We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Ward recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The Story Behind My Mission:

I grew up in Carmel, California—a place known for its beauty and affluence—but my personal experience was quite different. I’m the daughter of a hardworking general engineering contractor, and much of my early life was shaped by grit, resilience, and a family deeply rooted in construction. My dad owned Rehak General Engineering & Construction, and every home we lived in, we built together, as a family.

Instead of after-school playdates or sports practices, my siblings and I were picked up and taken to job sites. We weren’t there to watch—we were there to work. From a very young age, we were expected to pitch in: framing, hanging drywall, installing roofing—whatever the project called for and whatever we were old enough to handle. That’s just how it was. We worked side by side until the day we each eventually left home.

We didn’t do it for fun—we did it to build a future. To get ahead, we’d flip homes or construct them from the ground up, live in them for two years, sell them, and start the cycle again. It was a constant rhythm of creation and transition.

Each time we sold a home, we worked with a real estate agent. But we never used the same one twice. No one ever seemed to truly represent us. My dad always felt like we were just another paycheck—unheard, underserved, and unimportant. I remember thinking even then: There has to be a better way to do this.

That belief eventually became my mission.

I transitioned from the building side of real estate to the representation side with a vision: to create a real estate experience rooted in connection, care, and excellence. One where every client feels seen, heard, and fiercely advocated for.

I built my business on the foundation of trust, consistency, and heart. Because this work—helping people buy and sell their homes—is not just a job. It’s a responsibility. A sacred one.

Our homes are so much more than structures. They’re the settings for our most meaningful moments—where babies are born, birthdays celebrated, dreams discussed around kitchen tables. They’re vehicles for generational wealth, for stability, for hope.

When clients work with us, they’re not just hiring an agent—they’re gaining a full-service, concierge-level team that takes care of every detail, every step of the way. We coordinate everything: from prepping and staging to painting, cleaning, roofing, pest work, inspections, and beyond. We don’t put homes on the market without making sure they shine—because we know presentation drives value.

For buyers, we understand that this is not just a financial decision—it’s an emotional one. They’re imagining futures filled with weddings, babies, retirement, grandchildren. And we don’t take that lightly. Our goal is to help make those dreams reality.

We’ve built our business almost entirely on referrals—through relationships with past and present clients, our community, and other agents. When the deal closes, the relationship doesn’t. We stay connected, because to us, our clients are family.

This business isn’t easy. It takes hustle, heart, and long hours. But I didn’t get into it for the money—I got into it because I knew it could be done better. I set out to be the kind of agent my family always needed but never found.

This is our “why.” It’s what drives us. It’s what keeps us evolving, improving, and showing up—fully, fiercely, and with purpose. Because we believe that in this industry, we can be the change. And we’re doing it, one client at a time.

Kimberly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Kimberly Ward—founding agent at Compass in Santa Cruz, co-lead of Surf City Estates Group, and a proud mom of four. But long before I ever held a real estate license, I was a little girl sweeping sawdust off job sites, helping hang drywall, and learning the value of hard work from my dad, a general engineering contractor who owned Rehak General Engineering & Construction.

We didn’t just live in houses—we built them. My family was always in motion, flipping homes, building from scratch, and living in each one just long enough to sell it and start again. Instead of playdates, I was handed a toolbelt. We framed walls, installed roofing, cleaned up messes, and put in sweat equity with the hope of getting ahead. We weren’t wealthy, but we were determined.

Each time we sold a home, we worked with a real estate agent—and each time, we felt like just another transaction. My dad never felt truly represented or heard. That experience stayed with me. I knew, even then, that there had to be a better way to do this business.

That belief became the foundation for my mission.

Today, I lead a relationship-driven, referral-based real estate business that prioritizes people over transactions and service over sales. I believe real estate is sacred—it’s about home, legacy, and the lives unfolding within those walls. Whether you’re buying your first home, upsizing, downsizing, or investing in your future, our job is to make the process seamless, strategic, and deeply personal.

At Surf City Estates Group, we provide a full-service, concierge-style experience. For sellers, that means overseeing everything—prep, staging, vendor coordination, inspections, pricing strategy, and strategic marketing—to ensure your home hits the market with maximum impact and sells for top dollar. For buyers, it means deeply understanding your vision, protecting your investment, and helping you find a home where your life can truly take root.

What sets us apart is that we’re not just agents—we’re advocates, problem-solvers, and connectors. We’ve curated a network of trusted vendors, contractors, and specialists, and we manage every moving part so our clients don’t have to. Our communication is consistent, our service is intentional, and our relationships are lifelong.

I’m proud that our business is built entirely on trust and referrals. That doesn’t happen by chance—it happens by showing up for people, again and again, with integrity, heart, and hustle. Our clients know they’re never just a file or a closing date to us—they’re family.

This work is my calling. It’s rooted in my story, my values, and my unwavering belief that real estate can and should be done differently—thoughtfully, wholeheartedly, and with intention.

