Contributed

Born and raised in western Stanly County, Leonard Brooks has returned home to sell real estate again, this time with Blue Sand Realty & Design.

The move comes almost 30 years after Brooks left western Stanly for Ashe County.

“I’ve always been interested in real estate,” Brooks said.

As a teen, he would help his grandfather with carpentry work. That experience led Brooks to then purchase, rehab and resale numerous of his own properties.

“The next step was to help others as a real estate broker,” he says.

In 1990, Brooks received his real estate license, and in 1992 partnered to open Home Town Realty in downtown West Jefferson.

After running a firm in the mountains, Brooks and his wife of 49 years, Ella, decided it was time to return to their roots.

Blue Sand Realty & Design focuses its efforts on a custom client experience, with an eye for design and rehab.

“Here at Blue Sand we combine our experience in marketing, design and local real estate to ensure our clients are receiving top dollar for their listings,” Kelley Lowder said. “Although we are a small boutique agency, we are able to buy and sell with the same resources as the big guys.”

Brooks joins Lowder as an active agent at the firm at 251 W. Main St. in downtown Albemarle.

He says he is “happy to be back home and anxious to see and serve old friends, as well as make new ones.”

A member of Philadelphia Baptist Church since childhood, Brooks graduated from West Stanly High School in 1968.

He then served in the United States Navy from 1968-1972. His appreciation for hometown, fellow veterans and nature are defining qualities of Brooks.

Brooks and his wife have two children, Eric Brooks and Camey Brooks Whitley. He enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren, woodworking and frequenting his mountain cabin.