America’s top real estate agents and agent teams closed more transaction sides and handled more sales volume in 2012 than they have at any time in the the seven-year history of survey-based rankings compiled by Real Trends with The Wall Street Journal.
Agents and agent teams ranked in the annual survey closed 140,955 transaction sides on $50.2 billion in sales, averaging 140 transactions and $50 million in sales volume, according to results released today. That compares to the U.S. average of fewer than 10 closed transactions and less than $1.2 million in closed volume per agent or team, Real Trends said.
The rankings are based on applications by agents and national real estate brands solicited by Real Trends, with statistics independently verified by third parties.
The report includes four categories with 250 agents ranked in each: individual agent sales volume, individual agent transaction sides, agent team transaction sides and agent team sales volume.
The top-ranked individual agents by sides in 2012
| Rank | Name, Location | Company | Sides |
| 1 | Ben Caballero, Dallas/Fort Worth metro | HomesUSA.com | 2,267 |
| 2 | Ayoub Rabah, Chicago | Great Street Properties | 661 |
| 3 | Jeff Perry, St. Cloud, Fla. | Prudential Results Realty | 653 |
| 4 | Joe Kadaf, Dearborn Heights, Mich. | Re/Max Leading Edge | 646 |
| 5 | Michael Balsitis, Caledonia, Mich. | Bellabay Realty LLC | 559 |
Source: Real Trends/Wall Street Journal
The top-ranked individual agents by volume in 2012
| Rank | Name, Location | Company | Sales Volume |
| 1 | Ben Caballero, Dallas/Fort Worth metro | HomesUSA.com | $668,422,746 |
| 2 | Serena Boardman, New York City, N.Y. | Sotheby’s International Realty/NRT | $393,742,540 |
| 3 | Mauricio Umansky, Beverly Hills, Calif. | The Agency | $378,941,197 |
| 4 | Kurt Rappaport, Beverly Hills, Calif. | Westside Estate Agency | $346,340,554 |
| 5 | Jade Mills, Beverly Hills, Calif. | Coldwell Banker Real Estate/NRT | $338,961,845 |
Source: Real Trends/Wall Street Journal
The top-ranked team of agents by sides in 2012
| Rank | Name, Location | Company | Sides |
| 1 | John Murray Team REO, Rockford, Ill. | Key Realty | 1,232 |
| 2 | The Minnesota Real Estate Team, Lakeville, Minn. | Re/Max Advantage Plus | 1,105 |
| 3 | Team Rasmus, Atlanta | Rasmus Real Estate Group | 1,098 |
| 4 | The Creig Northrop Team, Clarksville, Md. | Long & Foster | 933 |
| 5 | Ronnie & Cathy Matthews’ Team, Spring, Texas | Re/Max Legends | 931 |
Source: Real Trends/Wall Street Journal
The top-ranked team of agents by volume in 2012
| Rank | Name, Location | Company | Sales Volume |
| 1 | The Jills – Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg, Miami Beach, Fla. | Coldwell Banker Real Estate/NRT | $480,819,374 |
| 2 | The Creig Northrop Team, Clarksville, Md. | Long & Foster | $428,550,634 |
| 3 | Carrie Chiang/Janet Wang, New York City, N.Y. | The Corcoran Group/NRT | $388,906,508 |
| 4 | Mary and Brent Gullixson, Menlo Park, Calif. | Alain Pinel Realtors | $265,578,186 |
| 5 | The Deborah Grubman Team, New York City, N.Y. | The Corcoran Group/NRT | $251,840,500 |
Source: Real Trends/Wall Street Journal
Brokerage and franchise giant Realogy Holdings Corp. reported that of the top 1,000 agents and teams ranked in the report, 332 were affiliated with one its brands. Of the top 250 agents ranked by sales volume that the firm highlighted, 119, or 48 percent, were affiliated with a Realogy brand.
Similarly, Denver-based franchisor Re/Max pointed out that agents and teams affiliated with its brand represented close to a fifth of all firms represented in the transaction side of the rankings.