That’s who we are. That’s Surf City Estates Group. And we’re honored every time someone invites us to be part of their story.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I always joke that the story of how I met my business partner sounds like a love story—because, in a way, it kind of is. It starts with the line: “The day she walked into my door…” and I mean that quite literally.

It was just a few months before the world shut down in 2020. Shawndy had reached out to preview one of my listings for a client of hers. We had never met before, and I had no idea that opening that front door would mark the beginning of something so meaningful. We stood in the doorway and talked—and talked—and talked. It may have only been 30 minutes, but it felt like hours. By the time I walked her through the home, it was clear the house wasn’t the right fit for her client… but somehow, it was the perfect moment for us.

There are those rare connections in life that feel instantly familiar, like you’ve known the person forever. That’s what it was like with Shawndy. She radiated something special—bright, grounded, and magnetic. She was someone you wanted to know, someone you could learn from, laugh with, and admire all at once.

We kept in touch, and not long after, she called me again—but this time, it was to learn more about Compass, the brokerage I had helped launch in Santa Cruz. That alone felt like a huge win. Our local real estate community is tight-knit, and even though Compass had been around for a bit, it was still viewed as the “new kid” in town. Bringing on new agents—especially one as sharp, kind, and respected as Shawndy—was no small feat. When she made the jump, just weeks before COVID hit, I could hardly believe it. It felt like a sign.

From that point on, we were in constant collaboration—calls about challenging escrows, help covering showings when one of us was traveling, late-night texts about business ideas or life problems. We co-listed, brainstormed, and leaned on each other in ways that only two people with shared life experience truly can.

We’d both been single moms, clawing our way out of rock-bottom seasons and rebuilding lives we could be proud of—for our kids and for ourselves. We knew what it meant to work hard, to heal, to give grace, and to grow. Shawndy was a few steps ahead in that personal journey, and for me, she quickly became part mentor, part best friend, and part sister. Someone recently said we “trauma bonded”—and while I laughed at first, I realized they weren’t entirely wrong. Shared struggle has a way of forging the strongest connections.

Each year, our individual businesses grew—and so did our friendship. We’d casually float the idea of joining forces, but the timing never felt quite right. Until it did.

At the start of 2024, we made a pact: we’d spend the year intentionally—laying the groundwork, building systems, aligning visions—and at the start of 2025, we’d officially merge our brands under Surf City Estates at Compass.

And that’s exactly what we did.

We walked into 2025 as partners in every sense of the word. Not just in business, but in purpose. We made a commitment to each other and to our families to seek balance, to support one another, and to finally prioritize the lives we were building while building for others. And it’s been the best year yet—not just because of the growth we’ve seen professionally, but because of how we’ve grown personally, together.

It all started with a knock at the door… and one unforgettable conversation that neither of us saw coming.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When you’re a working mom, the idea of balance feels more like a myth than a reality. There’s always something—someone—you feel you’re letting down. And more often than not, it’s the people at home.

I’m a mom to four amazing kids: three boys—15, 13, and 11—and a spirited 6½-year-old daughter. But before this season of stability, there was a time when I was doing it all on my own. I was a single mom with a brand-new baby, a toddler, and a preschooler, just trying to keep the lights on and the fridge full. That’s when I really began to build my real estate career—hustling seven days a week, taking my kids to 8 p.m. showings, missing first steps, first words, first everything… just to survive.

Eventually, life shifted. My business stabilized. I remarried someone wonderful. But the pace never changed. The 15-hour days. The missed bedtimes. The constant hustle. Real estate has a way of convincing you that the grind is the only way—especially when you’ve once been in a position where you lost everything. Slowing down has always felt risky to me, almost irresponsible.

Then COVID hit, and the market chaos pushed everything into overdrive. Burnout didn’t creep in—it slammed the door wide open. By 2023, I had to face a hard truth: I was missing my children’s childhood. I was providing everything but myself. I was physically present and emotionally absent—and I hated that.

At the same time, my dear friend and now-business partner, Shawndy, was feeling the exact same thing. We weren’t partners then, but we were leaning on each other—comparing stories, venting, dreaming of another way. And then one day, we decided it wasn’t going to be a dream anymore. We had to pivot, and we had to do it with purpose.

So, we did.

We partnered officially at the beginning of 2025 and made a bold commitment: to rebuild our business—and our lives—with intention. We hired a coach. We invested in systems. We brought on support to lift the day-to-day burden off our shoulders. And we began the slow, necessary work of unlearning the habits that kept us stuck in survival mode.

We’re only six months in, and we’re not there yet. But we’re closer. Our goal isn’t perfection—it’s presence. We’re working toward five-day workweeks, not seven. Healthier hours. Healthier homes. And above all, the ability to show up fully—not just for our clients, but for our kids, our families, and finally… for ourselves.

It’s still messy. Some days we get it right, and other days we don’t. But we’re not going back. This pivot wasn’t just about changing the way we run our business. It was about reclaiming the lives we’re building it for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://surfcityestates.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surfcityestates/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surfcityestates/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-ward-133628100/