About Tristar Academy
Real estate education built on experience and carried forward by family
At Tristar Academy, we take real estate education seriously. Learning a definition is the beginning. Understanding the difference between two ownership arrangements, knowing which calculation a question calls for and explaining a contract to a client are the skills we want learners to build.
2015
Year Tristar Academy opened
75+
Years of combined experience among our owners
MD · DC · VA
Where we serve real estate professionals
Live
Instructor-led classes on Zoom
Our story
A family legacy in real estate education
Tristar Academy opened in 2015 with a simple purpose: to give future and working real estate professionals the strongest possible education. Our owners, Chris, Cindy and Sarah Sinanan, bring more than 75 years of combined experience to that work, and they continue to share it with students, agents and the instructors who teach alongside them.
Chris and Cindy Sinanan’s experience and contributions are part of the school’s foundation. Today, their daughter, S. Sarah Sinanan, leads the Academy as School Director, carrying that legacy forward while shaping what comes next for our students.
Leadership
S. Sarah Sinanan, School Director
Sarah earned her Maryland salesperson license at 18 and her broker license at 22, and she is an Associate Broker licensed in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Her work at Tristar began in 2014 and grew from administration into education coordination and leadership. She teaches exam preparation and continuing education, including Fair Housing, Ethics, Brokerage Relationships and Disclosures, Contracts and legislative updates, and trains real estate and property management professionals.
Our instructors
Every Tristar instructor is an active real estate professional. Students learn from people who apply the material in practice and can explain how it works beyond the textbook.
What we offer
Education for every stage of a real estate career
Get licensed
Maryland salesperson and broker prelicensing education prepares you for the PSI licensing exam. Choose live, instructor-led classes on Zoom or independent study options through our education partners.
PSI exam preparation
Focused review sessions help you find your weak areas, practice calculations and work through the concepts that keep tripping you up before test day.
Continuing education
Approved CE for real estate licensees in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia, including required topics, first-renewal packages and electives.
Professional development
Business enhancement courses that strengthen the skills agents use every day, from client communication to contracts and transaction management.
Team and organizational training
Training for brokerages, property management teams and organizations that want education connected to how their people actually work.
Notary public services
Our in-house notary public is available by appointment for documents that need notarization.
How we teach
Going beyond “What is the answer?”
Our classroom conversations go beyond memorizing the right choice. We make those questions part of the learning process so you leave with knowledge you can use with clients, not just on an exam.
■ Questions are part of the lesson
Students ask why one answer is right, when a rule applies and how they would explain it to someone else.
■ Concepts before memorization
A difficult concept deserves a clear explanation and an example you can work through, not just a definition to memorize.
■ Practice connected to the job
Knowing the rule matters, and communicating it accurately under pressure matters too.
We also train real estate teams and property management professionals. That work keeps the connection between education and practice in view. Whether you are preparing for PSI or developing your team, our purpose is to help you use what you learn.
Credentials
Approved and independent
Approved education provider
Tristar Academy is an approved real estate education provider with the Maryland Real Estate Commission and appears on the state’s approved provider list.
MHEC-approved career academy
Tristar Academy is an independent, private career academy approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Not a brokerage
Tristar Academy is not a real estate brokerage and has no affiliations with real estate brokerages. Our focus is education.
Get in touch
Visit or contact us
15630 Old Columbia Pike, Suite E #136
Burtonsville, MD 20866
From our blog
Why we created the Tristar Academy blog
The questions do not stop when class ends. How long will licensing take? What should you study for PSI? Which CE courses do you need? What happens after you pass? We created the blog to keep those conversations going, with practical explanations, classroom insights and guidance for every stage of a real estate career.
Posts are organized into four categories: Get Licensed, Stay Licensed, Grow Your Career and Industry Insights. Where requirements are involved, we link to official sources and connect each post to a relevant course or resource.