Ocean Atlantic Realty welcomes two team members

Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s International Realty announces the recent additions of Liz Barnhart and Michele Marinucci to its team of real estate professionals. “We are pleased to have Liz and Michele on board with us at Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s,” said Justin Healy, broker at OASIR. “With strong educational and professional backgrounds, they are proving to be an excellent fit with our company.”

Barnhart hails from Potomac, Md., and began spending her summers in Bethany Beach in 1975. She worked at Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor, owned by local legend Moss Wagner, and worked as a lifeguard on the local beaches throughout high school and college breaks. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire in 1997 with a psychology degree, she received her certification to teach high school Spanish from the University of North Carolina, followed by a master's degree in guidance counseling from Wilmington University.

Barnhart worked as a Spanish teacher and guidance counselor at Sussex Technical High School. After marrying Ryan Barnhart, a local dentist and former Middlesex lifeguard, she taught Spanish at Delaware Tech Community College while raising two young girls. She stayed active as a board member of Rehoboth Children’s Summer Theatre and Worcester Preparatory School and as an Epworth Preschool volunteer. She is currently licensed to sell real estate in Delaware and Maryland, and operates under the OASIR brokerage name in both states.

Marinucci has joined the OA Sotheby rental team with 10 years of local experience as a rental agent and manager. She also worked as a senior sales and service manager at Capital One Bank for three years. She prides herself on her ability to quickly handle sensitive and complex situations, and provide outstanding client services. She obtained her Delaware realtor's license in 2001 and has worked in both support and supervisory positions. Marinucci will be managing year-round, seasonal and weekly rentals in the Bethany area.

“With our emphasis on providing the highest level of service for our owners and renters, we are thrilled to have a person with Michele’s experience and enthusiasm join our team,” said Kathleen Archino, OA Sotheby’s rental manager. “With requests for summer 2014 rentals already coming in, our concentration continues to be on building a strong team and providing broad marketing exposure for our properties. We feel our team can serve the local rental market exceptionally well and are working to provide the best experience possible for our clients in coastal Delaware.”

“The real estate market in Sussex County, and especially coastal Delaware, has seen a dramatic increase in sales thus far in 2013,” said Healy. “We see a marked improvement in volume across all price ranges and are delighted to expand our team to include both Liz and Michele. They are most welcome additions, and we look forward to the market continuing its upward trend into 2014.”