THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608160480
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: 117 lines
Interspersed among the local network of franchise realty companies, a vast number of small, independently owned and operated companies manage to survive, some even thriving within the realty jungle that exists today.
Pyle Realty Inc., in Virginia Beach, is a family owned business that is now ranked within the top 10% of companies in the Multiple Listing Service. Wife, Alice Pyle, is the company's President; husband, Roger, is the Principle Broker; and son, Allen, is an Associate Broker. The company's been in business for more than 15 years and now employs a dozen full time agents. The husband and wife team previously worked for a franchise realty company.
``We feel we fill a very important niche in the marketplace. We're very service oriented,'' says Alice. A favorite example she likes to give involves mall shopping, which isn't her cup of tea. There's too much going on, she says. You find what you're looking for, take it back to the dressing room and try it on. If it doesn't fit, you have to put your clothes back on, go back out and start all over again. She prefers shopping where she's recognized and employees will know what she's looking for, without wasting a lot of time. ``That's good service, and that's our specialty,'' she says.
Like large franchise companies, Pyle is a full service company, offering a wide range of services such as property management, relocation, resales and new construction, residential and commercial. Another important aspect of being in the business, she says, is being active on professional boards and councils.
Alice feels her company's clients appreciate their office's intimate climate. They're greeted by name when they call or visit and they're able to deal directly with their agent, without having to communicate with assistants. ``We're going to be with our client from beginning to end. In most cases, we start out with a client and end up with a friend.''
She said she's never had anyone complain that the company was too small for the job. ``We may be small, but we're everywhere,'' she states. A big part of their success, says Pyle, is that ``we're enthusiastic and we love what we do.'' Part of their ability to survive in this very competitive market is due to their flexibility.
Lack of corporate structure allows them to move quickly as the changes occur, she says.
``The majority of our business comes from referrals, so we must be doing something right,'' says Pyle.
Another local, independently owned company, Brent Realty Inc., in Suffolk, has been around since 1976.
Brent Sirmans, Broker, and his Realtor wife, Linda, employ 3 other Realtors in their office. Brent previously worked for a franchise company and believes the main reason independently owned companies survive amidst the flurry of franchise businesses is that the small companies don't have to pay the service fees required of the larger ones. When Sirmans worked for the larger company, he wasn't able to keep as much money from his sales as he would have liked, he says. Now he has more control and feels that he's able to give his customers better service.
``Franchises don't really offer more than we do,'' he says, for the Realtors or their clients. They are, however, able to pay for costly television advertisements, which most smaller companies can't afford. But, he says, ``you're your own person and if you don't make your own business, you won't make it anyway.''
Service is everything, according to one very satisfied Pyle Realty client, Kathy Jordan. She and her husband relocated from New Jersey to Virginia Beach. Their Linkhorn Oaks house took a year to complete and is the first in the new subdivision. They've moved a few times and have bought investment property, so they're familiar with real estate companies. They originally had a Realtor from a franchise company, but were disappointed in the services they received. ``They didn't understand me,'' says Kathy. ``We were on two different wave lengths. They weren't listening to me. I felt like they were wasting my time. They insisted on driving me around. I knew what I wanted and Alice looked for it. She goes above and beyond the call of duty.''
Jordan has experienced many advantages of dealing with a smaller company, but thinks that the amount of personalized attention you receive is the main advantage. ``It was almost like I became part of the family. I could walk into her office at any time and everyone knew me and was willing to help. I was also able to speak directly to Alice every time I called.'' Alice also performs an unusual and very welcome service by attending every house showing, says Jordan. ``She's always there,'' and obviously being the listing agent, she'll know more about the house than the realtor bringing the clients.
``Alice has become a real good friend. If I need anything, I can give her a call; I don't think you get that with a large company.''
``Good service is very important to people,'' says Mary Ann Smith, Broker. She and her husband, Samuel, own Smith Realty Group Inc., located in Chesapeake. They've been in business since 1987 and are the sole employees.
``We're really small, but we have all the tools of a large company and we strive to give good service. We have repeat clients and they refer us to others. That's the reason we've hung in there,'' she says. Smith says advertising is one of their best ways to get exposure; therefore they utilize the newspaper and trade magazines for that purpose.
Smith also enjoys the flexibility of being her own boss and working at her own pace. ``We're not in competition with other agents, like we would be in a franchise.''
``Through the years, a lot of our customers have said they like the smallness of the company; they feel more comfortable here.''
Personalized, quality service seems to be the common thread binding these companies and their clients together. In this busy, impersonal society, customers want and need individual recognition and attention.
With the overflowing number of Realtors competing in today's market, this knowledge may be one key for success. ILLUSTRATION: Color cover photo by Vicki Cronis
Allen Pyle and his mother, Alice, on the job at Pyle Realty in
Virginia Beach
Color photos by Vicki Cronis
Alice Pyle feels her company's clients appreciate their office's
intimate climate. They're greeted by name when they call or visit
and they're able to deal directly with their agent, without having
to communicate with assistants. ``We're going to be with our client
from beginning to end. In most cases, we start out with a client and
end up with a friend.''
Roger Pyle is the principle broker for Pyle Realty Inc. in Virginia
Beach. The family owned business is now ranked within the top 10
percent of companies in the Multiple Listing Service. His wife,
Alice Pyle, is the company's president. Their son, Allen, is an
associate broker. by CNB