Spreading Their Wings
A dominant force in Philadelphia real estate for decades, The Mike McCann Team at Keller Williams expands its reach to the Main Line and surrounding suburbs in its quest to better serve clients.
by Matt Cosentino

For years, Mike McCann has started every meeting with his staff by playing the U2 hit “Beautiful Day.” Not only do the lyrics fit well with his optimistic outlook on life, but the song reminds him of his unbridled passion for a career he started more than three decades ago. More importantly, it allows him to share that feeling of possibility with the other members of The Mike McCann Team at Keller Williams.
 
McCann has earned his place as one of the most successful and respected real estate agents, not only in Philadelphia but also nationwide. At a time when he could easily be slowing down or even pondering retirement, McCann has only strengthened his desire to have a positive impact on employees and clients alike.
 
“I have more energy than I’ve ever had, and it’s so exciting to be growing this team,” he says. “When someone comes to me and thanks me for the great job one of our agents did for them, it gives me so much joy. We don’t just want to sell real estate; we want to create a relationship for life. Death, divorce, and buying and selling a house are the most stressful times in someone’s life, and we help carry them through the process.”
 
The Mike McCann Team acts as that trusted partner for more clients than ever. While McCann has long had a stellar reputation in the city, where he focused most of his business, last year he and his partners opened the Keller Williams Main Line office and expanded the team in the suburbs. Not surprisingly, the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.
 
“We’ve been in business for 36 years, and I’ve been with Mike for 22 years,” says Jim Onesti, another highly successful agent and McCann’s right-hand man. “There has always been a migration from the city to the suburbs and the suburbs to the city, depending on the demographic and the age. Our clients have been asking for the longest time for us to come to the suburbs, especially our active clients who buy and sell a lot of homes. The timing was finally right, and it has just taken off.”
 
With remote work on the rise, many people have chosen to move out of the city and into a home where they can have a dedicated office and more outdoor space. When McCann and Onesti decided they wanted to serve that niche market, they knew they would have to find a core group of agents who shared their work ethic and values and had an intimate knowledge of the suburbs. Their first call was to Kerry Maginnis. She not only has 15 years of experience in the industry but is also a resident of the very area they were attempting to serve.
 
“I was born and raised in Montgomery County,” she says. “I’ve been in the area a very long time, and I know it very well. I know the stores, I know the school systems, I’ve raised children here. I have a lot of personal experience and that’s a benefit to my clients. It’s been a great relationship with The Mike McCann Team. Mike and Jim are great guys, and it means a lot to them that they have the right Realtors representing the team.”
 
Fitting the established culture, which has proven to work on a business and personal level, is of the utmost importance to McCann. He considers his firm a family, and “we want people who fit into that family.” 
 
“A lot of times people will be on a team for two years, get their legs underneath them, and then move on because they’re not appreciated enough or don’t have any growth,” he adds. “With us, we want them to grow personally each year, grow financially each year, and then have more opportunities. That’s why more than half of my team has been with me for over a decade.”
 
Onesti is a prime example of that loyalty and personal growth. Because of his longevity with the team, he often helps new hires get adjusted to the culture while sharing tips he has learned in the business. McCann raves about Onesti’s sharp mind and is proud to say his protégé has surpassed him in total sales over the past few years, as Onesti focuses primarily on new luxury homes.
 
“I work with a high-end clientele, buyers and sellers, but also a lot of developers and builders,” Onesti says. “One big segment of our client base that really needed attention on the Main Line were these developer types. There’s just no one out there doing what we’ve done in the city over the past two decades: finding land, assisting them with acquiring it, assisting them with design, and helping them build a house that is sought after and what buyers want.”
 
New construction is welcome because low inventory continues to be an issue, especially with unprecedented demand in the suburbs. Many buyers seek walkable communities, and Maginnis says a seasoned agent can help them navigate the choppy waters.
 
“There are so many pieces to the puzzle right now, and it’s not straightforward or simple,” she explains. “You have to be a good advisor, a good listener, and a really good communicator. We pride ourselves on that and on making the experience positive.”
 
The Mike McCann Team’s reach extends to the Jersey Shore as well, where many clients have sped up their timeline on adding either a vacation home or a permanent home where they can live and work year-round. Maginnis is one of many agents on The Mike McCann Team who is licensed in the Garden State. She also has a house at the Shore, so she knows towns throughout the South Jersey Shore very well.
 
It is a time of excitement and expansion for The McCann Team, which also has a commercial department and 12 full-time administrators to handle the behind-the-scenes details. More than 100 agents have been hired for the Keller Williams Main Line office in the past year, and the team did more than $50 million in business in the past 12 months, a staggering number.
 
“Mike has probably sold more real estate than anyone in the country at this point,” Onesti says. “He has been part of over $4 billion in real estate sales and 15,000 to 17,000 properties. We don’t talk about that too much—we try not to brag—but he’s an icon in the industry and he’s a national name. It’s been fun introducing him to this marketplace.”
 
Main Line McCann Team
Keller Williams Main Line
6 Coulter Ave., Second Floor 
Ardmore, PA 19003
(610) 520-0100
MainLineMcCann.com
 
Photograph by @plushimagecorp 
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, January 2022.

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