[Quote, 1 to 3 sentences in the agent's own words]
[Context: what pushed them to reach out, what the first year looked like, what is different now]
A[First name L.]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
For teachers in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County
A Real Estate Career for Teachers: Turn What You Already Do Every Day Into a Business You Own
Teachers in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County can build a real estate career without quitting mid-year. RE/MAX Premier Realty, led by Nancy Deichman since 1996, recruits teachers because they explain complex things clearly, manage many people and deadlines at once, and put the person in front of them first. The path starts with a free weekly discovery call, every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern.
You explain hard things to nervous people for a living. You keep thirty personalities, a full calendar, and a stack of deadlines moving at once, and you do it with a patience most people don't have. You've built trust with hundreds of families in this community, and every one of them knows your name.
Read the rest
Those are the exact skills that make a real estate agent successful. The difference is who they pay. In the classroom, they pay a salary someone else decides. In real estate, they pay you as the owner of your own business.
Nancy Deichman has run RE/MAX Premier Realty since 1996 and has watched teachers make this move well. Not by quitting mid-year and hoping. By getting licensed while they're still teaching, hanging their license with a brokerage that carries its share of the weight, and stepping across when the business is ready to hold them.
The weekly discovery call is where that plan gets real.
Broker-owned since 1996Nancy Deichman, Broker/Owner
License while you teachA summer or a semester
Onboarding and closing supportNo gap in your income
Offices in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County
Get licensed while you keep teaching
Onboarding and closing support
Direct access to Nancy and the executive team
Sound familiar?
Do You Love the Work and Resent the Math?
Most teachers who reach out to Nancy say the same thing. They still love the kids. They still love the moment a lesson finally lands. What they can't make peace with is the math.
The paycheck is set by a schedule you didn't write. Raises come when a board votes, not when you outperform. Summers are supposed to be rest and turn into a second job. Every year the work grows and the number on the stub barely moves.
Underneath that is a quieter frustration: feeling capped. You're one of the most capable people in any room you walk into, and your income has a ceiling you can't touch no matter how good you get.
It isn't only you. In a National Education Association survey, 55% of educators said they plan to leave the profession earlier than they had planned. You shouldn't have to leave teaching angry. You should be able to leave it, or step alongside it, with a plan and someone who has walked other teachers through it.
You might be closer to this move than you think if...
- You've thought 'I could do this' while watching a friend sell a house
- You've worked a summer job that paid less than your time was worth
- Families you've taught already ask you for advice on big decisions
- You want your income tied to your effort, not a step schedule
- You're tired of asking permission to take a Tuesday off
Why teachers
Why Do Teachers Make Great Real Estate Agents?
Nancy recruits from classrooms on purpose. Here's what a teacher's skills become when they're pointed at a transaction instead of a lesson plan.
What you do in the classroomWhat it becomes in real estate
Explain complex material so a fourteen-year-old actually gets it
Walk a first-time buyer through contracts, inspections, appraisals, and financing without losing them
Manage 25 to 150 students and their parents at once
Manage buyers, sellers, lenders, inspectors, and title companies across several deals at once
Run a parent conference nobody is looking forward to
Tell a seller the honest number, or a buyer the honest risk, with calm
Hit lesson-plan, grading, and IEP deadlines every week
Hit contract dates, inspection periods, and closing timelines that cannot slip
Stay patient with a student who is struggling
Stay patient with an anxious client making the biggest purchase of their life
Be trusted by name by hundreds of local families
Start with a referral network most new agents spend years trying to build
The one thing teachers usually don't have is real estate knowledge. That's the part that can be taught, and Nancy's team teaches it. What can't be taught is the instinct to put the person in front of you first and see them through something important. You've been doing that for years.
The honest part
What Does Real Estate Ask of a Teacher Who Makes the Move?
Here's the part the online ads leave out, because Nancy would rather you hear it now than find it later.
Real estate is a commission business. There's no check on the 1st and the 15th. Your first closing may come a few months after the day you're licensed, and your income after that is tied to your own production. That's the trade for having no ceiling. It's also why the timing of your move matters more than the decision itself.
