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Step by step Buying guide

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01.

Select the Right Agent

Nowadays, it is easy to locate properties through a combination of open houses and online searching. It may not, however, be in the clients’ best interests to wait until they locate a house to select a specific agent.

Our experienced agents can help identify the right neighborhood, coordinate financing, filter out inappropriate properties, identify off-market opportunities, and answer questions that come up along the way. Additionally, our agents will help screen properties during broker tour and notify you when suitable properties come on the market.

02.

Know the Neighborhoods and Marketplace

Clients generally have an initial idea of what cities and neighborhoods appeal most to them. However, you should examine your criteria to determine the areas within the neighborhoods you feel are a good match.

Our agents will personally take you to some of the neighborhoods, give you an overview of the area, and show a few representative homes. More importantly, our agents will provide you with information about local schools, parks, and appreciation potential of each area. Generally, clients should not purchase a home until they are familiar with the neighborhoods and have seen enough properties to truly recognize an excellent fit.

03.

Get Pre-Approved

Getting pre-approved by a local lender or mortgage broker is one of the first things you should do for many reasons. In Silicon Valley, a pre-approval letter is a prerequisite for serious consideration of your offer. Knowing the available loan amount will aid in determining how much you intend to spend on your home and which neighborhoods to consider.

Generally, you should begin the pre-approval process immediately after meeting with your agent. If any issues come up, such as inaccuracies that make your credit score lower than expected, you will have time to resolve them. Our agents can help you through this process and recommend excellent lenders and mortgage brokers. Our recommendations are completely free of any conflict of interest; our agents do not benefit monetarily from providing recommendations.

04.

Find a Home and Review Disclosures

Once you have located the desired property, carefully review the disclosures that the seller and listing agent provide.

Disclosures contain many important items, most notably the property and pest inspections, the seller’s disclosures, and the title report.

05.

Professional marketing

We launch a complete media package that showcases your home and drives showings. Buyers get an interactive 3D tour with on screen callouts for standout features. MLS photos are labeled with the details that matter so nothing is missed. At open houses we display a twenty four by thirty six inch poster board with neighborhood information so buyers understand schools, parks, shops, and commute options. The goal is more interest, better informed buyers, and higher foot traffic.

06.

Open house weekend

With the home fully prepped and marketed, we host open houses with extended hours and catered food and drinks. Our team is onsite to share the unique features of your home and to ensure potential buyers know what made the home special to you.

07.

During Escrow

Once a purchase agreement is signed, the escrow period begins. In Northern California, title companies often handle both title and escrow. Their main role is to securely exchange the buyer’s funds for the seller’s property. Escrow typically lasts 30 days, though it can range from 15–45.

If the contract includes contingencies, such as inspections, your agent will arrange them. During this time, you can decide whether to move forward. If you cancel due to a contingency, your good faith deposit is refunded. Agents can also negotiate seller credits for issues found, though major problems (like a faulty foundation) may justify canceling altogether.

If financing is involved, an appraiser will evaluate the home, and your agent will coordinate with your loan officer to ensure timely funding.

08.

Day of Closing

On the day of closing, the escrow company transfers your funds to the seller and records the deed in your name with the county. Once you are on record with the county, our agent will provide you with the keys, garage opener, and access codes, if any. Other information, such as manuals for appliances, are usually left at the property. While you are the owner of record when escrow closes, you generally will not receive the official deed from the county until three months later.



Enjoy your home.

230+

Homes Successfully Closed

10%

Above Asking, On Average

$763k

Highest Sale Over List

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Hear from our clients

"Kevin and Mei represented me with a new home purchase, and I couldn’t be happier. After working with a couple other agents/brokers my entire life, I was referred to Kevin and Mei by my sister, and I will absolutely use and recommend them again as my go-to. They are professional, very organized, reliable, knowledgeable, and highly engaged. I could call or email them any time and expect a response within 12 hrs. I never felt any pressure from them but rather complete trust and honesty during the entire process."

Jeff T.

"KEI Group did an amazing job at getting this transaction done. They were able to get the house prep and on the market in less than two weeks! This included touching up the home, deep cleaning the home, staging the home, scheduling photographers, the 3D tours, creating all the marketing brochures, and getting all the marketing materials on social media and local newspaper. They were on top of every step and was always available to answer my concerns even at mid night!"

Kenny T.

