Mary Ellen Vanaken was born and raised in Long Island, New York. After graduating from college, she worked on Wall Street for JP Morgan in New York City. For the past 20 years, she has been living in the Alpharetta, Georgia with her husband and daughter. International travel and business are her passions and she loves to go to as many different countries of the world as possible and to indulge in the culture. Her certifications include CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist) and CFIS (Certified Foreign Investor Specialist) as well as being a member of KWGPS (Keller Williams Realty Global Property Specialist). In the past several years, Mary Ellen has worked to achieve several additional designations including CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist), SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialist and is e-Pro Certified. Mary Ellen has a daughter who gives her a real perspective on the school systems in the counties she calls her “backyard”. Her husband is from Belgium and they enjoying travelling together. She loves to play tennis and enjoys gardening and planting beautiful trees and flowers. Her house is like a small zoo! She has a golden retriever named Lucky and African Grey Parrots named Jack and Jill. If she’s working from home you will usually hear Jack and Jill in the background. They both speak English and sometimes include a few Dutch phrases. They have two aquariums full of fish. She has a wonderful marketing plan that will help you sell your house as quickly and easily as possible. She is a very outgoing person and is known to be aggressive in marketing your property. Her goal is to make YOU happy and she knows that buying and selling houses can be very stressful. Her job is to make it as stress-free as possible. With her background in accounting and finance, she will be able to help you find the best value your money can buy. Buying a home is probably the largest investment you will ever make, whether you are buying your first home or are upgrading to a larger home. Her backyard has everything available from starter homes, condominiums, investment properties to large estates.