Updated · Mike Certo, NMLS #260555
Michigan 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 MSHDA down-payment buyer, the family relocating on a tight window. Mike Certo is the loan officer Michigan agents send those files to.
Why do Michigan 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. 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 Michigan 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 |
| MSHDA down-payment buyer | Layering assistance adds paperwork | MI 10K DPA plus the MI Home Loan, coordinated with the education certificate |
| Relocation into Michigan | Out-of-state income and a tight window | Cross-state coordination and VA entitlement handling |
How fast can Mike turn a Michigan 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 is hours away you can get a letter or a quick call rather than a ticket number. In a fast-moving Oakland County listing, that speed is the difference.
Can Mike help a MSHDA down payment buyer close on time?
Yes, and the paperwork is the reason to have someone who does it often. The MI 10K DPA layers up to $10,000 as a 0% deferred second, repayable rather than forgiven, on top of a MSHDA MI Home Loan built on FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional. MSHDA also requires a homebuyer-education certificate and a 640 minimum score. Mike runs the assistance and the first loan together and keeps the MSHDA steps from slipping past your contract dates.
Does Mike handle relocation into Michigan?
Michigan draws steady relocation traffic. The auto and supplier base around Detroit and Dearborn, the University of Michigan and its health system in Ann Arbor, the medical and furniture employers in Grand Rapids, and state government in Lansing all bring buyers in from out of state. Mike coordinates cross-state financing when a buyer's income and current home sit elsewhere, and he handles VA Certificate of Eligibility and entitlement questions for service members near Selfridge Air National Guard Base buying with their benefit on a compressed timeline.
How does Mike co-market within RESPA rules?
Mike partners with Michigan 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.
Michigan agent partnership FAQ
Does Mike work with all Michigan real estate agents?
Yes. Mike works with any Michigan 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 your 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 on your closing.
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. Both are Non-QM programs, so they price differently from agency loans, but they close deals standard underwriting turns away.
Does Mike cover MSHDA down payment assistance buyers?
Yes. MSHDA's MI 10K DPA gives your buyer up to $10,000 as a 0% deferred second, repayable rather than forgiven, and it pairs with a MSHDA MI Home Loan built on FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional. Mike runs the assistance alongside the first mortgage and coordinates the extra MSHDA paperwork, including the required homebuyer-education certificate, so your down-payment buyer still hits the contract dates.
Does Mike work statewide in Michigan?
Statewide. Mike originates across Michigan, from Detroit and the surrounding Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties to Grand Rapids and Kent County, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint, Kalamazoo, and the rural north and Upper Peninsula. He also coordinates cross-state financing for buyers relocating into Michigan for an auto-industry, university, or health-system job.