If you’re buying or selling a home, choosing the right real estate agent can make a big difference in your experience and outcome. Top real estate agents in New York close more deals, negotiate better prices, and move homes faster than their peers.
We analyzed transactions and performance metrics for 20,893 real estate agents in New York to identify the best of the best. These are the top selling realtors across the state based on local experience, sales history, and overall results.
- Identify agents with solid experience in your price range, neighborhood, and property type
- Prioritize agents with high customer review counts and strong ratings
- Look at active or recently sold listings to assess marketing quality and performance
- Interview 2–3 agents minimum (actually meet or speak with them)
- Gauge communication, honesty, and expertise during the interview process
- Verify included services and specifics about terms and pricing before signing anything
» More: How to find a real estate agent
Our team spends hundreds of hours each month analyzing real estate agents across the country so you don’t have to. We focus on the most important data for typical buyers and sellers in New York — people looking for a knowledgeable, well-rounded agent who can deliver strong results.
To identify the best agents for most people, we apply a consistent set of filters to narrow the field to agents with relevant experience, strong performance in the local market, and a balanced track record. We then sort those agents based on key metrics like sales volume, speed, pricing accuracy, and client mix.
We regularly update our rankings as new data becomes available and continue refining our approach to surface the most useful recommendations. See our full methodology.
10 best real estate agents in New York by total recent sales (October 2026 rankings)
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Nunzio Salafia
RE/MAX PlusRochester, NYHighlightsAbout -
Susan E Glenz
Keller Williams Realty GatewayRochester, NYHighlightsAbout -
Carol Klein
Century 21 North EastBuffalo, NYHighlightsAbout -
Sharon M Quataert
Century 21 APEXRochester, NYHighlightsAbout -
Md Nazmul Hussain
HUNT Real Estate ERABuffalo, NYHighlightsAbout -
Joseph A Trifilo
HUNT Real Estate ERABuffalo, NYHighlightsAbout -
John C Brown
Coldwell Banker Faith PropertiesUtica, NYHighlightsAbout -
Amanda E Friendgigliotti
Keller Williams Realty Greater RochesterRochester, NYHighlightsAbout -
Hollis A Creek
Howard HannaRochester, NYRecent sales*293Price range*$99K - $9.7MTypical price*$450,000HighlightsAbout -
Geraldine A Andolina
Century 21 North EastBuffalo, NYHighlightsAbout
Top New-york real estate agents near you
Top real estate agents in New York City, NY
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Margaret Tsoukaris
BH&G R E Realty Connect253 local sales -
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Bryan J Karp Cbr
Coldwell Banker American Homes198 local sales -
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Lina Lopes
Douglas Elliman Real Estate208 local sales -
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Jill K Biggs
Coldwell Banker, Hoboken203 local sales -
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Maureen Ramsbottom
Maureen Folan R E Group LLC198 local sales -
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Nicole Schwartz
RE/MAX Team100 local sales -
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Barbara Leogrande
Douglas Elliman Real Estate93 local sales -
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Nordeen Accardi Cbr Wcr
Coldwell Banker American Homes95 local sales - See all real estate agents in New York City, NY »
Top real estate agents in Buffalo, NY
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Carol Klein
Century 21 North East374 local sales -
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Joseph A Trifilo
HUNT Real Estate ERA335 local sales -
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Enas L Latif
HUNT Real Estate ERA254 local sales -
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Md Nazmul Hussain
HUNT Real Estate ERA349 local sales -
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Geraldine A Andolina
Century 21 North East280 local sales -
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Joshua James
Keller Williams Realty WNY185 local sales -
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Samantha E Muscato
Iconic Real Estate192 local sales -
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Brian Hillery
HUNT Real Estate ERA194 local sales - See all real estate agents in Buffalo, NY »
Top real estate agents in Rochester, NY
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Nunzio Salafia
RE/MAX Plus382 local sales -
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Susan E Glenz
Keller Williams Realty Gateway377 local sales -
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Sharon M Quataert
Century 21 APEX367 local sales -
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Amanda E Friendgigliotti
Keller Williams Realty Greater Rochester314 local sales -
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Tiffany A Hilbert
Keller Williams Realty Greater Rochester269 local sales -
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Grant D Pettrone
Revolution Real Estate232 local sales -
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Alan J Wood
RE/MAX Plus218 local sales -
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Andrew Hannan
Real Broker NY, LLC259 local sales - See all real estate agents in Rochester, NY »
Top real estate agents in Albany, NY
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Matthew Loder
Country Boy Realty156 local sales -
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Wayne A Newcomb Jr
Newcomb Realty Group LLC97 local sales -
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Marisa Moffatt
Empire Real Estate Firm LLC109 local sales -
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Kevin Clancy
Clancy Real Estate197 local sales -
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Brenda Mayette
Miranda Real Estate Group Inc95 local sales -
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Traci Cornwell
Cornwell R E LLC99 local sales -
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Jillian Breck
Howard Hanna Capital Inc100 local sales -
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Patrick J Mcsharry
McSharry and Associates Realty LLC104 local sales - See all real estate agents in Albany, NY »
Top real estate agents in Syracuse, NY
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Stephen Skinner
Skinner & Assoc. Realty LLC135 local sales -
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Mark Macbain
Hunt Real Estate Era125 local sales -
View profileThomas Tarry Jr
Move Real Estate112 local sales -
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David Duskee
Hunt Real Estate ERA121 local sales -
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Ryan Millard
Coldwell Banker Prime Prop,Inc112 local sales -
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Stephanie Scriven
Home With Us Realty Group, LLC124 local sales -
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Edward Glassberg
Coldwell Banker Prime Prop,Inc99 local sales -
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Brooke Wills
Century 21 Galloway Realty104 local sales - See all real estate agents in Syracuse, NY »
What to know about top real estate agents in New York
Top New York real estate agents combine deep, local expertise with higher-than-average performance. Here’s what that looks like in New York.
