REAL Trends + Tom Ferry The Thousand, as advertised in The Wall Street Journal, is an annual, national awards ranking sponsored by REAL Trends—the Trusted Source—and Tom Ferry International coaching. Designees are recognized as the top one-tenth of one percent of more than 1.4 million licensed Realtors® nationwide. Rankings are compiled based on surveys from virtually every national branded network, state and local associations of Realtors®, multiple listing services, all applicants from past years’ rankings, and the 900 largest brokerage firms in the United States. Verification from an independent source is required for all submissions. In addition, REAL Trends senior staff reviews every submission for completeness and accuracy.