Pinecrest Realtor Elena Kemper was a teacher for 10 years before deciding to cast her fate on the winds of South Florida real estate. And, judging from her success, it was a smart move.

"I loved teaching for seven years," she recalled. "And, I started selling real estate part time. One day I said to my husband, if I could do as well financially in real estate as I was doing in teaching, could I leave teaching. And, so he laughed and said, ‘Sure.’ I ended up doing quite well in real estate that first year and I left teaching."

Kemper, 48, and her husband, Robert, who works for American Bankers Association, reside in Pinecrest with their daughter, Sarah, 15, and son, Adam, 13. Both attend Palmetto High School. The family belongs to Temple Beth Am.

Kemper grew up in North Miami Beach, graduated from Norland High School in 1969 and later from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton with an education degree.

Kemper deals in both residential and commercial real estate and doesn’t confine her efforts to Miami-Dade County. She will travel from deep in the Keys to northern Broward on behalf of her clients.

"I personally deal in real estate all around South Florida," she said. "I do a lot in Pinecrest, but I’ve also been in Weston, Miami Lakes, Doral, Hollywood Beach. The furthest north I’ll go is Pompano and I’ve also sold houses in the Keys."

Kemper’s personal field of expertise lies in the realm of apartment buildings and she gets a particular satisfaction from putting together a successful transaction.

"Apartment buildings, investment properties, I very much enjoy the numbers," she said. "I love to be able to have somebody call me and say ‘I have an extra $100,000 and I’d like to invest it. This is what I want to get back in return. How do I do it?’ I like to be able to investigate a building, an apartment building, or something of that nature and make it work for them."

Her pleasure at putting together a commercial real estate deal does not, however, alter her enthusiasm for residential real estate.

"That’s my specialty," she said. "I love the personal and emotional feeling you get by helping people find a home. Commercial real estate is non-emotional, residential is very emotional and I enjoy that.

"Residential is also very rewarding. There are so many times that I have found people the right house, or their first home, and they’ve loved it. I bump into them and they tell me how happy they are. It’s very rewarding to make them happy that way. And very challenging, too."

Kemper is the business partner of Libby Klein, who also works out of the EWM Pinecrest office. The pair have worked together for 20 years and joined EWM in 1991 following the demise of Stadler Realty. Both are members of the company’s prestigious Chairman’s Club, reserved for associates with $5 million or more in annual sales.

The two have consistently made EWM’s top production roster. This year they were EWM’s top residential sales team in the Pinecrest-Palmetto office and had the highest number of closed transactions.

"I enjoy helping people and I like talking to people," Kemper said. "That’s what I enjoy the most. I’m very much a people person."