Kimberly Knapp

Client-focused approaches to real estate are common, but few have embraced them the way Kim Knapp has with Coldwell Banker Vanguard in Fleming Island, Florida. Kim and her team have built a remarkable referral base and created innovative outreach programs in the community that encourage a symbiotic relationship between the real estate community and the neighborhoods they serve. These efforts have helped land the team in the top ten REALTORS in Jacksonville year after year. Kim's approach to the business has always been a dynamic one. "Early on in the game, I decided that if I wanted to be successful I should find out what successful people in the industry do," she explains. From the beginning, she set an ambitious course for herself. When she first arrived in Florida she found herself in a newly developed neighborhood and decided to start her career right there, farming the community, starting a neighborhood website and becoming the agent for the area. With her friends and neighbors as clients it was more important than ever to deliver high caliber service and in Kim's view, the client is always the first priority. "Being in real estate has nothing to do with selling houses, or just opening lock boxes" she says. "People are looking for a home, a place of refuge at the end of a long day, or to celebrate the most important moments of their lives. That's a big decision and I'm here to help them make that vision a reality." Helping clients reach that decision means sometimes delivering hard truths or sorting through their list of requirements to find the things that are truly important to the client. "I want my clients to love coming home at the end of the day," says Kim. "I want them to walk into their house every day and know they made the right decision." In order to help her deliver the high level of service that her clients have come to expect, Kim has surrounded herself with a team that shares her dedication. She is backed by a full time property manager, a marketing coordinator a transaction coordinator and a licensed Realtor assistant. "It's hard to be a one man band in this industry," she says. "The more listings you have the more buyers you have available and the more agents you are able to network with. All of these factors lead to more success, more knowledge and more experience." In the past 14 years, Kim and her team have managed over $400 million in sales.