By Triolo Realty Group, Keller Williams Carmel Valley/Del Mar
Last updated: November 2026
The Five Star Real Estate Agent award is an annual award program that Five Star Professional has run since 2003. Winners are picked from evaluations by recent clients and industry peers, with a license and complaint review and production minimums on top. Agents do not pay to be researched or named.
We wrote this because Darin Triolo's 2027 Five Star award made it 19 consecutive years in San Diego, starting in 2009 during the housing crash. Clients ask what the badge measures. This post answers that, and our awards page covers the rest.
The Five Star award is not indicative of the real estate agent's future performance. The inclusion of a real estate agent on the Five Star Real Estate Agent list should not be construed as an endorsement of the real estate agent by Five Star Professional.
What is the Five Star Real Estate Agent award?
The Five Star Real Estate Agent award is Five Star Professional's recognition program for real estate agents. Five Star has run it since 2003 and researches it annually in more than 45 major markets in the U.S. and Canada.
In Five Star's own words, it is the "largest and most widely published real estate award program in North America."
Five Star evaluates individual licensed agents, and it does not accept self-nominations. Winners are listed on Five Star's website, and Five Star may also publish a special section in local magazines or newspapers.
How does Five Star choose winners?
Five Star Professional draws candidates from three sources: consumer evaluations, peer evaluations and a review of online consumer evaluation websites. Candidates then must meet five requirements to win.
Who evaluates the agents
A third party sends surveys to people who recently bought or sold a home. Clients can also submit an evaluation online. Each buyer or seller can evaluate up to two agents, one for each side of the deal.
Peers in mortgage, insurance and real estate can each evaluate up to five agents.
The ten things clients rate
Clients score the agent on ten criteria, as Five Star lists them:
- Customer service
- Integrity
- Market knowledge
- Communication
- Negotiation
- Closing preparation
- Post-sale service
- Finds the right home
- Marketing of home
- Overall satisfaction
Five Star also asks whether the client would recommend the agent to a friend. The scoring algorithm uses that answer as a cross-check.
Peers rate four areas: industry expertise, customer service skills, market knowledge and negotiation skills.
License checks and the Blue Ribbon Panel
Each candidate's license is matched to the state record. Five Star notes license status and any disciplinary history, and a winner needs a current license in good standing.
A Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers reviews the candidates and can remove ones it feels are not worthy. Safeguards stop a single panel member from removing a candidate alone. Favorable and unfavorable evaluations both count, and Five Star says it guards against "back-scratching" and "stuffing the ballot."
The five requirements to win
- A qualifying evaluation score.
- An active license as a real estate salesperson.
- At least five years of active employment as a licensed salesperson.
- A favorable review of regulatory and complaint history.
- Minimum production on a one-year and three-year basis, measured by number of transactions, dollar value or both.
Source: Five Star's published research methodology (current version, accessed November 2026).
Do agents pay for the Five Star award?
Agents do not pay to be included in Five Star Professional's research or to be named a winner. Agents can pay to add profile information to a print special section, and they can pay for other tools that publicize the award. Five Star says buying these does not influence who is included or excluded.
A Five Star San Diego spotlight page carries this footnote: "Winners appearing on this page do not pay a fee to be considered or to win the Five Star Award. Professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee."
The fee model has critics. A FatFIRE article on Five Star's wealth-manager award asks whether that award is legitimate or a pay-to-play scheme.
The piece is about financial advisors, not real estate agents.
How many agents win the Five Star award?
Five Star Professional caps the final list at no more than 7% of agents in each research area. Numeric thresholds, such as minimum production, are set after candidates submit their data forms, so the list can be sized for each market.
Five Star's 2015 San Diego list ran in a special section of San Diego Magazine's March issue. Fewer than 7% of the 21,902 real estate agents in the San Diego area were selected, Village News reported. For the list in San Diego Magazine's April 2017 issue, it reported fewer than 6%.
We have not seen a public count for 2027.
