What It Means to Be Named One of America’s Top 1.5% of Real Estate Agents

There are over 1.5 million licensed real estate agents in the United States.

Let that sink in for a moment.

When RealTrends – the most respected ranking publication in the real estate industry – names an agent to its annual list of America’s Best Real Estate Professionals, they’re identifying the top 1.5% of all agents nationwide. That’s not a marketing tagline. It’s a data-driven designation earned through verified transaction volume, independently audited and published.

I’m proud to share that I’ve been recognized on that list – and I want to tell you exactly what that means for you as a buyer or seller in the St. Petersburg market.

What Is RealTrends, and Why Does It Matter?

RealTrends has been the gold standard for real estate performance data for over 30 years. Unlike self-reported awards or local designations, RealTrends rankings are based on verified closed transaction sides and sales volume – numbers pulled directly from MLS data, not submitted by the agents themselves.

To put it plainly: you can’t buy your way onto this list. You can’t nominate yourself. You earn it by doing the work, closing deals, and delivering results for real clients in real markets.

Being ranked in the top 1.5% nationally means that out of roughly 1.5 million agents across the country, fewer than 22,500 made the cut. It’s a very short list.

What It Takes to Get There

The real estate industry has a well-known statistic: the top 20% of agents do 80% of the business. The agents who make the RealTrends list operate in a category beyond even that.

Getting there requires a few things that don’t happen by accident:

Deep market knowledge. You can’t consistently close transactions at volume without understanding pricing, inventory cycles, neighborhood dynamics, and what moves buyers and sellers to act. In a market as nuanced as St. Petersburg — where waterfront properties, historic neighborhoods, and new construction all play by different rules — that expertise is everything.

A genuine network. High-volume agents don’t rely on luck. They have relationships with other agents, builders, lenders, inspectors, and attorneys built over years of doing honest, thorough work. When a listing hits or a buyer needs to move fast, that network is the difference between getting to the table and missing it.

Consistency under pressure. Real estate is not a straight line. Markets shift. Deals fall apart. Inspections reveal surprises. What separates top agents from the rest is the ability to problem-solve in real time, keep deals together, and protect their clients’ interests without drama.

Volume means experience. Every transaction teaches you something. An agent who has closed hundreds of deals has navigated scenarios that newer or lower-volume agents simply haven’t encountered yet. That experience translates directly into better guidance, sharper negotiation, and fewer surprises for the people they represent.

Why This Matters to You

If you’re buying or selling a home – particularly at the luxury end of the market – the stakes are high. You’re likely dealing with one of the largest financial transactions of your life. The question isn’t just can an agent help you – it’s how well can they help you, and what’s their track record proving it?

Working with a RealTrends-ranked agent means you’re working with someone whose performance has been independently verified. Not by a membership organization. Not by a local award committee. By the numbers.

Here’s what that translates to in practice:

– Pricing accuracy – knowing where to set a price to attract strong offers without leaving money on the table
– Negotiation experience – having been through hundreds of negotiation scenarios, not dozens
– Transaction management – the ability to anticipate problems before they become deal-killers
– Market access – relationships that sometimes open doors before a property even hits the MLS

A Note on What This Recognition Means to Me

I won’t pretend this recognition isn’t meaningful to me — it is. But not primarily because of what it says on paper.

What it represents is years of prioritizing clients over commissions, staying in this market through the ups and downs, and building a practice based on repeat clients and referrals. The transactions that get counted in a ranking like this are people’s homes, their moves, their next chapters. I don’t take that lightly.

If you’re considering buying or selling in the St. Petersburg area — whether it’s a waterfront property, a new construction opportunity like what we have on Bayshore Blvd NE, or anything in between — I’d love to have a conversation.

You deserve representation from someone who has earned the right to sit across the table from you.

 

Liane Jamason is a luxury real estate agent with Corcoran Dwellings in St. Petersburg, FL, and a RealTrends America’s Best Real Estate Professionals honoree. She can be reached at (727) 390-2390 or liane@lianejamason.com.