"I bought my condo in Mountain View with Mei. She helped me through the whole process including house searching, send offers and go over all the documentation. She’s super professional and efficient. The whole process takes less than 2 months and I’m very happy about the results"

Zhupyao Z.

"Kevin and KEI Realty helped us win our home in a very competitive market. They advised us to make a smart preemptive offer, then worked the details directly with the listing agent to get it accepted before the offer deadline. Their strategy and negotiation made all the difference. Throughout the process they were professional, knowledgeable, and quick to respond. We always felt represented and informed. The purchase was smooth from start to finish, and we are grateful we chose Kevin to lead the way."

Felix N.

"Kevin and the KEI Group are outstanding! They helped us buy our home in a very competitive market for over $100K under list price, thanks to their local expertise and smart strategy. Beyond the purchase, they've guided us through permitting, property management, and design-build planning--truly a one-stop shop that saves both time and money. Highly recommend their services to save time, money, and guidance for one of our largest investments."

Paul K.

"Kevin and Mei make a wonderful team. From suggesting a good sale price of our house, to its renovation , great interior design by Mei, open house on schedule and negotiation of the final sale price, they were involved in every step of the way and were always very quick to respond to any of our questions and we did have many. They were very professional and knowledgeable.
We are very glad that we chose Kevin and Mei as our real estate agents and will definitely recommend them to any future buyer/seller."

Bernard F.

"We worked with Mei and Kevin on buying our first home and they were so helpful throughout the whole process. They were always readily available and was able to answer so many questions we had. They had many recommendations to guide us throughout every step of the process as we were first time home buyers and even helped with remodel recommendations after we bought the house. We also ended up getting a great deal because of their network and knowledge of the market. I would recommend them to anyone I know and definitely go to them again in the future!"

Jiwon K.

"For a number of years, I've had the privilege of working with Kevin from the KEI Realty Group. I feel it's important for the local community to understand the integrity of the person they may consider as their real estate agent. He's a genuine, hard working person who demonstrates respect towards everyone he interacts with. Collaborating with him has been an awesome experience. I look forward to engaging his real estate services in the future"

Elan A.

"Everyone in the KEI Realty Group was super friendly, professional, and most of all responsive. They moved very quickly and answered any and all questions that you may have about the homes that you are looking into and will give you their honest opinion and thoughts about it. They made the closing of the condo that I bought go smoothly and they continue to check in and make sure that everything is going well in the new place now that I have moved in. Best choice I made is working with them and having them be my real estate agents."

Jimmy S.

"I worked with Mei on a rental property and she was extremely polite and professional throughout the process. On our first conversation I could tell that Mei is all about customer satisfaction - I have had a great experience with her and highly recommend working with her to all future customers."

Sandeep S.

"We are glad we were referred to Mei for our first home buying. Being from bay area , she knows the surroundings very well. She made this home buying experience a pleasant one. We, being first time home buyer were not sure of all the pros and cons and had doubts with every step. Mei made sure we had our doubts cleared before making any decision. She was always available for every what, why, and how questions we had and so made the buying and post buying experience very smooth for us. She is always available and quick to respond and help in any way she can."

Sumit P.

"Kevin and Kelly did an exceptional job in helping us prepare our house for sale. The Concierge service through Compass enabled us to provide updates to our home easily. They were Professional, Responsive and Supportive through the whole process. We whole heartedly recommend Kevin if you are looking to sell or buy a home."

Susan L.

Success Stories

Mann Drive, Cupertino

Achieved $400 K below comps by timing a winter offer and leveraging preferred-rate lending.
• Proactively contacted local rental owners
• Submitted offer during slow season for added leverage

$400k

below comps

100%

exposure maximized
*Rental photo of Mann Drive

Janice Avenue, Santa Clara

Landed $200 K under nearby sales on an off-market find and lined up bridge-loan financing before close.
We Discovered the property through our agent network

$200k

under nearby sales

100%

exposure maximized
*Off market photo prior to closing

Kelsey Drive, Sunnyvale

Targeted an out-of-area listing agent and sellers. Secured the home for $350 K below appraisal in just one day, then guided the buyers through a full ground-up rebuild.

$350k

below appraisal

Day 1

Pre-emptive offer accepted on Day 1
*Kelsey drive after we helped the owner build a new home

Home Search FAQs

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Let’s take the next step toward buying, selling, or managing your home with confidence. Our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way.

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