3500 Peachtree Road NW, Suite 500 Atlanta, GA 30305
Debra Johnston is widely recognized as one of Atlanta’s most accomplished and trusted luxury real estate advisors—an industry leader whose career is defined by results, discretion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. With more than 22 years of experience and over $462 million in closed sales, Debra has built a reputation not only for extraordinary outcomes but for the caliber of experience she delivers to her clients at every stage of the transaction.
Her success is the result of a rare combination: deep market intelligence, refined negotiation expertise, and a sophisticated understanding of how luxury properties are positioned, marketed, and sold at the highest level. For Debra, real estate is not transactional—it is strategic, personal, and tailored. Every client engagement is approached with precision, confidentiality, and a long-term view of value.
Debra is consistently ranked among the top luxury agents in Atlanta for Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and is a by-invitation member of the International Luxury Alliance (ILA), representing the state of Georgia. The ILA is an exclusive network of approximately 85 of the top luxury brokers in the United States, selected for their production, professionalism, and influence in elite markets. Membership is not applied for—it is earned through performance and peer recognition. This national platform provides Debra’s clients with direct exposure to the most qualified buyers and brokers across the country and internationally, creating a powerful advantage for both sellers and buyers of trophy properties.
Throughout her career, Debra has demonstrated an exceptional ability to sell high-value homes efficiently and decisively. She has successfully closed three properties priced above $8 million, each in record time, outperforming market averages and competing listings. Her career highlight was a sale in Gainesville, Georgia, of a unique estate property on 455 acres that sold for $15.5M. These results are not coincidental. They reflect her disciplined pricing strategy, her command of buyer psychology, and her ability to generate urgency and demand through precision marketing and expert positioning.
Debra’s clients benefit from her ability to anticipate market shifts, identify opportunity, and protect value—particularly in complex transactions involving custom estates, architectural homes, new construction, land, or legacy properties. She is known for her calm authority at the negotiation table and her ability to navigate high-stakes deals with clarity and discretion, often resolving challenges before they surface.
A 35-year resident of Buckhead, Debra possesses an intimate, first-hand understanding of Atlanta’s most prestigious neighborhoods, including Buckhead, Tuxedo Park, Chastain Park, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Vinings, and select North Georgia markets such as Lake Burton, Lake Lanier, and Blue Ridge. This long-standing local knowledge—combined with two decades of professional experience—allows her to offer insights that extend far beyond surface-level market data. She understands how streets, parcels, architecture, privacy, and lifestyle intersect to influence long-term value.
Clients rely on Debra not only for what she knows, but for how she thinks. Her background includes a successful corporate career with KPMG and The Coca-Cola Company, where she developed the analytical rigor, financial acumen, and strategic planning skills that now distinguish her real estate practice. This foundation is evident in her methodical approach to pricing, her ability to assess risk, and her comfort working with sophisticated clients, family offices, attorneys, and advisors.
Debra’s marketing philosophy reflects her belief that luxury properties require a bespoke strategy—never a template. Each listing is treated as a distinct asset with its own narrative, buyer profile, and global audience. Her campaigns are designed to elevate perception, control the story, and place the property in front of the right buyers, rather than simply the widest audience.
She leverages a refined mix of high-impact photography, cinematic videography, architectural storytelling, and targeted digital and print exposure. Properties are positioned not just as homes, but as lifestyle investments—places of experience, privacy, and distinction. Debra understands that at the luxury level, presentation is inseparable from value, and details matter.
Equally important is her ability to manage the client experience with precision and discretion. Debra is known for her concierge-level service, proactive communication, and hands-on involvement throughout the process. She is deeply attentive to timing, confidentiality, and alignment with her clients’ broader personal or financial goals. Whether representing a seller seeking maximum value with minimal disruption or a buyer pursuing a rare opportunity, Debra provides clarity, confidence, and control.
Her business is built almost entirely on repeat clients and referrals, a testament to the trust she earns and maintains. Clients often describe working with Debra as seamless, strategic, and reassuring—particularly in transactions involving significant financial and emotional considerations. She is respected for her honesty, her judgment, and her ability to deliver results without unnecessary noise.
Beyond individual transactions, Debra is regarded as a thought leader within Atlanta’s luxury real estate community. She is frequently consulted for her perspective on market trends, pricing strategy, and the evolving expectations of high-net-worth buyers. Her influence extends through her professional networks, national alliances, and long-standing relationships with top agents, developers, architects, and designers.
Despite her achievements, Debra remains deeply grounded in service. She believes that true success in luxury real estate is measured not only by volume, but by the quality of relationships built and the confidence clients feel long after a transaction closes. Her approach is deliberate, disciplined, and client-centric—designed to protect interests, create opportunity, and deliver exceptional outcomes.
In an industry where experience matters and trust is everything, Debra Johnston stands apart. Her career reflects a rare balance of performance and professionalism, strategy and service, local expertise and global reach. For clients seeking a sophisticated advisor who understands both the art and the economics of luxury real estate, Debra offers something increasingly rare: proven excellence, guided by integrity.
