Buyer’s Guide
About the Oldham Group $300+M Closed Volume in 2022
Over 220 Transactions closed in 2022
#62 The Oldham Group is a Collective of talented agents, staff, and support, led by Andrew and Jennifer Oldham - Founding Agents for Compass. Having closed over $1 Billion in sales volume during their career, Andrew and Jennifer lead a team that has substantially increased its business year over year while covering the expansive Northern and Southern California real estate markets. Because their agents have been selected based on their hyper-local expertise, they confidently represent a vast
Teams in the nation
#20 Teams in California
#14 Top 100 producing agents or teams in the SF Bay Area
coverage area with in-depth knowledge across several counties throughout California. With over 85 years of combined real estate expertise in marketing, law, title, design, and escrow, they
oldhamgroupcompass
provide their clients talents and expertise unparalleled in the California market. Combining their knowledge and experience
Oldham Group | Compass
with their love and passion for residential real estate, local expertise, exceptional marketing, personal service and the backing of the nation’s best luxury brokerage, Compass, they will
Oldham Group at Compass
prove to you the Oldham Group difference.
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Caitlin & Yosif Sharrak Inland Empire Specialist When buying a home, finding the right agent to represent you is just as important as finding the right home. Meet Yosif and Caitlin, your dynamic real estate duo with a tech-savvy twist! Coming from a Software Engineering background, Yosif proudly combines his passion for technology with an unwavering commitment to real estate excellence. He's the nerdy realtor you'll love, offering a deep dive into every facet of your real estate journey. Caitlin, on the other hand, brings a unique blend of events marketing expertise and a profound love for real estate. She excels in effectively marketing your property ensuring it
Realtor® 669.271.2596 yosif.sharrak@compass.com DRE# 02050540 | 02050535
gets the attention it rightly deserves in any
serving every corner of the Inland Empire. Known
real estate market. Yosif and Caitlin’s
for their kindness, professionalism, and unrivaled
reputation for honesty, kindness, and
expertise, the Oldham Group members are the
meticulous attention to detail makes them the
trusted top agents in their community, wholly
perfect guide in your home buying or selling
committed to delivering unparalleled service to you.
journey. Together, as a part of the esteemed
When it comes to your real estate needs, Yosif and
Oldham Group, Yosif and Caitlin have joined
Caitlin are your go-to partners, ready to guide you
forces with a team of extraordinary agents
through every step of your journey in finding that
boasting over 30 years of experience
dream home.
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Jennifer Oldham Team Leader
Jennifer is a high-performing real estate professional, who is not only an experienced realtor and loan officer, but also a skilled negotiator and a real estate paralegal. What sets Jennifer apart is her ability to listen to her clients’ needs and use her indepth knowledge of the real estate market to negotiate the best deal to exceed the clients’ expectations. With more than two decades of experience working for residential real estate, title, escrow, and specializing in high net worth clients. Jennifer knows exactly what it takes to buy or sell a home. This is one of the reasons why she has been an award-winning Realtor since 2000. When working with clients, Jennifer first learns about what the client wants, then clearly explains the process, sets goals, and works hard to accomplish the best result. Jennifer has built the team on three simple principles: 1. Be Kind, 2. Be Professional, 3. Be an Expert. Jennifer ensures each one of the Oldham Group Team members exemplifies this mantra without exception. Jennifer started in real estate 20 plus years ago in the Bay Area, and never quit.
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Realtor® 408.835.4119 jennifer@compass.com DRE 01325650 She loves seeing great families find the right home, and wonderful agents expand their real estate acumen and experience. An adrenaline junkie, Jennifer has sought out and excelled at every possible extreme sport, from racing dirt bikes to competitive boxing, ice skating to skydiving, she has done it all. Her motto “Don’t eff it up!” pretty much sums up Jenn’s leadership style. Funny and full of love, this bad ass hugger makes long lasting connections with her clients and team members alike.
Andrew Oldham Team Leader / Attorney Originally a real estate lawyer, Andrew’s 40 years of real estate experience makes him uniquely able to tackle any real estate problem. From legal expertise, to escrow and title specifics, to brokerage, Andrew has done it all and he loves doing it, for his clients and his team. Before starting the Oldham Group, Andrew had a long career as a real estate litigator, and real estate entrepreneur. After passing the bar, his real estate law career took off and he spent years in escrow litigation as a freelancer and salaried lawyer. In the nineties, Andrew founded a real estate company called
Realtor® 408.393.0773 andrew.oldham@compass.com DRE 01207289
eHome. eHome took advantage of
When he’s not assisting clients and agents, or
burgeoning internet technology, and
working with Compass to help them improve
found a home for real estate there.
their tools and resources, Andrew loves
They raised 30 million in capital and
walking Asilomar beach with his wife and
were the first to make the MLS searchable for clients, not just agents, and expanded to three states.
business partner, Jennifer and their adorable Boston, Abby. Andrew prides himself on being a kind, and loving person first and foremost, and second (but just barely) an excellent real estate professional.
