The Heart of the Main Line
Sean Furber, a COMPASS RE Realtor and third-generation resident of the Main Line, enjoys helping families build their own memories in a part of the world he considers close to his heart.
by Phil Gianficaro

Sean Furber understands the beauty and benefits of living on Philadelphia’s picturesque Main Line better than most. Not only has he spent the past 12 years working as a Realtor who specializes in Main Line homes, but he’s also a product of the area.
 
“I grew up here,” says Furber, a COMPASS RE Realtor and a third-generation Main Line resident who grew up in Narberth. “I know the people, the nuances of all the neighborhoods, the great reputations of all the schools, the historic homes. I know what a wonderful place it is to live.”
 
People come from near and far with their sights set on the Main Line in part because of the high quality of life it offers—including excellent schools and the proximity to first-class amenities, shopping and restaurants, and regional destinations. Furber appreciates why so many buyers and sellers consider the Main Line akin to “the center of the universe.”
 
“Everything you might possibly want is right here,” he adds. “The Main Line has some of the best public schools in the country, one after another. Many parents base their decision on where to raise their children based on the quality of the school system. You also have a world-class city that is less than 10 miles away. There are also a lot of outdoor activities nearby, like being within an hour of ski resorts and a little over an hour to the beach. It’s a great place to live. I know.”
 
Based in Ardmore, Furber is an expert in assisting folks wanting to buy or sell a home in any of the 16 different communities along the approximately 20-mile stretch of the Main Line in Philadelphia’s western suburbs. Renowned for their classic luxury homes, tree-lined streets, quaint shops, and spacious parks and floral gardens, many Main Line towns are consistently ranked among the best places to live in Pennsylvania.
 
“If you compare the Main Line to other areas of the country—New York, Boston, D.C.—the Philadelphia suburbs are the best value,” Furber adds. “The homes are historic; some of them are more than 100 years old. Most of them are real stone, just beautiful.”
 
Furber has represented buyers and sellers in transactions for properties that cost millions, though the median price point for homes Furber handles is approximately $800,000. 
 
“For $800,000 you can get something between 2,800 and 3,200 square feet, with four bedrooms and two and a half baths,” he says. “These are beautiful homes, but the caveat is most likely that there will be some dated features, like the bathrooms and kitchen that will need upgrades. Because they’re older houses, a lot of the conversations with clients are about the condition of the property, the mechanicals, the electric, roofing, plumbing. The age of the homes adds a unique aspect to the process.”
 
The real estate business on the Main Line remains strong, according to Furber. Not only is it an established nook of the Philadelphia suburbs, but it also has precious little land upon which to build.
 
“Supply has always been a challenge for our general market,” he says. “Even with interest rates bumping up a bit from the last 10 years, there’s still a high demand for a lot of the homes here.”
 
Clients who deal with Furber when buying or selling a home on the Main Line are treated with the utmost respect. He and Meg Kelly, a trusted sales associate with his company, share the same “clients are family” mentality when it comes to working with buyers and sellers.
 
“Meg and I both come from close-knit families,” Furber adds. “Meg was a social worker before getting into real estate, and I’ve always had that family mentality. I grew up on the Main Line, and Meg has lived there for more than 20 years now. For both of us, this is home.”
 
While other real estate agents may pass off a client to a transition team during negotiations, that is hardly the case with Furber and Kelly. Furber describes both of them as “service-oriented” professionals who serve as “hand holders for our clients.” They both stay involved throughout the entire process. “That’s part of the family mentality,” Furber says.
 
Prior to becoming a real estate agent, Furber operated instructional lacrosse camps during the summer. The same philosophy that propelled him to such success as a lacrosse instructor has guided him in his efforts to help clients realize their goals in real estate. 
 
“When I ran lacrosse camps, people came back year after year because they enjoyed the experience,” he said. “When I became a Realtor, I took a lot of the fundamentals of that business into this world. You have to treat people right.”
 
For Furber, the past and present of the Main Line are inextricably intertwined. He spends much of his time with clients, going from community to community, helping folks buy and sell historic homes from Malvern to Merion and every town in between. When the day is done, he occasionally finds himself in Narberth, where he spent his formative years, walking those familiar streets with his rescue dog, Sarah. He often sees a familiar home or a backyard that conjures a cherished memory from earlier in his life.
 
“The Main Line was a great place to live,” Furber recalls. “I’m very fortunate in that every day I get to play a part in helping other families make their own memories here.”
 
Sean Furber
COMPASS RE
4 E. Montgomery Ave.
Ardmore, PA 19003
(484) 278-1585 | (610) 822-3356
sean.furber@compass.com
www.compass.com/agents/sean-furber-team
 
Photo by Nina Lea Photography
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, December 2022.

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