For Omaha-based eXp Realty agent Nicki Headen, success has not come from focusing on a specific number or dollar amount goal, but from a relentless drive to help as many consumers as she can.
“I know some agents where everything is about a paycheck, and to me, it is fun to help people, and I feel that if you focus on taking care of people, the rest will come,” Headen said.
This approach to her business has led Headen, who began her real estate career in July 2019, to become not only the No. 1 ranked agent in Omaha by transaction side count, but also the No. 1 agent in Nebraska, according to the 2025 RealTrends Verified Rankings. In 2024, Headen closed 115 transaction sides for a total sales volume of $29.65 million.
HousingWire recently caught up with Headen to discuss her career.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Brooklee Han: Can you tell me a little bit about how you got started in the real estate industry?
Nicki Headen: I was a food sales rep and marketing associate for Sysco Foods for about six and a half years. At the time, my husband and I were looking to sell our house, and the agent we were working with suggested I consider a career in real estate. My husband had made the same suggestion several years prior, but I just wasn’t ready to take the jump then.
BH: What changed and made you decide to take the leap into real estate?
Headen: When our agent made the suggestions, I was at a place where I wasn’t really enjoying Sysco anymore, and I felt like I needed something different. So, my husband and I talked it through, and I decided to just go all in. I quit my job, studied for the licensing test, and passed the test all within like two months.
I started at a small brokerage and began there as primarily a buyer’s agency, and really hit the ground running. In my first year, I sold over 65 homes, but after 10 months only helping buyers, I decided I wanted to venture out and do more, which led me to eXp Realty, and I’ve been there since July of 2020.
BH: How did your background in sales and marketing help you when you began your real estate career?
Headen: In sales, I got really good at talking to people and building rapport with people. Over time, it became really easy for me, and I love talking to people. So, I knew that if I could talk to people, build rapport, and ultimately take care of them, then things were pretty easy on my end.
BH: Besides these skills, what else do you attribute your great first year in the business to?
Headen: I came out of the gate not knowing anything different than just wanting to help people. One of the first few deals I did was helping someone buy a $42,000 house. Most agents would overlook that and say that they didn’t want to deal with it, but I built my business on taking care of these people who would otherwise be pushed aside by other agents and representing them very well. Those same people have continued to reach back out to me year after year and recommend me to their friends and family because I was there for them when others weren’t.
BH: How do you feel your approach to business has evolved since then?
Headen: I still feel like, regardless of the price point, that I am going to take care of people. I feel like there are some people who do the amount of business that I do, turn down or don’t respond to people looking to buy at lower price points, but I’ve really built my business around those first-time buyers. I just really like educating them, and then years later, they send me referrals or they come back to work with me in the future. A lot of teams or brokerages sent first-time buyers to newer agents who are just happy to have a transaction, and those are the clients that really should be working with an experienced agent.
BH: Can you tell me a bit about how you generate leads?
Headen: When I first came to eXp, I was a bit scared about doing it by myself, so I decided to buy leads, because I thought I needed to, since it seemed like everyone bought leads. After my first month, while I did close one deal from buying leads, I decided to shift my energy and focus to just helping people, and I knew that if I did that well, then the referrals and leads would come. So, I’ve built my business 100% on a referral basis, whether that’s from past clients or people in my sphere or even other agents who don’t work in my area but have a client interested in buying here.
BH: What is your best piece of advice for new agents starting out?
Headen: Work on helping anybody and everybody that you can, and understand that there is no way that you are going to know everything. You just have to dive in. There are plenty of people in the industry that should be able to help you navigate and who you can ask questions of. There are so many questions that come up during a transaction that they don’t teach you the answers to in licensing classes, and it is scary, but the more you do, the more you learn. Nobody has it figured out right away, but if you hustle and take care of people and aren’t afraid to say, ‘I don’t have the answer to that, but I am going to figure it out and get back to you,’ it will help. We’ve all been new at something, and by saying that, you are being relatable but also honest with clients, and that makes a difference, especially if you do really want to take care of people and build your business for the long term.
