Palmhaus Work With Me

For buyers

Find the right home — not just the next one.

Buying a home in Los Angeles is rarely about volume — there are always more listings. It's about finding the one that fits your life, your numbers, and the next five years. My job is to help you see clearly, move at the right moment, and close without surprises.

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How I work

Exceptional service, every step.

When I represent a buyer, my top priority is to make the process feel smooth and stress-free — even in a market that often isn't. I work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, so the conversation always happens in the language you actually think in.

Here's what working with me looks like, from the first conversation through your keys:

  • Consultation to understand your needs, budget, and the way you want to live
  • Thorough property search using my Compass network and on-the-ground market knowledge
  • Detailed home tours with honest information about the home, the block, and the surrounding area
  • Negotiation to win at the best price and the cleanest terms
  • Closing coordination across lenders, escrow, inspectors, and the listing side
  • Post-close support — vendor referrals, contractor introductions, the people who will actually pick up the phone

The Compass advantage for buyers

Tools that help us
find your home faster.

My favorite part of working at Compass is the technology built specifically for the search side. These are the tools we'll use together — and the ones that consistently surface homes you'd never see scrolling Zillow alone.

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01 · Compass Collections

Your home search, organized in one place.

Collections is a private, visual workspace where we compare homes side-by-side — size, neighborhood, amenities, price history — and talk through them in real time.

Instead of trading screenshots and forwarded links, every home we're considering lives in one shared board. I add new listings as they come up. You react, comment, and rank them. I can see what's resonating and what isn't, and refine the next round of homes I show you based on that.

You can invite a partner, a parent, or anyone else helping you decide. Everyone sees the same set, in the same place, with the same notes — so the conversation moves forward instead of around in circles.

See how Collections works →

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02 · Compass Search

Filters that go deeper than the public sites.

Compass Search sorts by features and amenities most public portals don't expose — and surfaces exclusive Compass listings you won't find elsewhere.

We can set up customized Saved Searches together, with real-time notifications the moment a new home matches your criteria. In a market where the right house can be in contract within 72 hours, that head start is often the difference between touring it and reading about it after the fact.

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03 · Coming Soon & Private Exclusives

See homes before they hit the public market.

A meaningful share of Compass inventory is available to buyers privately — before it appears on Zillow, Redfin, or the MLS. As your agent, I can put those homes in front of you.

Coming Soon listings give us a 7-day window to preview a home, request a showing, and prepare an offer before the public listing goes live. Private Exclusives are homes a seller has chosen to market only inside the Compass network — sometimes they never go public at all.

For buyers, that means less competition, more time to think, and — occasionally — the chance to write an offer on a home no one else even knows is for sale.

The buying process

Ten steps, no surprises.

Every transaction is a little different, but here's the path most of my buyers walk — from our first coffee to the day you get the keys.

01

Find an agent

We sit down — over coffee or over Zoom — and talk through the neighborhoods you're considering, what you actually want in a home, and how I can help guide your search.

02

Get pre-qualified

Unless you're paying cash, the first real step is pre-approval. I can introduce you to LA-based mortgage brokers I trust. Your loan officer will tell you the maximum you can borrow — and the monthly payment that comes with it — so we shop with a real number.

03

Visit properties

We tour homes that fit your criteria — public listings, open houses, and the Coming Soon and Private Exclusive homes I activate inside the Compass network. We discuss each one honestly: what's working, what isn't, and what to look for next.

04

Submit an offer & negotiate

When you find the one, we write an offer packaged with your Proof of Funds and Pre-Approval Letter. If the seller counters on price or terms, we accept, reject, or counter back. I'll walk you through the strategy at every round.

05

Open escrow & review disclosures

Once your offer is accepted, escrow opens. You'll review the seller's disclosures, the preliminary title report, and any HOA documents. I'll flag anything that deserves a second look and connect you with the right specialist if needed.

06

Home inspections

Within the contractual contingency window, we run inspections — general, sewer line camera, chimney, pool if applicable, and a foundation specialist for older homes. If anything material comes up, we renegotiate, request a credit, or walk. The decision is yours; the recommendation is mine.

07

Loan & appraisal

Your lender orders the appraisal and finalizes your loan file. Once it's underwritten and approved, you'll wire the closing funds and bind the homeowner's insurance — then the loan is cleared to fund.

08

Final walkthrough

Just before closing, we walk the property one more time to confirm nothing has changed since inspections and that any negotiated repairs were completed. Quick visit. Big peace of mind.

09

Closing

The closing documents are signed, funds are exchanged, the deed records — and the home is officially yours.

10

Welcome home

Keys in hand. I usually tell first-time buyers to open a bottle of wine, sit on the empty floor, and stare at the walls for a minute. You earned it. And I'm still your agent — for the contractor questions, the refi conversation in three years, and the next move whenever it comes.

"Xiaolin walked us through every step, surfaced homes we never would have found on our own, and made the whole process feel calm. We closed on the first house we offered on."

— Past Palmhaus buyer

Key terms

A short glossary, plain English.

A few of the words you'll hear during your transaction — translated out of jargon.

Pre-qualified vs. pre-approved

Pre-qualified is a rough estimate based on the financial picture you share. Pre-approved is a formal commitment from a lender after they pull your credit and verify income. In LA, you generally need pre-approval to be taken seriously.

Earnest Money Deposit (EMD)

A good-faith deposit (typically 1–3% of price) you put down when your offer is accepted, signaling you're serious. In exchange, the seller stops marketing the home. Refundable while your contingencies are in place.

Contingency

A condition that must be met before the sale closes — usually loan approval, appraisal, and inspections. While a contingency is in place, you can typically walk away and get your EMD back.

Appraisal

An independent assessment of the home's market value, ordered by your lender to confirm the home is worth what you're borrowing against. If it appraises low, we have options — renegotiate, bring extra cash, or walk.

Closing costs

The fees on top of the purchase price — loan fees, title insurance, escrow charges, recording fees, prepaid taxes and insurance. Plan for roughly 2–3% of the purchase price in LA.

Final walkthrough

A short visit just before closing to confirm the home is in the same condition as when you went under contract and that any agreed-upon repairs were completed.

Title insurance

A one-time policy that protects you and your lender from losses if a dispute later arises about who actually owns the property.

Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)

The percentage of your monthly gross income that goes to debt payments. Lenders use it to decide how much they're willing to lend. Lower is better — most conventional loans want you under about 43%.

Ready to start looking?

Let's set up your search — and find the home that actually fits.

Schedule a buyer consultation →