[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 [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
formerly [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
For hospitality and service professionals in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County
From Hospitality to Real Estate: Take the Service Skills You Already Have and Build a Business You Own
Hospitality and service industry professionals in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County can move into real estate without giving up their shifts first. RE/MAX Premier Realty, led by Nancy Deichman since 1996, recruits servers, bartenders, managers, and hotel staff because they read people fast, stay composed under pressure, and make strangers feel taken care of. The path starts with a free weekly discovery call, every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern.
You can read a table in four seconds. You know who's celebrating, who's fighting, and who needs the check now. You've turned a wrong order, a late kitchen, and a guest having the worst day of their week into a good night, all before nine o'clock, with a smile that never slipped.
Read the rest
Those are the exact skills that make a real estate agent successful. The difference is who they pay. In hospitality, they build someone else's restaurant, hotel, or club. In real estate, they build a business with your name on it.
Nancy Deichman has run RE/MAX Premier Realty since 1996 and has watched service professionals make this move well. Not by walking out after a bad Saturday. By getting licensed around their shifts, keeping their income through the transition, and hanging their license with a brokerage that carries its share of the weight.
The weekly discovery call is where that plan gets real.
Broker-owned since 1996Nancy Deichman, Broker/Owner
License around your shiftsOnline and self-paced
Onboarding and closing supportNo gap in your income
Offices in Ocala, The Villages, and Lake County
Get licensed around your shifts
Onboarding and closing support
Direct access to Nancy and the executive team
Sound familiar?
Are You Great With People and Tired of Building Someone Else's Business?
Most service professionals who reach out to Nancy say the same thing. They're good at this. Regulars ask for them by name. They still like the rush of a full house. What wears them down is everything around the work.
The schedule comes out on Thursday and decides your week. Nights, weekends, and holidays belong to the job. A slow season or a rainy month cuts your income and nobody apologizes. Your feet and your back keep the tally. And no matter how good you get, the ceiling is a manager title with longer hours.
Underneath that is a quieter frustration: you've spent years making other people's businesses look good, and you own none of it.
You aren't imagining the churn around you. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics turnover survey for March 2026, workers in accommodation and food services quit at more than double the national rate. People leave this industry constantly. Leaving isn't the hard part. Leaving with a plan, and with someone who has walked other people through it, is the part worth getting right.
You might be closer to this move than you think if...
- Regulars have told you 'you should be in sales' more than once
- You've trained half the staff and watched the owner take the profit
- You already know how to live on income that changes week to week
- Guests trust your recommendation without asking a second question
- You want your nights, weekends, and holidays back on your own terms
Why hospitality
Why Do Hospitality Professionals Make Great Real Estate Agents?
Nancy recruits from restaurants, hotels, and clubs on purpose. Here's what a service professional's skills become when they're pointed at a transaction instead of a dining room.
What you do on a shiftWhat it becomes in real estate
Read a table in seconds and adjust your whole approach
Read a buyer's real priorities on the first showing, including the ones they haven't said out loud
Recover a wrong order or a long wait before it becomes a bad review
Recover a low appraisal or a rough inspection before it becomes a dead deal
Run eight tables, the kitchen, and the bar at once on a Friday night
Run buyers, sellers, lenders, inspectors, and title companies across several deals at once
Remember a regular's name, their drink, and their daughter's wedding date
Remember every client's must-haves, deal-breakers, and deadlines without being reminded
Recommend the special without sounding like you're selling it
Guide a client toward the right home or the right price without pressure
Stay gracious with a guest who is being difficult
Stay gracious with an anxious client in the most expensive week of their life
Know half the town by face, because they've all sat in your section
Start with a sphere of people who already like you, which most new agents spend years building
Real estate is a hospitality business that happens to involve contracts. Clients don't remember the paperwork. They remember how they were treated while it was happening, and they send their friends to the agent who treated them well. You've been earning that kind of loyalty for years.
The one thing service professionals 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 notice what a person needs before they ask. You do that every shift.
The honest part
What Does Real Estate Ask of a Service Professional 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. You won't walk out with cash at the end of the night. 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, and it doesn't require a college degree. 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.
