real estate professionals in the U.S. Ben has also been recognized as “The Best of the Best” by a national home builder for his exceptional sales presentation skills.

Ben has a vast amount of experience in the luxury home market. He has personally brokered more than 50 $1-million+ transactions in his career.

Ben Bowen | Ben Bowen Properties

19401 Old Jetton Road
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 892-5733

Heather and Brad Cook became realtors after careers in the corporate space. Seeking a more rewarding and fulfilling career path, the two jumped into the Lake Norman real estate scene and quickly became two of the top producers in the area.

One talk with this dynamic real estate duo, and you’ll realize their success is a result of a team effort. The couple brings complementary skill sets to their business partnership, and they credit each other equally for their success.

The Cook’s are prolific on social media, especially Facebook. There you’ll find posts sharing the excitement of closing days, new listings, and client testimonials. The Cook’s are also heavily involved with the local animal rescue community and have welcomed several foster dogs and cats into their home over the years.

Heather was very fast and helpful in her response to our email inquiry.

Heather & Brad Cook | Real Broker LLC

Davidson, NC
(803) 225-4320

Monica Besecker is the co-founder of the Besecker & Maynard Realty Group at Keller Williams Realty Mooresville. She, along with her business partner Eric Maynard, lead a team of 7 licensed real estate agents in the Lake Norman area. 

In addition to such skills as listing homes, home staging, and implementing advanced marketing strategies, the team at Besecker & Maynard are also experienced in exclusive buyer representations and managing complex transactions.

The team closed nearly $100-million in sales in 2020!

Monica Besecker | Besecker & Maynard Realty Group (Keller Williams Mooresville)

118 Morlake Drive
Mooresville, NC 28117
(386) 589-0624

Josh Tucker is sort of a unicorn in the small world of Lake Norman real estate professionals. A native of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a graduate of the University of Texas (Austin), Josh spent 10-years pursuing a career in NASCAR before joining the ranks of elite realtors in the Lake Norman area.

Josh is currently the Managing Broker at the Corcoran HM Properties office in Mooresville, where he’s hanged his license since 2019. Before that, Josh led a team of real estate agents at Anchor Real Estate in Mooresville. Josh founded Anchor Real Estate in 2015 with a long-time friend and business partner, Greg Biffle of NASCAR fame.

A resident of Mooresville, Josh also serves as President of Lake Norman Humane, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome pets in need throughout the Lake Norman community. (Lake Norman Humane was featured in episode 84 of The Best of LKN podcast.)

Josh Tucker | Corcoran HM Properties Lake Norman

146 Mooresville Commons Way
Mooresville, NC 28117
(704) 552-9292

Lori Ivester Jackson began her real estate career in Charlotte in the mid-1980s. She formed the boutique real estate firm Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties in the late 1990s with her husband, Reed Jackson.

Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties has been affiliated with the worldwide luxury real estate brand Christie’s International Real Estate. Ivester Jackson currently has five offices and employs over 90 realtors in the Charlotte and Lake Norman areas, as well as the Asheville and Wilmington markets.

Ivester Jackson specializes in the luxury home market, serving a discerning and affluent clientele. The company has listings in all of the most coveted neighborhoods around Lake Norman, including The Point, The Peninsula, Governors Island, and River Run.

Lori Ivester Jackson | Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties

21025 Catawba Avenue
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 655-0586

There you have it! Our Top-10 Realtors in the Lake Norman area. If this is the year for you to buy or sell a home in the Lake Norman area, these are the agents you should consider calling first. 

Cheers, Lake Norman!