March 2022 ~ Jacksonville Real Producers

KIRA SIKES

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SANDBAR BOX

Few can so powerfully serve a community, but there are even fewer who can be so undeniably the heart of a community as well.

Kira Sikes, owner of Sandbar Realty, is unquestionably one of these hearts of a community. Whether someone has been there forever or is looking to move in, Kira will be there to assist them with their needs.

“I am an advocate for the people who live here and want them to know that I am a resource to them for anything they need,” she explains. Sandbar Realty’s mission: “We do more than just open doors and sell houses...we provide consultation and planning services for your immediate and future real estate needs.”

GROWING UP STRONG

Kira was born in Nuremberg, Germany while her mother was visiting her military father. Her family moved back into the United States, where they eventually settled in the Maxville area of Jacksonville. “My parents were basically born and raised in Florida, so this was considered their home, in which it became my home.”

Kira’s family moved from the country into the city in the mid-1990s. She graduated high school in 2002 and immediately set her sights on adventure. She highlights that “all I wanted to do was start my own business and travel the world. I didn’t want to be tied down by a husband or children.”

This plan was suddenly brought to a halt when she became pregnant in 2003, at the age of 18. “It was a huge pivotal moment that ultimately changed the entire direction my life was going,” she notes.

But such an unexpected circumstance is not nearly enough to stop someone like Kira. “Thankfully, my upbringing taught me that we move forward and push through. We just make things happen, no matter what is thrown our way, even if the things were a result of decisions we made ourselves.”

“But ultimately, it led me to my now-husband, and the world of real estate,” she explains. Much of what she has done has been for her first son. “I just hope and pray that every path I went down and pushed through showed him and instilled in him the same things I learned from my parents as a child.”

Now, 18 years later, she loves spending time with her family.

Kira enjoys spending time with her husband and sons.

SHIFTING INTO REAL ESTATE

Kira got her two-year degree in October of 2012. Shortly after her second son was born, she and her husband formed a partnership with a friend to run a very successful roofing company. Due to its growth, she and her husband had the opportunity to develop two successful roofing branches in Hawaii.

Although there are many benefits to living in Hawaii, “there is just no place like home.”

“Upon moving back to Jacksonville, there were a lot of goals and aspirations my husband and I had. One being, we wanted to begin investing into real estate through buying homes to rehab and resale.”

Providing High-quality Photography Services to Builders and RealtorsKira got her real estate license in 2014 with no intention of going into the outside community. She notes how this changed when “our business partner we had in the roofing industry asked me to list one of his rental properties for him.”

“What I would discover upon helping my friends and family is that I absolutely loved serving others earning money in their investments as well as seeing the joy inside the families when I found them their first or forever home.”

Kira has a passion for connecting with others: “I love to have fun with all my people, but I also take what I do very seriously and am always striving to make others’ lives better and easier for them.”

Kira recognizes that nearly all of her clients have similar goals. However, she also knows that every person is their own person, and so there is not a one-size-fits-all approach in this industry. “A lot of professionals in this business focus on the here and now. My approach is a little different in that aspect,” she elaborates. “I like to call it the ‘outside the sandbar box’ approach. I focus on the long-term or the bigger picture. I try to instill this in all my past, current, and even future clients.”

Kira is thankful for her parents and children.

I focus on the longterm or the bigger picture. I try to instill this in all my past, current, and even future clients.

She talks about how she will take in clients that no others are willing to. “They were turned away simply because their credit wasn’t great, and the real estate professional couldn’t help them because they, the buyer, didn’t have the credit to buy right now.”

“It’s all about figuring out what each person needs and wants, then finding a way to make that happen for them. Finding a way to get ‘outside the sandbar box’ to figure out the fastest, and best way to make their dreams and goals come to life. To get them off their stranded ‘sandbar’ amidst the crashing waves and help them to their ‘new shore’ they want to venture on.”

REACHING FURTHER

Kira never stops looking to the future. Sandbar Realty is currently preparing to launch its newest property management division. She is currently searching for the perfect property manager to help in this expansion. “We hope to provide our investment clients who believe in the value of providing great rentals

for the people in our community, the best experience available,” she shares. “We think it is very important to screen possible tenants to the max in order to make sure we are putting quality people in our clients’ homes.”

Sandbar Realty has an additional ongoing project serving its community. What Kira calls their “hero program,” Sandbar Realty offers special opportunities to save on various services to its local heroes, such as teachers, healthcare professionals, military, law enforcement, and other public servants who are buying or selling a home in Northeast Florida.

Kira Sikes is dedicated to her people and her profession. This is reflected in Sandbar Realty’s tagline: “Providing direction and strong foundations through the changing tides.” It is beyond clear that she and Sandbar Realty truly care about each person that they have the honor of meeting.

For more information about Sandbar Realty: Website: linktr.ee/SandbarRealty Hero Program: www.sandbarrealtyjax. com/resources/localslighthouse