Virginia Cook Closes Doors
One of the area’s oldest and most well-respected real estate agencies has closed its doors.
(ABOVE: Virginia Cook and Sheila Rice each spent 50 years in the real estate business. Courtesy virginiacook.com)
Virginia Cook Realtors announced that Cook, after a 50-year-career in residential real estate, had “permanently closed the doors” on her independently owned firm. The final day was April 8, according to a press release.
Cook suffered a stroke in July 2015 but made a strong recovery, continuing her work in the community.
The Virginia Cook office has been open for more than 20 years. It had satellite offices in Fort Worth, Uptown Dallas, Plano, and Sherman.
“It is now an appropriate time to say farewell with tremendous gratitude to the exceptional agents and staff who have called Virginia Cook’s company home,” officials wrote in the press release. “These agents will continue to provide high quality service to their clients through new affiliations with other leading North Texas real estate firms.”
Executive vice president Sheila Rice, herself a real estate professional for 50 years, said that despite an “impressive” recovery from the stroke, Cook’s health was not strong enough to continue operating the company.
“[The closing] happened quickly, but our agents have been warmly welcomed by other agencies in the area,” Rice said. “For me, to be in the one field this whole time has been lovely. There will be another chapter – I’m just not sure what that is yet.”
Rice said one Cook agent has gone to Compass, but most have moved to Ebby Halliday Real Estate and Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, a division of Ebby Halliday.
“It’s been a really smooth transition,” she said. “I’m shocked at how well everyone has been able to handle everything.”
“Without a doubt,” Cook will go down as one of the top real estate professionals in Dallas, Rice said.
“She’s been a legend of real estate here,” Rice said. “She and Ebby Halliday are without a doubt premier Realtors in Highland Park and Dallas. Virginia goes way back. She’s had just a stellar career.”
