I grew up in Wales, where my parents were hoteliers, in the picturesque coastal town of Llandudno (shown above). I enjoyed competitive sailing on the Irish Sea and riding. Following in my shoes, my daughter has made a career of sailing and is now married to a dashing yacht captain with a one-year-old bouncing boy and another on the way.
I loved living near the ocean here in New York until we lost our previous home to Hurricane Sandy, during the first year doing business as an independent broker. Dark days indeed, but we pulled through. I live life with a positive attitude, even in times of great stress.
Now I satisfy my need to have water as a view with a small pond on our land. I have owned and invested in many homes around the world. I love renovating historic homes, and currently live in a 200-year-old stone barn, which we converted into a contemporary living space. It backs onto Harriman State Park, and many of the animals that live there tend to drop in every once in a while.
My background is in international sales & marketing and has served me well in real estate. My career began at British Airways, where I started as a marketing manager fresh out of college and eventually moved up the corporate ladder to VIP Passenger Relations Director. During my twelve years at BA, I gained my MBA in Business Marketing and was trained in Protocol.
After becoming a parent my family eventually decided to move our family back to North Wales, and a less hectic lifestyle. I subsequently joined Pilkington Communication Systems as International Sales & Marketing Director, where I did a stint on the USS La Salle during the first Gulf War. (Long Story!) In a roundabout way, this ultimately led me to the USA where I attended Northwestern and gained my MIMC (Masters in International Mass Communications.)
After a short stint in radio and TV (only in America!) I joined the George P. Johnson Group, as SVP Global Marketing & Operations. In this capacity, I got my first taste of real estate by pursuing many M&A opportunities. I traveled the world extensively, organizing exhibitions and conferences for many Fortune 500 companies, and presented at many conferences discussing global business and communications. As a member of the World Trade Center Association and a member of several committees, I eventually received sponsorship for a board position at the WTCA here in NYC. Little did I know that this position would ultimately lead me to pursue real estate as a career after the tragedy of 9/11.
I hit the ground running back in January 2002, selling 2 homes in my first week as an agent, and never looked back. But real estate isn't the nicest or kindest workplace, and after 10 years it became my goal to develop a very different style of real estate brokerage. Global Property Systems is a global marketing agency which specializes in selling real estate in the Hudson Valley of New York, and around the world. It is cloud-based with just two brick and mortar offices, our global headquarters in White Plains, NY, where our commercial and corporate relocation teams are based, and our small Manhattan office on Central Park West. We also have a corporate relocation team in Munich, Germany and our Asian teams of virtual assistants and website techs in Manila, Philippines. Both serve as a contact base for our many EMEA and APAC clients.
Over the past 7 years, we have built an amazing team of professionals, and offer far more than just a REALTOR® (Agent) to take care of our client's needs. Born of the frustration of coming into real estate from over 30 years in senior management marketing positions with Fortune 500 companies, I felt completely stifled by the traditional brokerage offerings to buyers, sellers and agents alike, and decided to break out from the norm by building a team of professional personnel. We are made up marketing and social media experts, supported by photographers (and licensed drone pilots,) a team of inside sales agents, transaction coordinators, copywriters, and web developers, all intent on backing up our "boots on the ground team" of Local Area Specialists (REALTORS®). All are thoroughly trained in our systems and possess the tools and abilities to negotiate the best price for our clients' purchases and sales.
Recently I completed the MIT Sloane School of Executive Management's Certification course in Blockchain Technology: Business Innovation and Application. As a member of FIBREE (Federation of International Blockchain Real Estate Experts) and have joined a Start-Up Company Consortia.realestate as their Global Industry Influencer and Blockchain Advisor. I am also proud to be the current Secretary-General for the Federation of International Real Estate Professionals (FIABCI) Global Communications Committee. All this is leading my company into the future of this ever-changing industry, keeping ahead of the large incumbents, remaining independent with the ability to test and adopt or drop. Something the big companies have a hard time doing.
I believe it's my no-nonsense, ethical and technological approach to real estate combined with my international business background which works so well. The entire team and our clients benefit from my vast global network of professionals, from attorney's to appraisers, to bankers and builders, our local experts ensure smooth transactions for all parties involved.
VANESSA SAUNDERS INMAN NEWS
