Brian Gentry was born in Othello in 1966, and he graduated from Othello High School in 1985. After college, getting married, and having their first child, he came back to Othello in 1998. Shortly after, Brian and his dad started a small real estate office. For decades, he has been rooted in the same community that he loves, building a career in real estate while quietly shaping the town around him. There is something to be said for someone who chooses to grow where he’s planted, who invests not just money but time and energy into the place where they grew up. Brian is that kind of person.
He leads the Brian Gentry Team of RE/MAX Northwest, a group serving the Columbia Basin. The team has sold many big and unique properties over the years, but what defines them is not the size of the transactions. It is the way they treat the people involved.
Family First
Brian operates on a simple philosophy: clients are family. “If you work with an agent on the Brian Gentry Team, you are considered family,” he explains. That is not just a tagline. The team holds at least four client appreciation events every year to show the people they work with how much they care. In an industry that can feel transactional, these gestures matter. They reflect a belief that relationships do not end at closing.
That approach has earned recognition over the years. Brian was voted Best Real Estate Agent in the Columbia Basin in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. The Othello Chamber named him Citizen of the Year in 2021, and his team received The Chamber’s Business of the Year Award in 2024 and was voted Best Real Estate Brokerage in the Columbia Basin for 2024 and 2025. These awards speak to consistency. Winning once can be luck. Winning repeatedly suggests something deeper.
Teaching Over Selling
Photo Courtesy: Cynthia Gentry
What sets Brian apart is the way he thinks about his work. He and his team see themselves as teachers and coaches, not just salespeople. Buying or selling a home can be overwhelming, especially for people going through it for the first time. There are contracts to sign, inspections to schedule, and negotiations to work through. It is easy to feel lost.
“We take the time to make sure our clients understand the process and what they are signing,” Brian says. Patience is rare. Many agents move quickly, eager to close and move on to the next deal. Brian slows down. He explains. He answers questions. He makes sure his clients feel confident in every decision they make.
Communication sits at the center of everything. Whether someone is buying or selling, Brian’s team works to anticipate problems before they happen. Real estate deals can unravel in unexpected ways, and experience has taught him that staying ahead of potential issues keeps clients from facing unpleasant surprises. It is proactive work, the kind that often goes unnoticed until something goes wrong and someone is not there to catch it.
Serving the Community
Beyond real estate, Brian has poured time into Othello itself. He served on the Othello Chamber Board for over 20 years and spent a decade on the City of Othello Planning Commission. These are not glamorous roles. They require showing up, listening, and doing the slow work of helping a town function and grow.
In 2024, he founded ONE OTHELLO, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing the community together and making Othello a better place to live for everyone. One of their programs, called 3 Hens and a Coop, provides residents with three hens and teaches them how to raise chickens for food and self-sufficiency. Brian considers himself a part-time amateur chicken farmer these days, hatching chicks to keep the program running. The organization also hosts a monthly gathering called Last Friday Lunch, where local groups and nonprofits come together to collaborate and share ideas.
A Steady Hand
Brian and his wife, Cynthia, have five children, with only one still at home. His life in Othello is not complicated. He works, he serves, and he stays connected to the place he has always loved to call home. There is no grand vision or dramatic story here. Just a man who has spent decades doing things the right way, one client and one community project at a time.
For anyone looking for a real estate professional who genuinely knows his community and treats every transaction with care, Brian Gentry offers something increasingly rare: trust built over a lifetime.
