Press Release

Rory S. Coakley Realty, Inc. – Tradition and Continuity Through Four Generations

Rory S. Coakley family’s history has played an integral role in the development of his real estate business today. His grandfather Cornelius arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in 1925 and started a plastering business, called CA Coakley. When Cornelius passed away his son Neil, only 20 at the time, stepped up to run it. In 1961, Neil met Fred Williams and together they started, Coakley & Williams, Inc., a full service real estate development and construction firm. In 1987, now a general contracting firm, Coakley & Williams Construction, Inc., was founded by Rory S.’ brother Terry and brother-in-law Pat Caulfield, whom still own and operate it today. Neil’s son Rory S. worked for his father’s company for several years before taking a leap with his wife Nancy to found Rory S. Coakley Realty in 1989. And now Rory P. Coakley, Rory S. and Nancy’s son, works for Coakley Realty, making it truly a family-run, multi-generational company.

Working for his father’s company Coakley & Williams Construction exposed Rory S. not only to the construction business but also to end-to-end development, real estate, property acquisition and property management services. With that experience the realty company, Coakley Realty that he formed continues the business model it started 33 years ago as a single-source, full-service business, making it unique among other real estate firms. According to Rory S., “There aren’t many companies out there that are both brokers and appraisers,” but Coakley Realty’s residential sales, commercial sales and leasing, and property management lines of business continue to grow. Another important service Coakley Realty offers is its tax appeal business.
Son Rory P. Coakley worked in the mortgage business for three years before joining Coakley Realty, believing that learning the financial side of real estate helped him understand both sides of deals. Currently he works with his father on both commercial and residential transactions, as well as property management.

Many of their 38 realtors have worked with them for a number of years, establishing relationships that go back decades. Members of the firm’s team come from many different disciplines including property appraisal, accounting, law, architecture, and environmental engineering, all working together to help find solutions for clients with specialized needs. Through the years members of Coakley Realty have been intimately involved in serving their community. This includes working on numerous committees and boards and supporting non-profits such as the Stepping Stones Shelter, Community Ministries of Rockville, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the National Capital Area. In addition Rory and Nancy have supported scholarships for Georgetown Preparatory High School and Georgetown Visitation High Schools, the two secondary schools they and their children attended. Additionally, they have supported scholarships for Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University and Loyal University New Orleans.

As they face the challenges of the current real estate market going forward they are adapting to a new environment. Rory S. reflects that doing residential sales and leasing in the 1980’s was very different from today because of new technology. Seventy to eighty percent of customers now search for what they want to buy ahead on their own, which saves a lot of time with realtors scouting out different properties. Coakley Realty team members deal with a range of customers aged 29-80, although Rory P. often works with potential buyers in their 20s and 30s who watch HGTV and use different Websites and platforms to initially research the current market.

Today’s market can be daunting for first-time buyers, with home prices rising thousands of dollars in a matter of months and often multiple contracts turned down. Coakley Realty’s team members pride themselves on listening to their clients’ concerns, managing expectations and continuing to nurture those relationships through this environment that challenges buyers as well as sellers.