Buy a Home

A real estate agent that is working with a buyer in helping them find a home, is commonly referred to as the “Buyer Agent” or “Buyer Specialist". Here is what they do for their clients:

Provide recommendations on financing and reputable lenders. Buyer Specialists deal with lenders every day and can provide you with recommendations on ones that offer competitive rates and programs, have fantastic communication and follow up, and have a higher rate of helping their clients close on their dream home. Learn more about financing!

Help you find the right house. Buyer Specialists should listen to what’s important to you and show you homes that match your budget and search criteria. They keep an eye out for new homes that come on the market that match your criteria and also will set you up to receive listing alerts via email. They also will arrange for all showings and should have flexibility to show you homes when it’s best for your schedule.

Point out reasons NOT to buy. An experienced and reputable Buyer Specialist will walk you through homes pointing out weaknesses or concerns they have with the home you’re considering. As a buyer, you will most likely be viewing homes trying to imagine living your life there, but your Buyer Specialist should be viewing it with a lens to see if they see major defects visible to the human eye (structural damage, age of mechanicals, etc). 

Provide guidance on making offers and negotiating a good price. The best Buyer Specialists understand how to make competitive offers in any real estate market and will advise you on how to get the home of your dreams. They understand current market prices and can advise if an offer is too low or too high. They can also guide you through other offer terms like inspections, possession, title companies, etc. 

Explain and manage forms and contracts. When buying a home, there is a lot of documentation that is involved. Buyer Specialists ensure all documents are accurately completed and organized to ensure a smoother closing process. 

Advise on home inspection and negotiate major repairs. An experienced Buyer Specialist will have knowledge of reputable home inspectors and can provide you with options so you can make a confident choice when selecting one. Once the inspection is over, they negotiate major repairs with the Listing Agent on your behalf. 

Monitor the sale through closing: Finding the home you love and getting your offer accepted is a large part of the home buying process, but getting to the closing table is also a hefty part of the process. This second portion involves inspections, working with your lender, the agent on the selling side and the title company to ensure a successful closing. Your Buyer Specialist will be there to guide you from one step to the next and are there to manage any major issues that comes up along the way. They are there to provide you with sound advice and counsel to keep things moving smoothly! 

Click here to learn more about what a real estate agent does.

If you're thinking about buying a home, you most likely are wondering things like, can you get a mortgage with no credit, or how much should you put down on a house, and finally how do you qualify for a home loan?

Talking with a Loan Officer is a great first step to understand more about financing your dream home and it can be common practice to connect with a lender as soon as one year out from when you plan on buying a home. Why? Reaching out to a lender sooner rather than later can allow for them to help you identify any issues you may have in obtaining a home loan, giving you time to fix those issues before you are ready to buy. 

These discussions can also help in getting you information on how much to save for your down payment, and help you understand how much debt you need to pay off before buying. Lenders can also educate buyers who may have a harder time getting a loan based on employment status or a recent job change. 

If you do not want to talk with a lender that far out, the minimum recommended time frame would be 6 months out. It does not cost you money to talk with a Loan Officer and you can shop different lenders to find the one that is best for you! Learn more about financing. 

The great thing about having your own buyer representation is that you do not pay for the commission of your agent. When selling a home, the seller has agreed to pay a commission that will ultimately cover the commission of the Listing Agent and the agent representing the buyer. 

If a buyer chooses to work with the Listing Agent, then that agent gets to keep the entire commission. The key thing to remember though is that the Listing Agent and their brokerage still represent the seller’s best interest. 

In Ohio, realtors can practice dual agency, where the same agent and brokerage represent the seller and also the buyer but they must maintain a neutral position to both parties. This can be very tricky and there can be ethical concerns. To protect your finances and so that you get the best possible deal on a home, it’s probably best to avoid dual agency and to secure your own representation.

Homes that you see on this website come directly from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and it’s updated every 15 minutes with new listings. Some of the other real estate websites for finding homes are not directly connected to the MLS, so they are not able to update at that frequency and can take up to two weeks to have accurate information on a home! You can search MLS houses on this website for free, any time and without obligation. 

This website also allows for you to set up customized listing alerts so that you can be notified when new listings become available. If you have problems setting these up - please don’t hesitate to reach out so Kevin can help you!

If you are working with a great agent, they should have an agent that can help you while they are on vacation. If you choose to work with Kevin and Jose Medina & Associates, this is a common practice of the Buyer Specialists on this team. These agents partner with other agents to cover their business and are available to clients for showings, to negotiate offers and to handle other questions that may come up while your agent is away. 

YES! Kevin primarily works with sellers but based on his client workload he may be able to assist you in finding a home as well. If his workload would compromise client service, he will pair you with an exceptional Buyer Specialist on his team to help you find a home. 

Most agents also sell between 10-12 homes per year and experience in this industry does matter! 

Seeing the high amount of production Kevin and his team do may be off-putting if you’re wondering if you will just be a “number" or "sale” but the truth is, Kevin and Jose Medina & Associates value every client and it's their goal to provide everyone with a genuine real estate experience, to go above and beyond expectations and to create clients for life! 

See What Past Clients of Kevin Have To Say

Easy-Exit Listing Agreement: If you have a home to sell, many real estate agents will lock you into a listing agreement for several months when selling a home. If you become dissatisfied with the partnership, you are not able to end the agreement and list your home with another agent until that time frame is fulfilled. Jose Medina & Associates does NOT lock their clients into a contract. If you become dissatisfied with Kevin selling your home for any reason, at any time - you are able to fire him with no fees or further commitment!