What the Five Star award doesn't measure
The Five Star award rests on client and peer evaluations plus a set of minimum requirements. None of the ten client criteria is sale price, and none compares what a home sold for against its list price.
Production counts only as a minimum, looked at over one year and three years, and Five Star sets that threshold per market. Clearing it is pass or fail.
Candidates certify that the data they submit is accurate.
Five Star's own disclaimers say the award does not indicate future performance and is not an endorsement by Five Star Professional.
Five Star says the list is not intended to be exhaustive. An agent missing from it was not necessarily rated poorly.
Other recognitions measure verified sales results and Google review standing.
Five Star vs REAL Trends vs BusinessRate
Five Star measures client and peer satisfaction, with minimum requirements. REAL Trends Verified ranks on brokerage-reported transaction data that is verified before ranking, so it measures production. BusinessRate ranks businesses using only Google review data from the same category and area.
| Recognition | Five Star Real Estate Agent | REAL Trends Verified | BusinessRate |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Client and peer satisfaction, with minimum requirements | Production | Google review standing |
| Main data source | Third-party surveys of recent buyers and sellers, peer evaluations, online review sites | Brokerage-reported transaction data, verified before ranking | Google reviews in the same category and area only |
| How it scores | Ten client criteria plus a recommend-to-a-friend cross-check; five requirements to win | Verified transaction data | 0 to 300 score; all-time reviews 60%, last 90 days 33%, review quality 7% |
| List size | No more than 7% of agents in each research area | Not covered here | Not covered here |
The BusinessRate weights come from Main Street Hanover's summary of how BusinessRate scores businesses. Our awards page shows how Darin Triolo and our team show up on each of these.
How to read an award badge when you're choosing an agent
Start with who gave the award and what that organization measures. Then check the year on the badge, because Five Star researches each market every year.
Five Star requires a current license in good standing to win. You can check a California agent's license yourself with the California DRE public license lookup, searching by name or license ID. The DRE also publishes a separate Disciplinary Actions page.
Our guide covers how to choose a real estate agent in San Diego.
Five Star award questions
Is Five Star Professional legit?
Five Star Professional has run its real estate award since 2003. It uses third-party client surveys, peer evaluations, a license and complaint history check and a Blue Ribbon Panel review, plus safeguards against stuffing the ballot. A FatFIRE article on its wealth-manager award asks whether that award is legitimate or a pay-to-play scheme. That critique concerns financial advisors.
Can a real estate agent nominate themselves for the Five Star award?
No. Five Star Professional does not accept self-nominations. Candidates come from consumer evaluations, peer evaluations and a review of online consumer evaluation websites. They then must meet five requirements, including at least five years as a licensed salesperson and a favorable review of their regulatory and complaint history.
Can I submit a Five Star evaluation for my agent?
Yes. Clients of an agent can submit an evaluation through Five Star's consumer evaluation form, and recent buyers and sellers also receive surveys from a third party. One buyer or seller can evaluate up to two agents, one for the purchase side and one for the sale side.
Does a Five Star agent get a higher sale price?
Five Star makes no such claim. Its own disclaimer says the award is not indicative of an agent's future performance, and none of the ten client criteria is sale price. For sale results, verified transaction data, the kind REAL Trends Verified uses, is a closer measure.
How often is the Five Star award given?
Every year. Five Star Professional conducts its research annually in each market it covers. An agent has to meet a production minimum over both a one-year and a three-year period, counted in transactions, dollar value or both.
Why do Five Star winners appear in magazines?
Five Star may publish winners in a special section in local magazines or newspapers. Winners can pay to add profile information to a section and pay for other tools to publicize the award, and Five Star says that purchase does not influence selection. A Five Star spotlight page notes that professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee.
See how our team measures up
Our awards page lists the team's recognitions with their sources. Buying or selling in San Diego County? Reach us on the contact page.
Triolo Realty Group is a real estate team affiliated with Keller Williams Realty, Keller Williams Carmel Valley/Del Mar (CA DRE #01524589). Darin Triolo, REALTOR®, California real estate salesperson, CA DRE #01376927.
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