Shirley Gary, Atlanta’s #1 selling real estate agent, and several of her team members have departed Engel & Volkers for Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate, the exclusive Atlanta-area affiliate of the Christie’s International Real Estate global luxury network.

Gary, who previously owned an Engel & Volkers franchise with offices in Buckhead and north Fulton County, will be joined at Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate by more than 25 former Engel & Volkers agents. Collectively, they serve a variety of upscale communities including Buckhead, Midtown, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Milton, Marietta, Alpharetta and the mountain resort town of Blue Ridge about 90 miles north of Atlanta.  

Top Ranked Agent

According to brokerage-industry consultant RealTrends, Gary is ranked #1 among all individual real estate agents both in the Atlanta metro area and the entire state of Georgia, based on 2022 closed sales volume of $191.4 million encompassing 263 transactions. The RealTrends rankings also place her among the top 100 individual agents in the country for sales volume and among the top 25 for transactions.

For the past nine years, Gary was also the #1 agent within the Engel & Volkers Americas network, based on number of transactions. And for eight of those years, she was #1 across the brand’s global network.

With the addition of Gary, Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate now has the #1 and #2 selling agents in metro Atlanta and six of the top 10, according to RealTrends. Ansley also has the #1 team in Atlanta, Team Bonneau, with $469.2 million in closed sales in 2022.

The combined volume of the former Engel & Volkers agents who joined Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate this week totals more than $333 million.

In addition to existing-home sales, Gary has a prolific new-home sales business, representing several new-construction developments.

Tech, Marketing, Referrals and More

Gary, an Atlanta native, said she made the move to take advantage of the comprehensive resources and reach of Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate, including strong local leadership; a national and international network for relocation and referrals; a superior recognized brand; luxury marketing programs and partnerships; and a great company culture.

“I wanted to find the best place for me and my colleagues, and Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate was the only firm in Atlanta that had all these benefits along with an incredible culture. We’re thrilled with the possibilities to grow our business and provide additional value to our clients,” Gary said.

Ansley also provides access to Christie’s International Real Estate’s proprietary technology, known as pl@tform™, which allows an agent to digitally manage all aspects of the client relationship and real estate transaction through one fully integrated system. The brand also offers a full curriculum of in-person and on-demand coaching and training. And Christie’s International Real Estate maintains an exclusive relationship with the separately owned but closely aligned Christie’s auction house for the referral of the sale of fine art and luxury goods.

Behind the Brand

“I’ve always been impressed with the way Shirley built and ran her business, and I knew that if she had access to the resources and support that we’ve gained over the past couple of years through our partnership with Christie’s International Real Estate, the impact for her would be exponential,” said Bonneau Ansley, founder and chairman of Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate. “I’m very excited to welcome Shirley and this group of exceptional agents to Ansley Christie’s International Real Estate.”

“In the luxury market, people place a lot of stock in a brand name, but it’s the tangibles behind that brand that are ultimately going to contribute to better service and better outcomes for agents and consumers. That’s why, lately, we’ve seen a number of top producers, including 9-figure producers like Shirley, making the move to Christie’s International Real estate,” added Thad Wong, co-CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate.

In the last 12 months, the fast-growing Christie’s International Real Estate network has added market-leading firms in luxury locations including Los Angeles, Miami, Naples, Fla., London, Munich, the Italian, Swiss, and French Alps, and several Caribbean islands. It has also onboarded $100 million+ agents and teams in markets including the San Francisco Bay Area, LA, Baltimore and Scottsdale.