The licensing path in Florida is clear. You take a 63-hour pre-license course approved by the Florida Real Estate Commission, most of it available online at your own pace. You pass a state exam of 100 questions with a score of 75% or better. Most people finish the whole process in 8 to 14 weeks, and the total cost typically runs between $300 and $1,000 including the course, the state application, the exam, and fingerprinting. After you're licensed, Florida requires a 45-hour post-license course before your first renewal. Nancy's team makes sure that date never sneaks up on you.
For teachers, the smartest version of this usually looks like getting licensed over a summer or a semester while you keep teaching, hanging your license with RE/MAX Premier Realty, and working your first deals part-time until your pipeline can carry you. Some of Nancy's agents made the full move within a year. Some kept a foot in both for longer. There's no wrong pace, only an honest one.
And if, on the discovery call, it becomes clear that real estate isn't the right move for you right now, Nancy will say so. She isn't interested in the wrong fit any more than you are.
The Florida licensing path
- 63-hour pre-license course, approved by the Florida Real Estate Commission, mostly online
- State exam: 100 questions, 75% to pass
- Typical timeline: 8 to 14 weeks. Typical total cost: $300 to $1,000
- 45-hour post-license course before your first renewal (Nancy's team tracks the date with you)
Meet the broker
Who Is Nancy Deichman, and Why Does She Recruit Teachers?
Broker/OwnerCRSGRISRESCDPESince 1996
Nancy didn't inherit a real estate business. She built her own career as an agent first, then in 1996 became president and co-owner of RE/MAX Premier Realty in Ocala with one goal: build the highest producing real estate company in the Marion, Lake, and Sumter County area. She did. Thirty years later she still runs it, and she's still personally involved with every agent who joins.
She recruits teachers because she has seen what happens when someone who already knows how to teach, organize, and care for people is handed the tools of this business. They don't need to be taught how to serve. They need a brokerage that gives them an office, training, leads, and a broker who answers the phone. That's the part she built.
The experience of helping real estate agents improve their careers, their enjoyment of creating a better lifestyle and more financial freedom continues to be one of my greatest joys.Nancy Deichman
Meet the team
Nancy Doesn't Do This Alone. Neither Will You.
RE/MAX Premier Realty runs on a family and a team who have onboarded, trained, and backed new agents for decades. These are the people who pick up when you call.
Nancy's husbandBob Deichman
Broker/Owner and managing broker
Broker/Owner32 years in real estateCDPEIRES
Nancy's husband and business partner, Bob has owned RE/MAX Premier Realty with her for three decades and holds the broker's license behind every transaction in the company. With 32 years in real estate, he is the second set of experienced eyes on the deals that need one, and the reason a new agent never has to guess at a contract question.
How Bob helps you
- Broker oversight on every contract and closing
- Straight answers on compliance, disclosures, and the hard questions
- Thirty years of local deals to draw on when yours gets complicated
Nancy's sonKevin Branch
Agent training, growth metrics, and action plans
USMC Veteran20+ years with RE/MAXCDPESRESCIPS
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran with more than 20 years at RE/MAX, Kevin manages the Ocala office and the numbers behind every agent's growth. He runs the training calendar, tracks the metrics that show where a new agent's business is headed, and turns them into an action plan you can follow week to week.
How Kevin helps you
- Training before your first deal, and after it
- A growth scorecard reviewed with you, not filed away
- A 90-day action plan built around your own sphere
Nancy's daughterKelly Barthlow
Director of Operations, Broker Associate
26 years at PremierBroker License 2018Certified dotloop Trainere-Pro
Kelly started at the RE/MAX Premier Realty front desk 26 years ago and has held nearly every job in the building since: assistant, agent, transaction coordinator, office manager, Director of Agent Services, and now Director of Operations with her Florida broker's license. She has onboarded and trained new agents for more than two decades and knows exactly where they get stuck.