General
- High transaction volume: Does more than 11 sales per year (local median)
- Well established: At least 3–5+ years of experience in the local market
- Good reputation: High total review count and average ratings
Sellers
- Pricing expertise: Few-to-no price drops
- High sale-to-list ratios: Typically sells near or above list price (median sale-to-list in New York is 100%)
- Strong marketing strategy: Beautiful photos, compelling listing descriptions, maximum visibility
- Faster-than-average sales: Gets homes under contract quickly (median sale timeline in New York is 103 days)
Buyers
- Strong negotiator: The best buyer’s agents in New York often save 5-10% off list price
- Local expertise: Know neighborhoods, schools, amenities, regulations
- Responsive and accessible: Reviews consistently call out these specific traits
Most likely, yes. The vast majority of home sellers in New York will get the best outcome and most money selling with a top local real estate agent. That said, it really depends on your goals.
Consider listing with a New York realtor if:
- You're aiming for top dollar or need help navigating pricing and offers
- You want someone to handle the full process—marketing, showings, negotiation, paperwork
- Your property is typical for the area and priced at or above $200,000
Consider alternatives if:
- You want a faster sale and are open to a cash offer from a cash home buyer or iBuyer
- You’re cost-conscious and want to save on commission with a discount real estate broker
- You want to avoid realtor commission altogether and are comfortable trying FSBO (for sale by owner), knowing that FSBO sales usually net less and require a lot of work.
In New York, the average real estate commission is about 5.69%, while the national average is (5.7%).
- Typically, this gets split between the listing and buyer’s agents (2.93% and 2.76%, respectively).
- Rates are negotiable and may be lower for higher-priced homes or repeat clients.
- Following the NAR settlement, buyers may need to negotiate their agent's fee directly.
Choosing the right agent starts with knowing what to ask. Jake Hrzich, a real estate agent serving Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Queens, puts it this way: "[Ask] whether the agent is full-time or part-time, how many homes they've sold, and whether they work specifically with buyers or sellers — it's important to have an agent who has been on both sides of the transaction." How an agent responds to these kinds of questions often says more than their resume.
If you’re both selling a home and purchasing a new one, using the same agent can simplify the process. But you’ll need to find an agent with a successful track record as both a listing agent and a buyer’s agent. While some real estate agents do both, some of the best real estate professionals specialize in either representing buyers or listing properties
If a traditional agent isn’t the right fit, here are some New York alternatives:
- Get fast, no-obligation offers from investors, iBuyers, and bridge loan providers.
- Ideal for distressed homes, tight timelines, or sellers prioritizing speed over top price.
- Offer lower commissions (often 1–2%) while still providing MLS access and support.
- Good option if you want to save but still prefer professional help.
- Pay a one-time fee to list your home on the MLS.
- You'll handle pricing, showings, and negotiation yourself — best for experienced sellers.
- No agent involvement, no commission—but you’ll do everything yourself.
- FSBO homes typically sell for less, so weigh potential savings vs. final sale price.
Pro tip: Even if you go non-traditional, consider services like Clever or local offer platforms — they help you compare your options and connect with agents or investors offering discounts, fast offers, or both.
New York is currently a seller's market, due to more active homebuyers and fewer homes available for sale.
- The market has an average of 4 months of supply, meaning it would take about that long for all available homes to sell if no new listings were added. There were 40,537 homes for sale in NY in the last month. Sellers added 16,660 new listings, and 19,696 home sales closed in that time.
- On average, properties spend 103 days on the market, and it takes 48 days for a home to go under contract.
Homes in New York are selling for less on average compared to the previous month. More sellers reduced their listing price this month compared to last month.
- 9,124 homes dropped in price this month. That's around 11% of all homes on the market, compared to the 8.68% of listings that lowered prices the month before.
- The median home in New York ultimately sells for its original list price: $490,000.
Related guides and resources
Find more top New York realtors near you
How we research and evaluate top realtors in New York
Data sources
Our rankings are powered by real estate transaction data, internal research, and other publicly available sources. We compiled and analyzed over 35,458,300 data points for 20,893 real estate agents across New York.
Any customer ratings and reviews surfaced on this page are powered by Zillow Group via the Zillow Bridge API. Average ratings, review counts, and individual reviews are sourced directly from Zillow's verified review platform and refreshed regularly. Some reviews may be for team members associated with the agent.
We make every effort to ensure accuracy, but no dataset is perfect. Some activity may not be captured if information isn’t available or accurate from our sources. We update and refine our data regularly to improve coverage and reliability.
Methodology
There’s no single “best” real estate agent — the right fit depends on your goals and situation. Our approach is designed to highlight agents with strong, well-rounded performance and make it easier to compare real estate agents in New York.
We look at factors that matter most to typical buyers and sellers, such as:
- Transaction volume and recent activity
- Balance of buyer- and seller-side representation
- Pricing accuracy and negotiation outcomes
- Speed of sales relative to the local market
- Years of experience and proven track record
- Specialized expertise with certain property types or client needs
We use these key indicators to surface agents who are likely to be a good fit for most people, while giving you the data you need to decide which qualities matter most for your own situation.
Ongoing updates
Rankings are updated regularly as new data becomes available. Our goal is to provide a clear, objective view of agent performance to help you make an informed choice when hiring a real estate professional.