Hear It From Our Buyers
Watch Mykel and Valeria share their home-buying experience with Peraza Real Estate.
Buying your first home is exciting, but it's also a little terrifying. There's a lot of money on the line, a lot of new vocabulary to learn, and a lot of people telling you what to do. The best advice we can give any first-time buyer is the same thing Mykel and Valeria told us after closing: don't settle just to check a box. This is an investment in the future of your life, and it should feel right.
Mykel and Valeria came to us as first-time buyers using a VA loan, and they were ready to do the work. What they needed was a team that would guide them honestly, answer their questions fast, and never push them toward a home that wasn't theirs. That's exactly what we're built for. Serving San Diego since 2003, we've learned that the best deals start with trust, and trust starts with listening.
The Starting Point
Like most first-time buyers, Mykel and Valeria started with more questions than answers. How much would they actually need to close? What does a VA loan change about the process? How do you know when a home is the right one and not just a decent one? Those aren't small questions, and they deserve real answers, not a sales pitch.
They brought something unusual to the table: a background in sales. They know how the game is played. In their world, you don't accept the first "no." You find the objection, work through it, and keep closing. So, they knew exactly what it looks like when someone is trying to move you toward a yes, and they were watching for it. If we were going to earn their trust, we were going to earn it the honest way.
From the first conversation, our approach was simple. We would take the time to understand what they wanted, explain each step in plain language, and make sure they always knew what was coming next. Being 100% committed to top-tier service means treating a first-time buyer's questions with the same care as a seasoned investor. We built our team on trust, customer service, and communication, and for Mykel and Valeria that meant no jargon, no pressure, and no guessing.
When the House Didn't Feel Right
During their search, Mykel and Valeria submitted an offer on a home, but something didn't sit right. Mykel couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the house for them, and he told us so.
This is the moment a lot of buyers’ dread. Many agents, when a client gets cold feet, start building a case for why they should stay the course. They talk about how rare the opportunity is, how fast the market moves, or how the home could still work with a few changes. For a salesperson like Mykel, that would have been a familiar play, and he would have recognized it immediately.
We didn't run it. We said, "Okay, let's keep looking," and got right back to work.
Looking out for our clients' best interest means more than negotiating a good contract. Sometimes it means being willing to lose a transaction so a family doesn't end up in the wrong home. A commission isn't worth a client's regret. We would much rather help someone find the right house a few weeks later than talk them into the wrong one today.
That was the moment Mykel says we gained his trust. He told us it was nice to feel that we cared about him as a person and about the two of them as a couple, and that we weren't just thinking about the next paycheck. That's the compliment that matters most to us, because it's the whole point. We treat every client like family, and family doesn't push family into a decision that doesn't feel right.
How We Helped
Once Mykel and Valeria found the home that felt right, we moved quickly, and we moved together. A VA loan comes with its own guidelines and requirements, and a 14-day escrow leaves very little room for surprises. That's where combining a modern perspective with proven strategies pays off. We lean on the systems we've refined over the years to keep every piece of the transaction on schedule, and we lean on the relationships we've built across San Diego to keep everyone responsive when the clock is ticking.
We also made sure the numbers never caught them off guard. For first-time buyers, closing costs are often the biggest unknown, and in this case, they topped $10,000. We walked Mykel and Valeria through what those costs were, what they covered, and how they fit into the overall plan, so there were no last-minute shocks at the closing table. Knowing the number early meant they could make decisions with confidence instead of anxiety.
The other thing Mykel and Valeria pointed to was the team itself. Peraza Real Estate is a family-run business, and together we bring decades of experience to the table. We've helped over 700 families and counting, which means we've seen almost every situation a transaction can throw at a buyer. That experience matters, but so does the number of people in your corner. Mykel and Valeria had more than one person on their team who knew their file inside and out. If one of us was tied up with another client or showing, someone else knew exactly where they stood and picked up right where we left off.
In a 14-day escrow, that kind of coverage isn't a luxury. It's the difference between a deadline that gets met and one that gets missed. Communication was constant, questions got answered fast, and Mykel and Valeria always knew the next step before it arrived.
The Result
Fourteen days after opening escrow, Mykel and Valeria closed on their first home. They got there using their VA loan, with their closing costs mapped out from the start, and with a home that felt right to both of them. Not a home they talked themselves into, and not a home someone else talked them into. The one they actually wanted.
That last part is what we're proudest of. Anyone can write an offer. Helping a family slow down when something feels off, keep looking, and then move fast when the right place appears is what it means to be a trusted, professional realtor. It's also what it means to look out for a client's best interest every step of the way, even when that means starting over.
When we asked Mykel and Valeria what they'd say to other buyers, their answer was clear. Don't settle for something that doesn't give you that warm, fuzzy feeling. And if you're looking for the best realtor in San Diego, they highly recommend our team. Hearing that from a buyer with a sales background, someone who knows every tactic in the book, means more to us than any award could.
If you're a first-time buyer, a VA buyer, or both, Mykel and Valeria's story is proof that you don't have to choose between moving fast and feeling confident. You just need the right people guiding you. We'd be honored to be those people for you and your family.
Thinking of buying or selling? Let's prepare for your next move, the right way.
Peraza Real Estate | Est. 2003
Trusted, Professional Realtor Representation
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Family-owned realtors guiding buyers and sellers since 2003
"It's not about real estate; it's about changing people's lives."
@leslieperazarealtor @luisperazarealtor @angeloperazabroker @perazarealestate
Leslie Peraza | Luis Peraza | Angelo Peraza
DRE 01426666 | 02118046 | 02245695 Finest City Homes 01331749
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