How Kelly helps you
- Onboarding that covers the systems and the paperwork
- Transaction training, from first contract to closing
- Support that continues long after your first year
11 years at PremierMichele Murphy
Director of Agent Engagement
U.S. Army VeteranWith Premier since 2015Licensed 2019
A U.S. Army veteran and native Floridian, Michele joined RE/MAX Premier Realty in 2015 as Director of Marketing and earned her real estate license in 2019. Today her whole job is helping new agents make the transition to Premier and get on the best track to succeed, from your first week to your first closing.
How Michele helps you
- Marketing setup for your name and your listings
- A smooth transition into the Premier systems and offices
- Someone who checks how you are doing, not just what you closed
CYour first call
Chrissy Garcia
Business Development Specialist
New agent supportLicensing guidanceOnboarding
Chrissy is the person most new agents talk to first, and the one who keeps them moving. She walks you through the licensing path, gets you onboarded without a gap, and checks in until your first deals are closed. When you have a question and are not sure who to ask, you ask Chrissy.
How Chrissy helps you
- Licensing guidance and choosing the right course
- Onboarding, systems, and your first-week setup
- A steady check-in until your pipeline holds
Behind them: six offices across Marion, Lake, and Sumter County, and the directors and staff who keep every one of them running.
The support system
What Does RE/MAX Premier Realty Put Behind a New Agent?
This is the support a first-year agent actually needs, and the reason Nancy's teachers don't have to figure it out alone.
A real office in your market
Ocala and Marion County. The Villages and Sumter County. Lake County and Mount Dora. A professional place to meet clients and run appointments. Not a virtual address, not a coworking desk.
Training before your first deal, and after
Extensive training for new agents getting started, and training that keeps going for agents who want to grow. You aren't handed a license and a desk.
Licensing guidance
Which course to take, what to expect on the exam, how to time it around the job you have now, and when the 45-hour post-license course is due.
Onboarding and closing support
Nancy's team walks you through onboarding so there's no gap in your business. When a transaction gets complicated, there's someone to call. Nancy and her executive team help facilitate deals to the closing table.
Leads and pipeline support
The infrastructure and resources to build a pipeline consistently. You aren't starting from zero and hoping your phone rings.
Marketing help, not a marketing bill
Direction, resources, and a team that helps you market yourself and your listings, so your time goes to clients.
Direct access to Nancy and the executive team
The people who own the company are the people who answer. Thirty years of local deals and problem-solving, available when you need it.
The RE/MAX brand behind you
One of the most recognized names in real estate. It earns you credibility with buyers and sellers before you have a track record of your own.
How the move works
How Does a Teacher Move Into Real Estate Without a Gap in Income?
1
Save your seat on Wednesday's call
One hour, live with Nancy, with other people considering the same move. Hear exactly how the brokerage works and ask anything, including the questions you'd be embarrassed to ask a license school.
2
Get licensed while you're still teaching
Nancy's team points you to the right course, tells you what to expect on the exam, and helps you time it around your school year. Your paycheck and benefits stay in place the whole way.
3
Hang your license here and start with support behind you
Onboarding, an office in your market, training, and someone to call on your first deals. Work part-time at first. Step across full-time when the business is ready to hold you.
What the first 90 days look like
You'll onboard with Nancy's team, get set up in your office and the systems, and start working your own sphere first: the families who already know and trust you. Most new agents' first transactions come from people they already know, and a teacher's list is longer than almost anyone's. Training runs alongside, and every complicated moment has a phone number attached to it.
What Does Another Year of Waiting Actually Cost?
Another year usually looks like this year. The same step on the same schedule. Another summer spent working for someone else's business. And the sphere you've spent a career building, hundreds of families who trust you, still sending their real estate business to a stranger because they don't know you're an option.
Now picture twelve months from now. You're licensed. You closed your first deal with a family from your own school community, because they called you the minute they heard. You have an office in your market to bring clients to and a broker who answered when the inspection got complicated. Your income moved because your effort moved. You're still the person who takes care of people. You're just finally being paid like the business owner you are.
Teachers who made the move
What Changed for the Teachers Who Made the Move
[Quote, 1 to 3 sentences in the agent's own words]
[Context: what pushed them to reach out, what the first year looked like, what is different now]
B[First name L.]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
[Quote, 1 to 3 sentences in the agent's own words]
[Context: what pushed them to reach out, what the first year looked like, what is different now]
C[First name L.]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
formerly taught [subject] at [school]
The next step
What Happens on the Wednesday Discovery Call?
