Oscar Napier grew tired of running a grocery store and got into real estate.

That decision in 1955 would change his life and carry him and his family through the next several decades.

His sons, Jim Napier and Rich Napier, carry on the tradition.

Jim, 55, is president of the firm his father founded in 1958, now Napier Realtors ERA.

Rich, 56, is president of Napier Signature Homes, a high-end home builder based in Goochland County.

Oscar, 90, is chairman of Napier Realtors ERA and co-founder of Napier Signature Homes.

"If children are an indication of one's self and ideal, then Mr. Napier [Oscar] must be a stellar person," said Laura Lafayette, senior vice president of the Richmond Association of Realtors.

"I have never met anyone in Richmond as engaged in civic matters as Jim Napier," she said. "He inspires people to move forward with him. No matter how busy he is, he finds time to make transformative differences in people's lives."

Lafayette has worked with Jim on affordable-housing issues in the Richmond area. Jim and Rich have served as president of the Realtors' association, in 2002 and 1987, respectively.

Rich has been vocal about land use and growth, trying to bring about change in government funding of roads, utilities and public buildings to support growth, so the expense doesn't fall first on builders, Lafayette said.

"Rich gets down to the heart of a matter. It's very refreshing," she said.

The three Napiers understand the cyclical nature of the real estate business.

"The housing recession in the early 1980s was far worse than what we have now," when the interest rate on fixed-rate mortgages rose to 18 percent, Rich said.

"A market correction is going on. We have to adjust to what was an overheated market fueled by speculation and easy and cheap money," Jim said.

"The market is bumping along, and we may see more softening this year before it corrects itself," he said. "There's a little trepidation out there, but people are still buying houses."

Houses that are priced right in popular neighborhoods are selling, he said.

The new-home market has slowed along with the rest of the housing market. Builders are offering discounts, add-ons and other incentives to unload excess inventory.

"If you build a house, you will get a great price now. Vendors have reduced costs, they need the work," Rich said.

"We want people to start feeling good again, and that will come. This is just a cycle."

. . .

Jim said he always wanted to go into the family business. But he wasn't handed the business.

"My first job was emptying trash cans," he said. He and Rich were elevated during high school to the maintenance crew, mowing lawns at houses and lots for sale.

"Dad was hard, but fair," Jim said. "You had to go out and earn your keep."

Real estate is not something that comes to you, Oscar said. "You have to go out and find the business."

Real estate, like running a store, requires working seven days a week, Oscar said. "But you're not stuck in a store. You have your own hours and time to be off a little bit."

About 170 agents are now associated with the Napier agency, which has offices in Richmond, Glen Allen, Midlothian, Mechanicsville, Colonial Heights and Powhatan County.

"I like the entrepreneurship," Jim said. "Every day, you get the opportunity to do some thing different. You're not punching a clock." ganic chemistry got in the way, he said.

"I got my real estate license in 1975 and said the heck with dental school. . . . The rewards were better than some of my friends with steady jobs."

The Napiers got into the building business when the housing market went south in the 1980s. Builders couldn't get loans to construct houses on speculation, so the Napier agency provided funding.

A banker told the Napiers they were essentially doing everything but building houses. The family formed Napier Signature Homes.

Rich took over the construction company. He is the only person to serve as president of two local trade associations: the Richmond Association of Realtors, in 1987, and the Home Building Association of Richmond, in 2002.

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Jim, who runs the real estate company, and Rich are passionate about work-force housing, working to ensure that people can afford to live in areas where they work.

"What I get from all the Napiers, but mostly from Rich, is their dedication to the notion that all Virginians should be able to own a home," said Michael L. Toalson, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Virginia.

Rich was president of the statewide association last year.

"Rich comes across as so sincere and so clear that he was identified as a local and a state leader," Toalson said.

Rich has fought against the inefficient time it takes to get approvals to develop property, as much as seven years, Toalson said. He has battled fees that builders pay -- which is the same whether a house is 1,900 square feet or 5,900 square feet -- and zoning decisions that impede progress toward affordable housing, Toalson said.

Jim is founding chairman of the Partnership for Workforce Housing, a group of business and civic leaders to raise awareness about affordable housing, and co-chairman of the Greater Richmond Chamber Workforce Housing Task Force.

One of the main obstacles to affordable housing is getting policymakers to allow for different zoning and pricing points in neighborhoods, he said.

"Jim is a very good collaborator," said James Dunn, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Richmond Chamber.

He works well with groups of people with divergent views, personalities and agendas, Dunn said. "His style and manner put people at ease."

Jim is active with the VCU Massey Cancer Center and The Faison School for Autism.

During the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K last weekend, Jim and office manager Kurt Negaard took turns wearing a foam board house with the words, "Napier ERA, House about a Cure."

Since the company started helping the nonprofit in 2001, Napier ERA has raised $175,000 by organizing golf tournament benefits, concerts and silent auctions. Jim serves on the advisory board for the cancer center.

His mother, Ellen, is a cancer survivor. The firm has lost several people to cancer.

Jim was named Civic Leader of the Year in 2007 by the Richmond Association of Realtors. "It meant a lot to me," he said. "I'm pretty proud of that."