Buyer and Seller Programs: Because Kevin works on a real estate team, he is able to offer his clients unique, exclusive options to help them sell and buy their dream homes. Learn more about seller and buyer programs.  

Free Moving Truck: Buying or selling your home with Kevin and Jose Medina & Associates provides you with the use of a free moving truck. Save where you can as you make your next move!

Team Approach vs Individual Agent: Choosing an agent who works on a real estate team to help you make your next move versus choosing an individual agent who works alone, allows for great client service. Working with a team allows you to partner with an expert, a Buyer Specialist, if you are buying a home AND an expert, a Listing Agent, if you're also selling a home. There is also a team of additional real estate professionals and support working behind the scenes to assist in a successful closing. 

Imagine if you walked into a restaurant and your waiter seated you and other guests, took orders, prepared the food, washed dishes and cleaned off your tables for future guests - that would be way too much for one person to handle! Instead, there is a whole team of people to serve guests when they dine at a restaurant. 

When a real estate agent handles all aspects of the home buying and selling process on their own - they too can become quickly overwhelmed and may begin to drop the ball. 

Kevin has chosen to partner with the real estate team, Jose Medina & Associates, because he understands his clients will receive a top-notch home buying and selling experience, and this team provides him with a lot of resources and support to best serve his clients!

Owning a home is a goal for many people. If this is your first time buying, or if it's been a while since you last purchased a home, here are the high level steps involved in the process when using a real estate agent. Click here to find a step-by-step guide for buying a home. 

1) Get pre-approved with a lender.

2) If you choose to work with your own agent, they will help you narrow down your wants and needs in your dream home and show you homes that match your criteria.

3) Your agent will negotiate your offer when you’ve found a home you love. Once the offer is accepted you will move into the closing process.

4) The closing process involves mortgage application, having home inspections, having an appraisal and title work completed and getting Home Owner’s insurance. 

5) If all of the above is completed successfully - congratulations you are ready for your closing date and will soon get the keys to your new home!

You can choose to work with the agent that is selling the home you’re interested in, but that agent is looking out for the best interest of the seller. In Ohio, an agent can represent both sides of a transaction, and some can do it fairly, but you may want to ask yourself - would you have one lawyer represent you in a legal case? In most circumstances, the answer would be “no” and there are definitely pros to having your own buyer representation. Benefits include:

Keeping you informed of new inventory. If you choose to partner with an agent they will dedicate time to understand your wants and needs, will set you up on listing alerts and also contact you when homes hit the market. Many agents are also aware of homes that are coming soon and are familiar with inventory that is For Sale by Owner. If you see a home with the agent representing the seller, you will most likely not get this type of personalized treatment. 

Point out reasons NOT to buy. An experienced and reputable Buyer Specialist will walk you through homes pointing out weaknesses or concerns they have with the home you’re considering. As a buyer, you will most likely be viewing homes trying to imagine living your life there, but your Buyer Specialist should be viewing it with a lens to see if they see major defects visible to the human eye (structural damage, age of mechanicals, etc). If you are working with the agent representing the seller, they will likely not go out of their way to point out issues they see with the home. 

Help you negotiate the best possible deal. Your agent should be informing you if they believe a property is overpriced. They can also advise if a property is underpriced and advise if they believe the home will go quickly. They will help you navigate making a competitive offer. Your Buyer Specialist will analyze market trends so they can get you the most favorable terms possible and keep your negotiating strategy in strict confidence. If you work with the Listing Agent selling the home, they will likely not provide you with comparables or advise if the terms of the contract are leaning more in the seller’s favor. 

Advise on home inspection and negotiate major repairs. After your offer is accepted and if you negotiated home inspections to take place, your agent can advise on reputable home inspectors and negotiate any major repairs after the inspections are completed. If you are working directly with the Listing Agent, they will likely not provide this advice and consultation because their goal is to still get the best deal for their client. They are working to ensure the seller continues to walk away with as much money as possible. 

A fantastic Buyer Specialist representing your needs as a buyer should have: 

-  Excellent communication and follow-up.

-  Great listening skills so you are being notified and being shown homes that match your wants/needs.

-  Flexibility to show you homes when it works best for your schedule.

-  Experience in representing buyers and strong negotiation skills in every kind of market. 

-  Have a goal of developing an ongoing professional relationship no matter how long it takes you to find a home. You should not feel like they are just trying to “sell” you a house. They should provide advice, expertise and counsel to assist you in your decision. 

Once you have found an agent that you want to help you buy your next home, it is best practice to contact your agent for all questions and to set up all home showings. Many times buyers will reach out to the listing agent because they do not want to bother their agent with questions, but your agent will greatly appreciate it if you run all your questions through them! They will reach out to the Listing Agent and can find out the answers to your questions and possibly get additional information about the home. 

For showings, you will want to have your agent arrange all showings and take you through the home. If you see a home with the Listing Agent and want to make an offer, they have procuring cause and would be the one to represent you in the sale of the home. Your agent would not be able to represent you or assist any further in the process of buying that home because they do not have procuring cause. 

If you are working with a Buyer Specialist you would contact them and your agent will reach out to the owner of the For Sale By Owner for questions and to arrange a time for you to see the home. Your Buyer Specialist is still able to represent you, while the seller represents themself. 

Buying a house without a realtor (especially if you will be a new homeowner) can mean that you do not secure the best deal possible for your circumstances, can lead to costly mistakes and overall can lead to a more stressful process.