Better Homes and Gardens has long been a household brand in the print publication industry. With expert advice on home décor and recipes, it has earned consumers’ trust and respect. Those same traits are also what embodies Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and one of the newest groups to Omaha, the Compass Team, is going above and beyond to not only uphold the Better Homes and Gardens brand, but to turn Compass Team into a household name of its own.
Elkhorn native Becky Miralles leads the group, bringing a diverse business background. She spent 15 years with First Data in Omaha working in various departments, including fraud, contracts, and eventually finance. A corporate setting was all she knew and had never thought about any alternatives to a career until she met a real estate agent at a golf outing. Crediting Eryka Morehead, Miralles recalled how Morehead encouraged her to pursue real estate and eventually became her mentor. “Nobody had ever taken an interest in how else I could be using my skills until then.”
In 2012 Miralles left First Data, admitting it was a relief to not have to face the constant change. She took real estate courses, passed her tests, and earned her realtor license the following year. The timing couldn’t have worked out better, because not being tied to a 9-5 desk job allowed her to focus on her studies while also staying home with her youngest child, who was in preschool. She started working for NP Dodge and dove into the business, calling leads and following up with referrals. “It was up to me to make things happen, and I knew what I needed to do to be successful,” she said.
In 2016 Miralles moved to Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. This past year, she made yet another move, forming the Compass Team at Better Homes and Gardens, bringing with her: Katie Day, Chad Ellison, Amber Stroh, and Amanda Taylor. “Better Homes and Gardens feels like a small town,” Miralles said. “Everyone is friendly, and everyone here feels significant because we connect and communicate with each other constantly.” Sharing a bright, open, collaborative office space helps foster a team and family environment. “Life is so fast-paced, it’s nice to have a relaxing, homey place where we can bounce ideas off of each other,” Taylor said.
Fun and flexibility are a common theme among Compass Team. They are all friends inside the office and often socialize at team outings with their families and clients outside the office. “Everyone here is fun to work with, the culture is authentic, and we’re so willing to help each other with anything,” said Stroh, who has been an agent for four years.
Day, an agent for eight years, agreed, adding, “We all have similar beliefs and work styles, so it’s a great fit. I can see us doing extraordinary things.” What sets her apart from other agents is that she lets her passion shine through in everything that she does for her clients. “It’s not hard to get a real estate license, but it is hard to survive as an agent and even harder to be successful,” she explained. “But when you are passionate, you take risks, which will help you stand out and be a successful agent.”
Going the extra mile is something the entire team strives to achieve for each client. Ellison recalled that during one his client’s walk-throughs, they commented that they wished the seller hadn’t taken the American flag that had been outside the home. For a closing gift, Ellison gave the new homeowner a flag of their own. “I love that you actually make an impact on people,” he said. “You’re not just helping someone buy a house, you’re helping them move to another phase of their life—achieving a goal outside of just buying a house, whether it’s moving for a promotion, to be closer to family, or enjoying retirement.” Ellison doesn’t see himself as a sales agent but rather as a self-proclaimed relationship agent, often being invited to and attending golf outings, parties, and fishing trips with former clients.
“Expect Better” is the promise that Better Homes and Gardens promises to all clients, and the Compass Team goes even further, upholding what it has deemed their own core values: honesty, integrity, connection, community, and clarity. “We approach every transaction as though it were our own,” Miralles said. “I’m very honest with all my clients and want them to have the best possible experience, because they’re not just our clients, they become our friends for a lifetime.”