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Testimonials
I cannot express this enough! Caitlin and her team made this experience better than we could have imagined! This was our first time purchasing a home together and although there were many roadblocks, Caitlin’s team continued to support us throughout the whole process. They answered all of our questions, kept us updated on all communication with the seller, and even suggested where to find window treatments! We will forever be grateful to have worked with such wonderful people who really care about their clients!
Caitlin is very friendly, easygoing and very responsive. We weren't really sure about the type of home we wanted or the price range, so Caitlin spent a lot of time touring different properties with us and discussing pros and cons. She answered all the questions we had with honesty and kept us updated every step on the way. It’s been a pleasure working with Caitlin, highly recommended! Thank you for helping us find our dream home!
It was such a pleasure to work with Caitlin. She is professional, knowledgeable, courteous, patient, and kind. Upon meeting her, Caitlin asked great questions to help us narrow down our home search. We have children and finding a good school district was very important to us. Caitlin introduced us to neighborhoods with good schools that we had never considered before. She got to know us and helped build a relationship with us. As we discovered what we were looking for and what was really important to us in a home, Caitlin helped us adjust our search accordingly. Throughout the process, she took the time to answer our questions whether it be about home disclosures or making an offer. She was very responsive to our requests and was very organized. When it was time to make an offer, her expertise and analysis were spot on. We are truly grateful that we had her as our agent and highly recommend her.
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Why Get Pre-Approved Pre-approval is different from pre-qualifying, as it is a full loan approval instead of an opinion letter. It is recommended to get pre-approval before looking at homes. Finding out what you qualify for will help you look in the right price range
Determining the Right Price Range The first step in buying a house is to determine the price range that is right for you. You will need to consider how much you are prepared to invest in your home and how much you will need to borrow. You should also consider how much property taxes and insurance will add to your monthly mortgage payment.
Pre-Approval for a Loan
Determining Cash You Will Need You will need enough cash to cover both your down payment and any closing costs associated with the purchase. Closing costs vary significantly based on the terms of your loan but are generally 1% to 2% of the purchase price.
to obtain the proposed
Determining Additional Costs Your Compass agent will help estimate your purchasing power and your carrying costs, but it is highly recommended that you discuss your cash needs and tax ramifications with an accountant and/or financial advisor.
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An offer is given greater consideration by a seller if it is accompanied by a preapproval letter from a reputable lender or a local mortgage broker. This assures the seller that you will be able financing and will not tie up the property needlessly. Lenders will inquire about the following six critical factors: 1. Income 2. Savings/capital/investments 3. Credit history 4. Debt level/ratio 5. Employment history 6. The value of the property you wish to purchase
Things you should NOT do when applying for a home loan Below are a list of things to steer clear of when seeking to obtain financing for a home. The following items may be detrimental when trying to move forward with the loan process
DON’T buy new furniture or major DON’T buy or lease an auto before you apply for a home loan Lenders look carefully at your debt-toincome ratio. A large payment such as a car lease or purchase can greatly impact those ratios and prevent you from qualifying for a home loan. DON’T move assets from one bank account to another These transfers show up as new deposits and complicate the application process, as you must then disclose and document the source of funds for each new account. The lender can verify each account as it currently exists. You can consolidate your accounts later if you need to. DON’T change jobs A new job may involve a probation period, which must be satisfied before income from the new job can be considered for qualifying purposes.
appliances for your new home If the new purchases increase the amount of debt you are responsible for, there is the possibility this may disqualify you from getting the loan, or cut down on the available funds you need to meet the closing costs. DON’T run a credit report on yourself This will show as an inquiry on your lender’s credit report. Inquiries must be explained in writing. DON’T attempt to consolidate bills before speaking with your lender The lender can advise you if this needs to be done. DON’T pack or ship information needed for the loan application Important paperwork such as W-2 forms, divorce decrees, and tax returns should not be sent with your household goods. Duplicate copies take weeks to obtain, and could stall the closing date on your transaction.
