Luxury Homes and Real Estate - Sotheby’s International Realty

When Maralee changed careers a few years ago from banking to real estate, one of the main attractions was the idea of being a fiduciary again for her clients. In California this means she has the duty of utmost care, integrity, honesty and loyalty for the people she is privileged to help. Her clients want to work with someone they can trust, and this is often the reason for the number of referrals she receives.

While in college at Marymount in Tarrytown, New York, Maralee discovered that one visit to Los Angles was enough to tell her this was where she wanted to live. She finished her year abroad in Spain, graduated early and came to UCLA to earn an MA in Latin American studies with a focus on international finance and an MBA in marketing. Her background of 16 years in various careers at Bank of America has proved to be of great help to her real estate clients in these challenging times. While she worked in marketing and public relations and as an economist, she found that the most satisfying time for her was the 11 years she spent working as an investment counselor and trust officer for clients from all over the world. Through referrals and investment knowledge she was able to grow her portfolio of investment assets from $30 to $300 million.

Maralee believes it is important to help people through the entire real estate process, from deciding to buy or sell their home, to choosing a community where they want to work or live, to helping them become comfortable in that community. This may mean knowing about good schools, how to find a good electrician or what cultural activities are available.

Maralee is a licensed real estate broker, member of the California Association of Realtors and short sale and foreclosure resource specialist. It is also her privilege to work with a very special group of Realtors who cover most of the area from downtown to the ocean. Each specializes in a certain area so that clients are always working with the local area specialist. The goal of this group is to ensure the best possible representation.

Maralee lives in Santa Monica. She volunteers doing public relations for the Santa Monica Bay Women's Club, working with the SM Conservancy and League of Women Voters, and is a docent at the Museum of the American West and member of the Junior League. Her fluency in Spanish has enabled her to help many children learn to read. She has traveled and lived in various countries and recently returned from a trip to Australia with an international rowing team.