Wish Fulfillment
Having thrived as a Realtor on the Main Line for nearly two decades, Angela Berke cultivates a growing team to fulfill clients’ real estate dreams.
by Matt Cosentino

Switching gears in midcareer is always a bold step. Then again, Angela Berke has never shied away from a challenge. Nearly 20 years ago, she decided to leave behind an established position in the banking industry to try her hand at real estate. She experienced some trepidation at first, but she also knew she possessed all of the traits she would need to thrive in her new world.
 
Now, almost two decades into the venture, Berke has no doubt that she made the right move. She gets all the confirmation she needs every time she successfully leads a client to the closing table.
 
“It was eye-opening to me, the way you can change people’s lives in real estate,” she says. “All of my best attributes complement the industry and benefit my clients. I still love showing houses and seeing my buyers’ eyes light up. When I’m selling properties, I love the whole process of doing what has to be done, seeing my clients during the before and after, and then their smiling faces during the end process. I get their goals achieved, and it’s a huge satisfaction piece to me.”
 
Berke is recognized among the top 2 percent of Realtors nationally, and has done millions in career sales volume. Savvy, results driven, and well respected in the Realtor community, she has set herself apart to achieve many elite industry awards; she is a seven-time winner of the Five Star Real Estate Agent award from Philadelphia magazine, for example, and she also recently won another Top Realtor award from Main Line Today
 
About 15 months ago, she brought that résumé to Keller Williams Main Line, where she has grown her business by forming the Angela Berke Team and adding two agents, Allie Hughes Shannon and Danielle Barry. She continues to specialize in luxury homes and new construction, not just on the Main Line but also in surrounding communities. Her clientele includes everyone from first-time homebuyers to those in the luxury market to seniors looking to downsize. Considering the breadth of her experience, she happily shows Shannon and Barry what it takes to succeed in real estate.
 
“I enjoy mentoring them and seeing them flourish,” she says. “I think we’re saturated with Realtors on the Main Line, but I don’t think we’re saturated with the right real estate agents. There are agents who plop a sign in the ground and they’re done. Then there are agents who enjoy the process, who really want to make a difference and take the time to work with the client rather then push them through to get another sale.”
 
Barry and Shannon have picked Berke’s brain about the many important details that go into being an attentive agent and have been quick studies. “They’re still learning the business but in the first year, one sold over $1 million in real estate and the other sold close to $1 million,” Berke says. “They love changing people’s lives, the communication, and the thrill of it. They’re getting into a market that none of us has ever seen. For them to master it that way is amazing.”
 
It certainly helps having a people person such as Berke to guide them. An excellent communicator who prides herself on listening to her clients’ wants and needs, Berke identifies their end goals and then executes the vision. It’s no wonder that 90 percent of her business comes from referrals.
 
Berke’s corporate background has shaped her into a skilled negotiator. In the current market—high demand and low inventory, leading to bidding wars on every property—she must strategize and get creative with offers, as well as remain patient with buyers who may need to look at dozens of homes before finding the right one. She also believes in properly marketing a listing, even though each home she takes on will likely sell quickly and for an amount above the asking price.
 
“I love creating the whole buzz around the listing,” she adds. “I enjoy being creative on social media to taking it to the next level, working with different photographers and videographers, and really making the house shine at its highest light.” 
 
The Main Line has become more popular than ever for people relocating from out of state, as well as for those in Center City looking to move out of the city in search of more space. Berke, a lifelong resident of Lower Merion, is eager to share her knowledge of the region.
 
“I know the Main Line inside and out,” she says. “I know the school districts, I know the streets, I know the homes, I know the neighborhoods, I know the restaurants, and I know the shops. It’s cool to show where I grew up. I don’t have to study the area because I already know it very well.”
 
Berke is thrilled to be part of the new Keller Williams Main Line office that renowned broker Mike McCann has established in Suburban Square. She has the opportunity to collaborate with fellow agents and has access to lenders and an administrative support team all under the same roof. She believes the affiliation will help her as her team continues to grow.
 
A close look at the logo for Berke’s real estate enterprise reveals an illustrated dandelion. The logo speaks to the fact that she strives to make people’s wishes for a new home come true.
 
“That kind of captures what I do: fulfilling my clients’ real estate dreams,” she says. “I’m hoping to continue growing and add positive energy to clients and buyers. It’s a struggle in this market so it’s always helpful to keep positive. Onward and upward—if it didn’t work out this time, the next one will. You have to always be optimistic in this business.”
 
Angela Berke & Team
Keller Williams Main Line
6 Coulter Ave., Second Floor 
Ardmore, PA 19003
(610) 520-0100 | (610) 636-4710
AngelaBerke.com
 
Photograph by Nina Lea Photography
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, March 2022.