
DATE: Saturday, August 16, 1997             TAG: 9708140315

SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY      PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Cover Story 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

COVER STORY: TWO VETERANS OF REAL ESTATE READY TO ENJOY RETIREMENT

There were no discount points, few government regulations and even fewer women in the real estate business in the early 1960s. A three-bedroom house in Churchland didn't cost more than $26,000.

What was plentiful was trust, attention and Ed Trotman and John Sasser.

The two real estate brokers, who each started their own one-office agencies more than 30 years ago, have latched their businesses to two larger real estate heavyweights and begun to adjust to free time.

``I'm going to garden some, fish some and travel some,'' said Sasser, who still owns his office building in the Churchland section of Portsmouth where Womble Realty is now operating.

``It's hard to stop working. I've worked for 60 years, and I can't go home and just watch TV.''

Trotman, who sold his business in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake to Rose & Krueth Realty, plans to keep his license. But, he said, ``I just got remarried and there are a lot of things I want to do.''

Sasser and Trotman had a small portion of overlap in the communities where they worked.

But unlike their service areas, the lives of these men, friends for about a decade, have much in common.

Both landed in Hampton Roads around 1960 after military service. Sasser was a Navy man, Trotman a merchant mariner and Army veteran. They had seen the world and thought maybe they'd like to sell some of it.

In between matching families with new homes, both Trotman and Sasser married and had kids. Sasser 5. Trotman 4. Trotman served on Chesapeake's City Council from 1963 to 1966.

Both built homes in the 1960s. (That didn't last because it was too risky, they said.) And each moved offices several times before settling on their last locations.

During the years, Sasser's wife kept the books and two of his sons became home builders.

Two of Trotman's sons came to work for him selling houses.

Both recall their time in the business as a lot of fun and fulfilling, even through economic doldrums and interest-rate peaks that drove home buyers away. Developing trust and learning their neighborhoods and the people in them were important. Also helping their businesses grow: Remembering how it feels to buy a new home and telling the truth to buyers and sellers about such things as what houses are really worth.

Sasser said he sold seven houses to one family and more than five to many others.

``Repeat business is important,'' he said.

Trotman said some of his clients still insist on talking to him.

But both said it was time for the next phase in their lives. Sasser said he's now a ``dishwasher'' for his wife who recently had back surgery. Trotman is reveling in being a groom. Both are grandfathers.

Leaving their real estate families at the office wasn't easy, they said. The mergers with bigger companies happened after Sasser and Trotman went shopping for someone to look after their agents.

Officials at Womble and Rose & Krueth said they welcomed the smaller businesses into their operations because they were well-established and well-respected in neighborhoods outside their service areas. Womble, with more than 200 agents, absorbed Sasser's 15. Rose & Krueth, with about 250 agents, took on Trotman's 28.

Sasser said Womble can offer retirement plans and other benefits that he couldn't - all real estate agencies were small and independent in his time and no one offered much more than the chance to learn.

Agents still work solely on commissions from their sales.

``I used to hire Sears salesmen; the guys who sold big ticket items like refrigerators,'' Sasser said.

``Sears had excellent training.''

Trotman said he always found selling fun but living off commissions and dealing with paperwork is high pressure and many brokers don't last long. During the years, they learned to mellow.

They said they hoped the support and resources such as training and contacts of bigger companies also would aid their agents.

The one thing they didn't learn to manage: the shock of home prices.

Houses in Churchland now go for $87,000 to $93,000. ILLUSTRATION: [Cover, Color photo]

D. KEVIN ELLIOTT

The Virginian-Pilot

Ed Trotman and John Sasser...

D. KEVIN ELLIOTT photos/The Virginian-Pilot

Ed Trotman, left, and John Sasser, each started their own one-office

real estate agencies more than 30 years ago. Now they're going to

ease into retirement. Both recall their time in the business as a

lot of fun and fulfilling.