The weekly discovery call is one hour, live with Nancy, every Wednesday at 10:00 AM Eastern. You join a small group of people considering the same move. Nancy walks through what joining RE/MAX Premier Realty looks like in practice: the licensing path, the training, the offices, the leads, and what she looks for in the agents she brings on. Then the floor is open.
Teachers usually ask about timing, about keeping their job while they license, and about what the first six months really look like. Ask all of it. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
The weekly discovery call
Every Wednesday | 10:00 AM Eastern
- One hour, live with Nancy
- Small group, no pitch, no commitment
- Open to teachers at any stage of the decision
- Limited seats. Save yours on the calendar below
Ready to have the conversation?
Save Your Seat on the Weekly Discovery Call
Choose the next Wednesday that works for you. Seats are limited, and your confirmation and reminders go straight to your email and phone.
Every Wednesday | 10:00 AM Eastern
Prefer a private conversation first? Call the office at (352) 732-3222 and ask for Nancy's team. Nothing about your inquiry is shared with your school or anyone outside RE/MAX Premier Realty.
Questions teachers ask
Questions Teachers Ask Before They Book
Can I become a real estate agent while I'm still teaching?
Yes, and it's how most of the teachers Nancy works with do it. Florida's 63-hour pre-license course is available online at your own pace, and you don't have to give notice to get licensed or to hang your license with a brokerage. You can work your first deals part-time and step across when the business is ready to hold you.
How long does it take to get a Florida real estate license?
Most people finish in 8 to 14 weeks. That covers the 63-hour course, the course exam, the state application with fingerprinting, and the state exam. For teachers, a summer or a single semester is a natural window.
How much does it cost to get licensed in Florida?
Typically between $300 and $1,000 all in. The pre-license course runs about $140 to $650 depending on the format, the state application is $62.75, the exam is $36.75 per attempt, and fingerprinting is roughly $50 to $80. Nancy's team will point you to a course that fits your budget and your schedule.
Do teachers really make good real estate agents?
Yes. The skills that matter most in real estate are explaining complex things clearly, managing many people and deadlines at once, staying patient under pressure, and being trusted by your community. Teachers have all four. What you don't have yet, market knowledge and contracts, is exactly what training covers.
Will I lose my benefits or my summers?
Real estate agents are independent contractors, so there's no employer health plan or pension. That's why Nancy recommends getting licensed and starting part-time while you keep your teaching income and benefits, and planning your coverage and a cash cushion before you go full-time. Your summers become yours to run.
Is real estate income stable?
No, and it's better to hear that now. Income is commission-based and varies month to month, especially in year one. What reduces the swings is a brokerage with leads, training, and support, and a pipeline you build steadily. Nancy talks through realistic first-year expectations on the discovery call.
What happens after I pass the state exam?
You hang your license with a broker, which is the moment your business begins. At RE/MAX Premier Realty that means onboarding, an office in your market, training, and someone to call on your first deals. Florida also requires a 45-hour post-license course before your first renewal, and Nancy's team makes sure that date never sneaks up on you.
Your Next Career Doesn't Start With a Resignation Letter. It Starts With a Wednesday Morning.
One hour with Nancy, no commitment, and an honest answer about whether this is your move.
Not the right page?
Written for Someone Else You Know?
Every page ends on the same Wednesday call. Send the right one along.
Nurses
Hospitality
Already licensed
Nursing, and done with what it costs you?
Calm in a code, every detail charted, trusted by strangers on sight. Get licensed on your off days, keep your income through the move, and own what you build.
See the nurses pageServing, and building someone else's business?
You read a table in seconds, recover a bad moment before it becomes a bad review, and half the town knows your face. Get licensed around your shifts and own what you build.
See the hospitality pageLicensed at another brokerage?
You know how to work a deal. What you may not have is a broker who answers, an office to bring a client to, or leads that show up without you buying them. See what changes when you move.
See the agents page