Real big deals

Here's more evidence the residential market continues to shine on the Gulf Coast.

Residential brokerage tracker Real Trends publishes a much-anticipated ranking of the top firms and seven Gulf Coast brokerages made the list of companies with more than $1 billion in transactions.

Not surprisingly, the top brokerages were based in Naples and Sarasota, where prices of existing homes have risen at some of the fastest rates in the nation. Brokerages in Tampa and Lakeland also made a strong showing.