Service professionals have an advantage most career changers don't: you already know how to live on variable income, and your days are often free. The smartest version of this move usually looks like studying in the mornings and on your days off, hanging your license with RE/MAX Premier Realty, and showing homes by day while you keep your best shifts at night. Drop the slow shifts first. Keep the money shifts 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 From Hospitality?
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 from hospitality because this business runs on how people feel when they work with you, and service professionals have practiced that under more pressure than almost anyone. Someone who can keep a full section happy on a short-staffed Saturday doesn'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 the service professionals Nancy brings on 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 Service Professional Move Into Real Estate Without Losing Income?
1
Save your seat on Wednesday's call
One hour, live with Nancy, with other people considering the same move. Wednesday at 10 AM lands before most lunch and dinner shifts. Hear exactly how the brokerage works and ask anything, including the questions a license school won't answer straight.
2
Get licensed around your shifts
Nancy's team points you to the right course, tells you what to expect on the exam, and helps you fit it around a schedule that changes every week. Your shifts and your tips 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. Show homes by day and keep your best shifts at night. 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 regulars who ask for your section, the coworkers you've trained, the vendors and neighbors who already know your name. Most new agents' first transactions come from people they already know, and few people know as many locals as someone who has served them for years. 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. Another Thursday schedule that decides your week. Another holiday season worked while everyone you love is at the table. Another slow summer you cover out of savings. And the regulars who trust you, hundreds of people who'd take your advice in a heartbeat, still buying and selling homes with a stranger because they don't know you're an option.
Now picture twelve months from now. You're licensed. Your first closing was a regular who said 'of course I'm using you' before you finished the sentence. You have an office in your market to bring clients to and a broker who answered when the inspection got complicated. You were home for the holidays. Your income moved because your effort moved. You still take care of people for a living. You just own the business that pays you for it.
Service professionals who made the move
What Changed for the Service Professionals 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 [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
formerly [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
[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 [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
formerly [role] at [restaurant or hotel]
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.
Service professionals usually ask about studying around a changing schedule, about keeping their shifts while they build, and about what the first six months really look like. Ask all of it. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing. If Wednesday at 10 lands on a shift, book the following week, or call the office and ask for a private conversation.
The weekly discovery call
Every Wednesday | 10:00 AM Eastern
- One hour, live with Nancy
- Small group, no pitch, no commitment
- Open to servers, bartenders, managers, hotel and club staff at any stage
- 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 with your schedule. 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 employer or anyone outside RE/MAX Premier Realty.
Questions service professionals ask
Questions Hospitality Professionals Ask Before They Book
Can I get my real estate license while I'm still working in a restaurant or hotel?
Yes, and it's how Nancy recommends doing it. Florida's 63-hour pre-license course is online and self-paced, so it fits around doubles, closing shifts, and a schedule that changes every week. You don't have to give notice to get licensed or to hang your license with a brokerage. Keep your shifts and your tips until your pipeline can carry 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. If you study on your days off and the slow afternoons before a dinner shift, you can land at the faster end of that range.
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 I need a college degree to become a real estate agent in Florida?
No. Florida requires you to be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, complete the 63-hour course, and pass the state exam. Nobody in this business asks where you went to school. They ask whether you called them back.
Do hospitality and service workers really make good real estate agents?
Yes. Real estate rewards people who read a room, stay composed when something goes wrong, remember names and details, and recover a bad moment before it becomes a bad review. That's an ordinary Friday night for you. What you don't have yet, market knowledge and contracts, is exactly what training covers.
I live on tips. How do I handle commission income?
You already know income that changes week to week, which puts you ahead of most career changers. The difference is the cycle. A closing takes 30 to 60 days, so the money arrives in larger pieces, further apart. Nancy recommends keeping your shifts while you build a pipeline, and setting aside a cash cushion before you cut back.
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 Chapter Doesn't Start With Walking Out Mid-Shift. It Starts With a Wednesday Morning.
One hour with Nancy, no commitment, and an honest answer about whether this is your move.
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Written for Someone Else You Know?
Every page ends on the same Wednesday call. Send the right one along.
Teachers
Nurses
Already licensed
Teaching, and resenting the math?
You explain hard things to nervous people, manage thirty personalities and a stack of deadlines, and every family in town knows your name. Those skills pay differently in real estate.
See the teachers pageNursing, 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 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