Sites say the "top 5% of listing agents sell homes for up to 9% more." Is that real?

A claim like top-tier listing agents selling for a meaningfully higher price often traces back to a single study measuring a specific market and time period, so it should not be treated as a guarantee that applies everywhere or to every agent labeled top-tier. The real test is whether a specific agent's own list-to-sale price ratio, checked against comparable sales, actually holds up. Brian Beatty shares his own verifiable numbers rather than leaning on a broad industry statistic.