Updated · Mike Certo, NMLS #260555
Ohio Real Estate Agent Lender Partner
The deals that fall apart are rarely the clean W-2 buyer with 20% down. They are the self-employed offer, the jumbo file weighed down by student debt, the DSCR investor, the OHFA down-payment buyer, the family relocating on a tight window. Mike Certo is the loan officer Ohio agents send those files to.
Why do Ohio agents refer buyers to Mike?
Because the hard files are where a deal lives or dies. A listing agent wants a pre-approval that will actually fund; a buyer's agent wants an offer a seller takes seriously in a tight Columbus suburb. Mike specializes in the scenarios standard underwriting fumbles, and he stays reachable while the file is in process. No call center, no exclusive-lender strings, no vanishing between contract and close.
Which complex Ohio files does Mike rescue?
Most referrals fall into one of five buckets. Each one is a place another lender said no, or went quiet, and the buyer needed a different path. Here is where standard underwriting stalls and how Mike gets to a yes.
| Buyer situation | Where standard lenders stall | Mike's path |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed / business owner | Tax returns understate real income | Bank-statement, 1099, or asset-qualifier loan |
| Jumbo with student debt | Resident and fellow debt inflates DTI | Jumbo programs that treat deferred and income-based student debt more favorably |
| DSCR investor | No personal W-2 income to show | Qualify on the property's rent; portfolio and cash-out options |
| OHFA down-payment buyer | Layering assistance adds paperwork | Your Choice or Grants for Grads plus the first mortgage, coordinated |
| Military PCS / relocation | Out-of-state income and a tight window | Cross-state coordination and VA entitlement handling |
How fast can Mike turn an Ohio pre-approval?
It comes down to documents. Once the buyer's income, assets, and credit are in hand, a pre-approval letter typically follows within a few business days, quicker on a clean W-2 file. Mike gives you and your buyer direct access to him, not a queue, so when an offer deadline in Dublin or Blue Ash is hours away you can get a letter or a quick call rather than a ticket number.
Can Mike help an OHFA down payment buyer close on time?
Yes, and the paperwork is the reason to have someone who does it often. Your Choice layers 2.5% or 5% of the purchase price, forgiven on a seven-year cliff, on top of an OHFA first mortgage. Grants for Grads is the version for a recent graduate staying in Ohio, and the Mortgage Tax Credit can ride alongside. Mike runs the assistance and the first loan together and keeps the OHFA steps from slipping past your contract dates.
Does Mike handle military PCS and relocation into Ohio?
Ohio draws steady relocation traffic. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton is one of the largest single-site employers in the state, and the semiconductor build-out in New Albany, northeast of Columbus, is pulling engineers and their families into central Ohio. Mike coordinates cross-state financing when a buyer's income and current home sit in another state, and he handles VA Certificate of Eligibility and entitlement questions for service members buying with their benefit on a compressed timeline.
How does Mike co-market within RESPA rules?
Mike partners with Ohio agents in ways that stay inside RESPA. That means joint educational content with proper attribution, shared community events like open houses and buyer workshops, and any cost-sharing documented at fair market value. What it never means: kickbacks, anything of value traded for referrals, or arrangements that run afoul of RESPA Section 8. Clean partnerships protect your license as much as his.
Ohio agent partnership FAQ
Does Mike work with all Ohio real estate agents?
Yes. Mike works with any Ohio real estate agent whose buyer needs Cornerstone financing, with no exclusive arrangement required. He is glad to be a second opinion on a file another lender has stalled on, or the primary pre-approval on a fresh buyer. The goal is simple: keep your deal moving toward a clean close in Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, or any Ohio county.
How fast can Mike issue a pre-approval letter?
Turn time depends on how complete the buyer's documents are. Once income, assets, and credit are in hand, a pre-approval letter typically follows within a few business days, and often faster on a clean W-2 file. Mike gives agents direct loan-officer access throughout, so you are not chasing a call center for a status update while a Columbus offer deadline ticks down.
Can Mike finance a self-employed or DSCR investor buyer?
Yes. Self-employed buyers can qualify on 12 or 24 months of bank statements, on 1099 totals, or on liquid assets, rather than a shrunken tax-return figure. Investors can use DSCR loans that qualify on the property's rent instead of personal income, which suits the cash-flow markets in Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo. Both are Non-QM programs, so they price differently from agency loans, but they close deals standard underwriting turns away.
Does Mike cover OHFA down payment assistance buyers?
Yes. OHFA's Your Choice program gives 2.5% or 5% of the purchase price toward down payment and closing costs, forgiven on a seven-year cliff, and it pairs with an OHFA first mortgage. Grants for Grads is the option for recent graduates. Mike runs the assistance alongside the first loan and coordinates the extra OHFA paperwork so your down-payment buyer still hits the contract dates.
Does Mike work statewide in Ohio?
Statewide. Mike originates across Ohio, from Columbus and Franklin County to Cleveland and Cuyahoga, Cincinnati and Hamilton, Dayton, Akron, Toledo, and the rural and Appalachian counties. He also coordinates cross-state financing for buyers relocating into Ohio for work, including the corporate moves around the New Albany semiconductor project and military moves to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.