CHANTILLY, Va., Sept. 19, 2011- Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc., the largest independent residential real estate company in the U.S., announced today that Marianne Prendergast, McLean, Va., ranked 164th out of 250 for real estate teams nationwide, based on closed sales volume in 2010, as ranked by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends, Inc.

Prendergast, considered a leader in the Northern Virginia real estate market, has more than 25 years of experience working with buyers and sellers. Her team is supported by real estate professionals who provide 24-hour, 7 days of week service.

"Being recognized as a leader in these national rankings comes only with a steadfast dedication to serving local buyers and sellers," said Prendergast. "We are proud of our national ranking and we will continue to bring our customers the level of service and expertise they can expect from one of the top-ranking residential real estate teams in the country."

In total, 16 Long & Foster teams were ranked in the survey of the nation's top 250 sales professionals by closed volume and transaction sides for 2010. Three individual sales agents were ranked in the top 250 associates nationwide based on the amount of closed transactions volume.

"Long & Foster continues to be the brokerage of choice for many of the top-producing real estate professionals in this region," says Gary Scott, president of Long & Foster® Real Estate. "With an industry-leading suite of tools and technology and the unparalleled support that comes from a full-service brokerage, our agents continue to thrive in a swiftly-evolving real estate environment."

"Long & Foster sales professionals best serve buyers and sellers in reaching their homeownership goals by being the most knowledgeable in their markets and having the latest technology at their fingertips," Scott adds. "We are committed to supporting our sales force so that they remain leaders in their markets."

The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends rankings are based on a survey of more than 7,000 brokerage firms, associations of Realtors® and other sources to determine the top real estate professionals in the U.S. Now in its sixth year, the survey ranks top-producing teams and individual sales agents based on closed sales volume and closed transaction sides. Transaction sides recognize that in each real estate transaction, there are two sides that can be represented by a real estate agent, a buyer's and a seller's. It is the only independent study of its kind where all of the results from individual submissions are independently verified through third-party sources.