George is knowledgeable, up to date, and still does business in much of the northeastern United States. George holds his licenses with Gibson SIR in Massachusetts, Gustave White SIR in Rhode Island, New London SIR in New Hampshire, Vermont Country Properties SIR in Vermont, William Pitt SIR in Connecticut, and Legacy Properties SIR in Maine! PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY:
A consummate professional with over
30 years of experience in luxury residential real estate, George Ballantyne serves the Greater Boston Area as a highly respected expert in pricing, marketing, and negotiating high-end properties. With his in-depth knowledge of the market and all of its nuances, Mr. Ballantyne is adept at helping buyers and sellers successfully navigate even the most challenging and complex aspects of luxury real estate purchases and sales. In the past year, his Greater Boston Area sales have achieved on average 95 percent of their original listing price, and have gone under contract on average in less than 60 days. Ballantyne has participated in more than 2,000 luxury sales throughout New England. He has achieved record-breaking sales of exceptional properties in every New England state which include “Castle-in-the-Clouds”, the historic Lucknow Estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire; “Skylands”, the Seal Harbor, Maine estate purchased by Martha Stewart; “The Anchorage”, the former Rockefeller estate in Seal Harbor, Maine; and “Brookhurst”, an historic Berkshire estate in Lenox, Massachusetts. Ballantyne first joined Sotheby’s International Realty in 1978 as Senior Vice President, establishing the firm’s affiliate network in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Tri-State regions, the Midwest, and Eastern Canada. Additionally, Mr. Ballantyne established and headed the New England Regional Office of the firm, providing comprehensive high-level services for property listings as well as programs for the on-going training of agents in the luxury market. He has also served as a liaison between Sotheby’s International Realty and Sotheby’s fine arts auction house. Prior to joining Sotheby’s International Realty, Mr. Ballantyne worked for Citibank’s Financial Management division in New York, serving the banking needs of high net worth clients. During his tenure there, he introduced the concept of fine arts as collateral for demand loans, which became the foundation of Sotheby’s Financial Services. Prior to that, he worked with the Director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, cataloguing the Tannehill Collection of French Impressionist paintings and drawings. A Back Bay resident of 30 years, Mr. Ballantyne serves on the Board of Trustees of Historic New England and on the Board of Overseers of the MSPCA. He formerly served on the Board of the American Repertory Theater. Ballantyne holds a B.A. from The College of Wooster, an M.A. from Columbia University, and an M.B.A. from Boston University. Along the lines of his career that was to follow, he wrote his theses on “18th-Century Architecture in Newport, Rhode Island” and “Frank Lloyd Wright and His Clients”, which focuses on a study of those who desire to live in a Wright-designed house, and examines the relationship between the iconic architect and his clients.
