Ten Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s Realtors named 2015 Five Star Real Estate Agents
Local Realtors Brian and Jenn Barrows, Mitch Selbiger, Kim Hamer, Sandi Bisgood, Henry Jaffe, Pat Campbell-White, Carla Scheder, Mariya Oldfather and Paul Maltaghati of Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s International Realty have each been named as one of Delaware’s 2015 Five Star Professional Real Estate Agents. The Five Star Award recognizes those agents who have scored the highest in overall customer satisfaction, with these scores derived directly from customer surveys. All Delaware-area residents who purchased a home over $100,000 within an eight- to 36-month period were surveyed by phone or mail to determine the top scoring agents in 10 different criteria across the state. The 2015 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, so this is a true reflection of their clients’ feedback.
Jenn and Brian Barrows have consistently ranked in the top 1 percent of Realtors in Sussex County. Brian, a Lewes/Rehoboth Beach native, and Jenn, originally from New York, are both University of Delaware graduates and love living and raising their two young sons at the beach. They are 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 says, "Receiving the Five Star Award each year since its inception in Delaware speaks to our commitment to developing clients for life." All the members of Barrows and Associates volunteer in the community. Jenn volunteers regularly 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 Committee.
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. Selbiger 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.” He received his real estate broker’s license in 2007.
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. She is consistently one of the top 10 real estate agents in Sussex County in terms of sales volume, yet still personally manages each transaction to ensure exceptional client satisfaction. With her background in marketing through her previous career at MBNA, she brings a fresh and creative perspective to every real estate transaction. Hamer is a native Delawarean with deep local roots - her husband Jeff has owned local restaurants since 1991 and currently they own FINS Fish House and Raw Bar, FINS Ale House, and CLAWS Seafood House of Rehoboth. “I’m thrilled to have made the Five Star Real Estate Agent list for Delaware for the sixth 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 $200 million in total sales volume in her career and has been the top producing individual OASIR agent since 2009. She is also the listing agent for Sandy Cove in Ocean View and Bethany Woods in Bethany Beach.
Repeat Five Star Agent Sandi Bisgood has been a full-time licensed Realtor since 1998, and has been the top listing/selling agent in The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, with sales of over 100 homes in the community. Bisgood says it was love at first sight when she first saw The Peninsula as a brand-new resort community in 2004, and worked there exclusively for the next six years, before re-expanding her reach to include the whole coastal region in 2011. She finds great satisfaction in helping buyers and sellers reach their real estate goals and has a consultative, low-key, no-pressure style. A native of Bethesda, Md., Bisgood spent many weekends and summers at the Delaware beaches before moving here in 1997 following a successful career as a training and development professional in the Washington, D.C. area. She is also a licensed Delaware real estate broker. Bisgood serves on several local and statewide committees, and is the 2016 president of the Sussex County Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors. She is the proud mother of a grown daughter, and loves to spend evenings walking on the beaches at Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth.
Also hailing from Bethesda, Md., is Henry Jaffe, who earned the Five Star Real Estate Agent Award in 2014 as well. He has an extensive background in all aspects of real estate transactions and a strong understanding of the local real estate market and communities including Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and surrounding Delaware beach towns. Having descended from a four-generation, family-run, commercial and residential high-rise construction company, Jaffe has a keen understanding of the dynamics of real estate and supporting clients to make the process enjoyable and rewarding for everyone. His ability to generate creative solutions will assure the needs of every client are met. Jaffe and his wife are passionate about living in Delaware and enjoy the lifestyle and active community the coastal areas of Sussex County provide. He enjoys surfing and is competitive in club tennis and league soccer. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Sussex County Association of Realtors and is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Pat Campbell-White joined the OA Sotheby’s team in 2012 and is truly 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 1991 to 1996, she served as legislative liaison and public policy/legislative chair for the National Association of Realtors. In addition, Campbell-White has provided testimony to numerous congressional committees on issues such as coastal barriers, wetlands and flood insurance. Her greatest avocation has been over 25 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, Campbell-White served as chair or vice chair of the Center for the Inland Bays until 2007. For her efforts with the Inland Bays program, she received national recognition from the Take Pride in American National Awards Program. Campbell-White is currently the president-elect of the Rehoboth Sunrise Rotary Club and serves as an elder at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth Beach. “Client satisfaction and relationships have always been the foundation of my career,” she said. “I am proud to say I still have clients from the 1970s that remain both clients and friends.”
Carla Scheder was born and raised in Rehoboth Beach and has extensive knowledge of the area. Her earliest exposure to real estate was probably at the age of 1, when her mother, Pat Campbell-White, entered the real estate profession. Early in her own career, she worked in resort rentals for six years before her entry into property sales in 2001. Scheder has been a licensed Realtor and Rehoboth Beach real estate agent since 1996. In 2012, she earned her associate broker's license. She has positioned herself on a fast track to professional success by utilizing a variety of training and productivity resources to continually sharpen her skills. Carla and her children, Luke and Grace Miller, reside in the Lewes area. Pat and Carla’s ancestry roots trace back to the Rehoboth area of Sussex County from 1740, which is truly an example of local ties.
Mariya Oldfather is an integral member of the The Oldfather Group, the No. 1 producing team at Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s. With over 24 team members, The Oldfather Group specializes in providing clients with information and guidance in home buying or selling in southern Delaware and Maryland’s coastal communities. Oldfather has a strong analytical, financial and organizational background, which provides clients with an edge in negotiations. Boasting exceptional tech-savvy sales methods, a heavy internet presence and use of virtual tours, she integrates technology seamlessly into her home buying and selling strategies. The Oldfather Group is on track to help 200 clients buy or sell properties in this area in 2015.
Paul Maltaghati, a native New Yorker, has over 25 years of retail experience as the owner of a prestigious business in midtown Manhattan. His clientele included many high-profile celebrities and major Fortune 500 companies, with whom he worked with discretion and professionalism. After eight years of buying, renting and selling personal vacation properties in Rehoboth Beach, he decided to leave New York in 2004, joining the Ocean Atlantic Sotheby’s team in 2005. Maltaghati is an expert at giving his sellers exceptional marketing and exposure to secure a contract that yields the best terms and price, while also connecting his buyers with the best property, terms and price possible. Maltaghati also knows new construction, with 10 years of experience working in model homes in several communities for local builders.
In Delaware, Five Star Real Estate Agents account for less than 7 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 Justin Healy, broker at OA Sotheby’s International Realty. “We at OA Sotheby’s are so proud to have Jenn and Brian, Sandi, Henry, Kim, Mitch, Pat, Carla, Mariya and Paul as part of our team. Their continued hard work and dedication to their clients is truly a great reflection on our company.”
For more information, call 302-227-6767 or go to www.oasir.net.