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Escrow Escrow: What is it? Escrow is the period of time between your offer being accepted and your purchase being finalized. Escrow is a deposit of funds, a deed or other instrument by one party for the delivery to another party upon completion of a particular condition or event. Why Do I Need an Escrow? Whether you are the buyer, seller, lender or borrower, you want assurance that no funds or property will change hands until ALL of the instructions in the transaction have been followed. The escrow holder has the obligation to safeguard the funds and/or documents while they are in the possession of the escrow holder, and to disburse funds and/or convey title only when all provisions of the escrow have been complied with. The escrow officer is a neutral third party and does not represent any one party. Your title company will provide you with a preliminary title report for the buyer to be made aware of any encumbrances on the property. Your title company also provides title insurance to ensure delivery of clean title.
How Does Escrow Work? The principals to the escrow—buyer, seller, lender, agents—cause escrow instructions, most usually in writing, to be created, signed and delivered to the escrow officer. If a broker is involved, he will normally provide the escrow officer with the information necessary for the preparation of your escrow instructions and documents. The escrow officer will process the escrow, in accordance with the escrow instructions, and when all conditions required in the escrow can be met or achieved, the escrow will be “closed.” The duties of an escrow holder include: following the instructions given by the principals and parties to the transaction in a timely manner; handling the funds and/or documents in accordance with the instruction; paying all bills as authorized; responding to authorized requests from the principals; closing the escrow only when all terms funds in accordance with instructions and provide an accounting for same: the Closing or Settlement Statement. The escrow officer can ONLY take instructions from all parties in agreement. No one party in the transaction can soley give instructions. The escrow officer does not represent any one party— they are a neutral 3rd party in the transaction.
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Escrow How Long Does Escrow Last? This is determined on a case by case basis and will be written into the offer. Generally, 30 days is common. However, in some cases, you (or the seller) may need more time. In some cases, it is shorter, for example with an all cash deal. Who Chooses the Escrow? In the Bay Area, it is usually the buyer’s choice, as the buyer pays the escrow fees. The selection of the escrow holder is normally done by agreement between the principals. If a real estate broker is involved in the transaction, the broker may recommend an escrow holder. However, it is the right of the principals to use an escrow holder who is competent and who is experienced in handling the type of escrow at hand. There are laws that prohibit the payment of referral fees; this affords the consumer the best possible escrow services without any compromise caused by a person receiving a referral fee. What Happens During Escrow? The escrow period gives all parties involved the time needed to comply with the terms of the offer and prepare to transfer title from the seller to the buyer. During this period, you do several things, all of which your agent will help you with:
01 You put down a refundable deposit of 3% of the purchase price which is held by the title company
02 Your lender processes your loan and will ask you for various information needed to approve you
03 You review and sign disclosures
04 You do your due diligence on the property, and remove your contingencies by the deadlines you requested in your offer
05 You have any inspections you wrote into your offer done
06 The lender orders an appraisal for the property
07 You sign all loan and title documents when they are ready
08 Closing happens a couple days after you sign documents
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Our Exclusive Pre Advantage Private Exclusive
Coming Soon
A Private Exclusive listing is an off-market home that can be shared by a Compass agent with their Compass colleagues directly. Property details aren’t disseminated and won’t appear on public home search websites. Listing your home as a Private Exclusive allows you to control what information is shared — while still getting exposure to top agents at Compass.
Compass Coming Soon gives us valuable opportunities to market your property while building anticipation among potential buyers and pressuretesting our pricing strategy — all without accruing days on market.
compass.com/private-exclusives
compass.com/coming-soon
2–3x
More views by consumers and agents*
7%
Fewer days on market vs. listings that go straight to active**
~19%
More traffic at an open house*** Compass Coming Soon and Private Exclusives are subject to local MLS restrictions and not available in all markets. Local policy definitions may restrict how Private Exclusive listings can be shared between agents,
Data refers to a comparison between MLS and Compass Coming Soon listings vs. listings that go straight to active. *Viewership sourced via Compass.com 1/2020–8/2020.
even within the same brokerage. Where the programs are available, pre-marketing and listing strategies are independently determined by the client. Compass does not recommend one particular strategy or guarantee results.
**Days on market sourced via Compass.com 1/2020–7/2020. ***Open house traffic sourced via Compass.com 1/2020–9/2020.
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The Compass Advantage Compass takes a tech-driven, personalized approach, combining a collaborative agent community, in-house creative agency, and the industry’s most tenured leadership team.
$35B+ Sales volume in 2022*
3,800+ Number of agents
280+ Number of employees
3
Amazing partners
Alain Pinel Realtors Pacific Union Paragon
*Source: Broker Metrics. Residential sales for eight Bay Area counties from 11/1/20 - 10/31/21.
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Our mission is to help everyone find their place in this world.
Caitlin & Yosif Sharrak
Jennifer Oldham
DRE# 02050540 | 02050535 669.271.2596 yosif.sharrak@compass.com californialiving.me
DRE# 01325650 408.835.4119 jennifer@compass.com californialiving.me