Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth M. Ristine, known as “Eli,” is a licensed Real Estate Broker with over 38 years of experience in the industry and the broker-owner of Pan Florida Realty, Inc., a family-owned brokerage established in 1973 in Miami, Florida by her mother and her mother’s childhood friend. She assumed full ownership of the company in 2018 following her mother’s passing, having already served for years as a broker associate while helping manage and grow the firm’s operations. From the start of her career, she committed herself to continuous professional development attending Board of Realtors courses, building strong industry relationships, and developing the knowledge and presence that would shape her long-term success.
Throughout her career, Eli has maintained deep involvement in professional real estate organizations and leadership development. She joined the Women’s Council of REALTORS® in 1998, where she served as President-Elect and later as President in 2000, in addition to serving as District Vice President for the Lower District of Florida. She has also contributed extensively through committee work with the Residential Board of Realtors, including the Ethics and Grievance Committees, gaining a strong foundation in professional standards, compliance, and industry best practices. In 2001, she expanded her professional development through Mike Ferry training, which strengthened her discipline, business structure, and production systems principles she continues to apply and teach today.
Eli’s career is defined not only by longevity but by consistency, integrity, and strong client loyalty, with a steady base of repeat and referral business built over decades of service. She credits her sustained success to ongoing education, adaptability, and a commitment to professional growth for both herself and the agents she mentors. As a hands-on Real Estate Broker, she remains actively engaged in training and development, having brought on five new agents this year alone and dedicating herself fully to guiding them until they are confident and self-sufficient. Her philosophy is simple: every day brings an opportunity to learn, improve, and better serve clients, and she instills that mindset in everyone she leads.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my commitment to constant education and professional development. When I joined the Women's Council of Realtors in 1998, it was the best $100 I ever spent in this industry. My mom and I started taking designation courses together side by side - the ABR, the CIPS, GRI, and so many more. I have a slew of acronyms on my business card. In 2001, I got involved in Mike Ferry training, which I actually had to hide from my husband because of the cost and our credit card debt at the time. But within a year of doing everything Mike Ferry taught me, I was out of debt and had money in the bank. That training gave me so much discipline and strength. The Women's Council built my confidence, and Mike Ferry redirected it and taught me to treat this like the business that it is. I take all of that education and now share it with everyone I train. I'm constantly analyzing and reflecting on my weaknesses or strengths that I want to strengthen even more, like negotiation, so I got my CREN certification. I don't even care about the acronyms - I care about what's behind them. I tell my agents to educate themselves, and when they have 5 minutes, go read something that has nothing to do with what they know so they can be a better-rounded person. The more you know, the better you can handle everything. That's always been my strive for everyone around me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her that she has to have a very open mind and a lot of self-confidence. The most important thing for me is for her to know that I'm gonna be by her side a thousand percent until she feels comfortable to have me let go of her hand. You have to find where you're going to be comfortable and feel confident that you're going to get the guidance and be able to ask for the guidance that you need. When I interview agents, like Ruben who came to me a year and a half ago, he found that other companies give you a lot of fluffy stuff and then they don't follow through on it. He got the impression looking me in the eyes that I would really be there and do what I said. So I would tell somebody coming into this industry that you have to find where you're going to feel supported. I tell my new agents that those thousand people you did business with in your other corporate business, those are the people that know, love you, and trust you - call at least one a day. Just call to say hi. And I'm not ashamed to say that this business is not for everybody. I've had so many clients who apparently thought I made it look so easy, so they got their licenses, and then they call me up and say that was really hard, I don't know how you do it. You think it's easy, but you don't see the background work.
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