The Players

“I never dated clients,” insists Debbi McDermott, but once, in the early ‘90s, after selling a condo, she decided to make an exception of sorts. “After he bought, I decided just maybe I’d go out with this one.”

The “one” was Marty McDermott. It’ll be 20 years in April 2012 and the pair continues happily selling real estate together. Real estate was a second field for each of them, following successful careers in retail management.

“It was kind of in my blood,” says Debbi, who was licensed in 1983. “My father owned the first real estate firm in my hometown and my brother was a builder and realtor.”

A lot has changed since she made her first beach front sale – a $750,000 double lot on the beach. “We used to write listing information on index cards and carry them from place to place. Then it was the big MLS books. There’s no more of either of those thanks to the wonderful world of computers, but the work is still challenging; I still have a passion for real estate after all those years.”

As for Marty, a third-generation Floridian, real estate in Naples offers a sense of security. “It’s a fallacy that what’s happening internationally or nationally is what’s happening here. After everything that happened in the market, we’re still here selling,” he says. “There’s still a good portion of people looking to retire and get a piece of the Naples lifestyle. It still has appeal and is different even from the rest of Florida.”

Good thing for the McDermotts, who regularly take full advantage of that Naples lifestyle aboard their 39-foot Sea Ray.

It’s not unusual for them to entertain clientele on a dinner or sunset cruise, sometimes soaking up the ambiance of an onshore-view boasted by a potential property. They thrive on travel, camping aboard ship from Captiva to Key West, and boating to their cabin in Everglades City to enjoy fishing with the grand kids.