THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 10, 1996 TAG: 9606080180
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 50 lines
William L. Chorey treats all customers the same, whether they are buying a $50,000 house or a $500,000 house.
``People respect that,'' said Chorey, owner of Chorey & Associates Realty Ltd, 804 W. Washington St.
Customer satisfaction helped the company win Suffolk's Small Business of the Year Quality Award from the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, the company sold more than $7 million worth of real estate.
Chorey, 45, was named 1995 Salesperson of the Year by the Hampton Roads Realtors Association Inc. He and the company's other full-time agents - Harold L. Barrett, Rozanne K. Brown, Pamela M. Coppola and Harry Lee Weaver - each made the Million Dollar Sales Club, based on their sales volume.
Other employees are Doug Johnson, part-time agent; Faith Ashley, office manager; and Jenny Ward, secretary.
``I depend on them as much as they do on me,'' Chorey said.
He credits his company's success to ``absolute, unequivocal honesty with every respect of dealing with buyers and sellers.''
Word of mouth is the best advertisement, he said. ``A satisfied customer will tell the world,'' said Chorey, a Suffolk native. ``When you see `Sold' signs in a town like Suffolk, it spreads like wild fire.''
He appraises each property he lists to make sure the price is right.
``Why put a sign up and have grass grow up under it?'' he said. ``I can tell a buyer why it's a good buy if I've done my homework.''
Chorey originally planned to be a banker after getting a master's degree in business administration, but illness changed his plans.
In 1975, he started selling real estate for Cross Realty while recovering from colitis. He enjoyed the work so much that he opened his own firm three years later.
``I really love what I do,'' he said.
The firm appraises and manages property as well as selling commercial and residential real estate.
``It's real satisfying to me to see someone who has been renting for years actually purchasing a home, to see them out cutting the grass at their own home,'' he said. MEMO: [Related stories on pages 10 and 11.] ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL KESTNER
The Virginian-Pilot
William L. Chorey
KEYWORDS: SMALL BUSINESS by CNB