Sara Suidinski

A LOVE FOR FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND REAL ESTATE

By Amanda Matkowski

Photos by Jacob Harr with harr Creative LLC

Real estate has always been a family endeavor for Sara Suidinski, so when she officially joined the industry, it felt natural. “My husband encouraged me for years to get into real estate,” Sara explained. “He saw my potential and love for homes and design and thought that it would be a great fit. He was right. I got my license in 2015 and haven’t looked back. I love it!”

Photo by Nathaniel Foster with Firestorm Photography

Although her husband, Kurt, has sold real estate for 28 years, Sara got her first taste of the industry through her parents. Both hardworking entrepreneurs, her dad was a builder and her mom is an interior designer. While Sara was growing up in Grandville, Michigan, each of her parents owned their own company, and, as a result, Sara watched them experience all the good — and bad — aspects of business ownership. “They sacrificed a lot to pursue their dreams and taught me invaluable lessons about commitment and seizing opportunity,” Sara said.

When Sara began her journey into real estate, she was initially uncertain about taking the leap. Like many agents during the downturn in 2008, Kurt struggled in real estate, which made it a difficult time for Sara and her family. To help make ends meet, Sara sold credit card processing part time while also raising their two young children. “We saw some tough times when the bottom fell out of the market,” she recalled.

“It was a big reason I was hesitant at first to get my real estate license. I was fearful of what could happen to both of our incomes if something like that happened again.”

Seven years later, Sara and her husband now own Suburban Realty Group (SRG). As an agent and REALTOR®, Sara has achieved a career volume of over $55 million — $12.5 million of which she generated in 2020. For the past three years, she has also been recognized as a Top 100 REALTOR® in the Greater Regional Alliance of REALTORS®.

Suburban Realty Group is a small brokerage with eight agents, one full-time assistant and one marketing “guru.” “We do not have a team structure: We are a group — we all work to help each other, but we each have our own business within the group,” Sara explained. She has discovered that being a business owner is incredibly rewarding and is proud of how the group has grown from two agents to eight. “We are thankful for the people we have in place within Suburban,” she added.

As a group, SRG supports many charities and organizations such as Eastern Ottawa Young Life, Grace Adventures, The Road men’s ministry, the Hudsonville Athletic Boosters and the church that the Suidinskis attend in downtown Grand Rapids. “I feel that giving back to our communities, either financially or by time spent volunteering, is so rewarding,” Sara said. “SRG’s focus in the next year is to choose one specific nonprofit to support as a group. We are working through that vision now and are excited about opportunities to come.”

Photo provided by Sara Suidinski

Within her business, Sara is very passionate about building relationships. “It is the number-one thing I love about my job. I have made lasting friendships while helping people make one of their biggest decisions of their lives,” she explained. Sara also loves being able to visit a variety of homes, checking out new trends, and helping clients reimagine old spaces and turn them into their dream homes.

When Sara is not working, she enjoys cooking and playing golf. She is also an avid reader who loves magazines — Southern Living is her favorite — as well as thriller and mystery books. In addition to reading, she absolutely loves watching cooking shows. “I don’t get starstruck much, but if I ran into Ina Garten from ‘Barefoot Contessa,’ I would definitely need an autograph!” she joked.

Like Sara, Kurt is also a great cook and frequent golfer. The couple has been together since Sara was 16 years old. Their daughter, Samantha, is currently an interior design student in her second year of college. Their son, Cody, plays varsity golf for Hudsonville and helps Kurt part time with his business. As a family, they like to travel. “We really want to focus on showing our kids as much as possible while they still want to hang out with us,” Sara said, laughing. They also like to try out the newest restaurant hotspots in Grand Rapids.

Photo by Nathaniel Foster with Firestorm Photography

Sara looks forward to actively selling and investing in real estate for many more years to come. She feels very blessed by all the support she has received over the years from her family and community, and she hopes that she will be remembered for doing the right thing and for running her business with integrity. “We are part of one of the greatest industries in the world,” Sara said, “and I hope when I am ready to finally put the signs and key boxes away for good someday, I will have left a little impact, and someone will remember me and be thankful that I led them in the direction of a home where they made a lifetime of memories.”

Sara Suidinski - Agent Spotlight