OASIR agents honored with Delaware Today 2013 Five Star Awards

Local Realtors Brian and Jenn Barrows, Kim Hamer, Mitch Selbiger, Pat Campbell White, and Mariya Oldfather of Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s International Realty have each been named Delaware Today 2013 Five Star Real Estate Agents.

The Five Star Award recognizes agents who have scored highest in overall customer satisfaction, with scores derived from customer surveys. All Delaware-area residents who purchased a home over $150,000 from July 2012 to March 2013 were surveyed by phone or mail to determine the top-scoring agents across the state. The 2013 Five Star agents do not pay any type of fee to be included in this research or on the final list of Five Star agents, which means this is a true reflection of their clients’ feedback.

Jenn and Brian Barrows have consistently ranked in the top 2 percent of all Realtors in Sussex County year after year. Brian, a Lewes/Rehoboth Beach native, and Jenn, originally from New York, are both University of Delaware graduates. They are repeatedly one of the top-producing teams in the company and have been Realtors for a combined 20 years. The Barrows brought their team to Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's in September 2008.

"Our clients tell us our success is attributed to three important differentiators," said Brian. "First is our commitment to regular communication with both our buyers and sellers before, during and after their purchase or sale. Secondly, we are the primary point of contact with our clients, reaching out to them with feedback, the latest market trends and opportunities. And finally, we love the Delaware beaches, our community and what we do every day, and they tell us it shows." Jenn said, "Receiving the Five Star Award each year since its inception in Delaware speaks to our commitment to developing clients for life." All of the members of Barrows and Associates actively volunteer in the community. Jenn volunteers at Rehoboth Elementary School and Brian is a board member at Rehoboth Beach Country Club and a member of the Delaware State Golf Association Scholarship Tournament Committee.

Kim Hamer, a member of the OA Sotheby’s team since 2004, began selling real estate part time in 1998, turning it into a full-time job in 2005. With her background in marketing through her previous career at MBNA, she brings a fresh and creative perspective to every real estate deal. Hamer is a native Delawarean with deep local roots - her husband Jeff has owned local restaurants in town since 1991 and currently owns FINS Fish House & Raw Bar and CLAWS Seafood House of Rehoboth. “I’m thrilled to have made the Five Star Real Estate Agent list for Delaware for the fourth year,” said Hamer. “The real estate market is changing quickly these days, and to be able to successfully help people navigate through a sometimes complicated process means so much to me.” Hamer has sold over $130 million in total sales volume in her career and has been the top-producing Rehoboth agent for 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

While working in marketing in the computer industry for over 20 years, Mitch Selbiger saw firsthand the dramatic rise of the software industry as he developed effective marketing strategies for such companies as Netscape, Sybase and Aether Systems. He successfully transitioned to the real estate industry in 2001 and has the technological ability to stay on top of this fast-paced market. “I enjoy staying in close contact with my clients and providing them with immediate feedback and action plans,” said Selbiger. “Melding technology and real estate has allowed me to actively participate in two dynamic industries.” Selberger received his real estate broker’s license in 2007.

Pat Campbell-White joined the OA Sotheby’s team in 2012 and is a legend in the local real estate market. First entering the real estate profession in 1974, she has served in numerous leadership positions in the National Association of Realtors, the Delaware Association of Realtors, and Sussex County Association of Realtors. She has traveled nationwide lecturing on a myriad of real estate-related subjects, and from ’91 to ’96, she served as legislative liaison and public policy/legislative chair for the National Association of Realtors. Campbell-White has provided testimony to congressional committees on issues such as coastal barriers, wetlands, and flood insurance. Her greatest avocation has been over 20 years dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Delaware's Inland Bays, the watershed encompassing Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, Little Assawoman Bay and the Assawoman Canal. Initially appointed in 1983 by Gov. Pete DuPont, she served as vice chair of the Center for the Inland Bays. For her efforts with the Inland Bays program, she received recognition from the Take Pride in America National Awards Program.

“Client satisfaction and relationships has always been the foundation of my career,” said Campbell-White. “I am proud to say I still have clients from the 1970s that remain both clients and friends.”

Mariya Oldfather, part of the The Oldfather Group at OA Sotheby’s, has carved a name for herself in the competitive southern Delaware real estate market by delivering consistent results for homebuyers and sellers, and providing superior customer service.

“The Oldfather Group has built a dynamic, thriving business that has continued to exceed expectations within the company,” said Justin Healy, broker at Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s. “Mariya is an integral part of their success.” Oldfather obtained her degree in accounting from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Using her strengths in finance, coupled with the group’s organizational skills and focus on technology, the Oldfather Group is truly on the cutting edge of the real estate industry. They were able to help nearly a hundred clients buy or sell homes in 2013 and hope to assist even more next year.

In Delaware, Five Star real estate agents account for less than 6 percent of all the licensed agents in the state. “The Five Star award is a true representation of outstanding customer service from an agent,” said Healy. “We at OA Sotheby’s are so proud to have Jenn and Brian, Kim, Mitch, Pat, and Mariya as part of our team. Their continued hard work and dedication to their clients is truly a great reflection on our company.”

To learn more about Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s International Realty, call 302-227-6767 or go to www.oasis.net.