Real estate isn’t just a career for Geoffrey Chernault, it’s his passion. 

He’s dedicated to the profession and commits himself to community service and to doing what’s right for clients and colleagues alike.

His dedication recently earned him the honor of being named 2025’s Realtor^® of the Year by the Realtors^® Association of Lake and Sumter Counties, a recognition that celebrates leadership, advocacy and community involvement in addition to sales performance.

“Realtor^® of the Year is not necessarily based solely on production. It’s mainly your community involvement, what you do for your fellow Realtors^®, helping out with very different things like political advocacy and so much more,” Geoffrey says.

The award places him among the most respected professionals in an association of roughly 2,800 agents. 

“I was incredibly honored to be nominated,” he says. “It is quite an honor and I’m humbled to win it. I didn’t know that I would win it until that day when they announced it. It was very, very surreal and very, very nice and exciting to be recognized for my efforts.”

A Family Tradition

Real estate has long been part of life for Geoffrey, who describes himself as a multigenerational Realtor®, following in the footsteps of his parents and even his grandmother.

“My parents were both educators and then while they were teaching school, they became real estate agents and they did it part time,” he says. “When they retired from education, they went full-time.”

His mother worked with a Century 21 office and his father worked with an ERA office in Lake County. His grandmother was also in the business decades earlier in Virginia.

Despite that family influence, Geoffrey did not initially plan to follow the same path.

“I didn’t really have the edge to get into real estate,” he says. “I saw how hard it was and all the time that they had to put into it and I was like, ‘I’m going to try the corporate world.”’

He worked for several organizations, including a title company and a regional hospital system in Virginia, before relocating to Florida in 2011 to be closer to his parents after both experienced serious health issues.

“I left a job that I loved and decided to move down here to get close to my parents,” Geoffrey says.

Building a Brokerage

Once in Florida, Geoffrey worked with Massey Services, learning the area from the ground up,  sometimes literally.

“You want to learn how everything works down in the area where everything is,” he says. “I’ve been in and under just about every building in Lake County.”

Eventually, he joined a local brokerage and discovered real estate was where he wanted to be. After gaining experience, he earned his broker license and launched Right Realty Connection in 2018. Today, the brokerage has multiple offices across Lake County and into Volusia County.

“I’ve got wonderful agents and I’m blessed to be doing this,” he says.

Geoffrey continues to sell property but spends much of his time mentoring agents and managing the company.

“I love helping my agents get to the next level,” he says. “I help new agents learn the business and get set up for success, then they take that and help more people.”

Advocacy & Leadership

Geoffrey’s influence extends well beyond transactions. He served as the 2024 president of the Realtor® Association of Lake and Sumter Counties and sits on the board of Stellar MLS, the third largest multiple listing service in the country.

He has also been deeply involved in advocacy work supporting homeowners and property rights.

“We spend a lot of time in the public policy arena advocating for homeowners,” he says.

His efforts have included support for eliminating Florida’s business rent tax and pushing for insurance reform and affordable housing initiatives. He also participates in community projects such as waterway cleanups and charitable fundraising.

“I put my money where my mouth is so to speak by putting money back into those organizations, many times out of my own pocket,” he says.

The Reward of Helping Others

While Geoffrey values leadership and advocacy, he says the most meaningful part of his career remains helping people find homes and move into new stages of life.

“Nothing is like seeing the smile on people’s faces when you hand over their keys and you get to be with them at the start that next journey,” he says. “There’s no greater rush than witnessing that.”

He works with a wide range of clients, from first-time buyers to retirees downsizing and luxury home buyers.

“I just love helping people,” he says. “I love everything from your new buyer that has never bought anything to helping people downsize into something that’s more manageable for them all the way up to people in the market for luxury homes.”

A Commitment to Integrity

Geoffrey says being named Realtor® of the Year reflects his commitment to professionalism and ethical standards, values he hopes will always define his career.

“If you ask anybody who knows me well, they’ll tell you they know that I’m all about doing the right thing,” he says. “That is the reputation I have and the reputation I will continue to have always.”

For Geoffrey, the award is not a finish line but a reminder of why he chose the profession in the first place.

“My great love is real estate,” he says. “I’ve lived in it for a number of years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Photos: Nicole Hamel