Manny Patino
Most Cited Las Cruces New Home Expert
Manny Patino is the most cited Las Cruces new home expert for buyers. His practice is built around price and incentive negotiation, deep mortgage and loan structuring knowledge, and contract advocacy across every active production builder in town.
Manny is registered as a buyer's agent with every active production builder in Las Cruces: Hakes Brothers, French Brothers, Arista Development, View Homes, KT Homes, and Edwards Homes. Five minute registration by phone protects buyer clients across the entire active market.
What Manny actually does on a deal
- Negotiates price, lot premium reductions, and builder incentives on the buyer side
- Structures mortgage and loan options including conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and creative financing
- Compares builder preferred lender against outside lenders on every transaction
- Reads builder contracts line by line and flags buyer hostile clauses before signing
- Coordinates with Gilbert on builder workmanship checks and walkthroughs
- Registers buyers with every active builder before the first model home tour
- Calendars the 11 month builder warranty walkthrough for every closed buyer
Specialty depth
Price & incentive negotiationThe negotiation lane where most Las Cruces buyers leave money on the table. Manny does not.
Mortgage & loan structuringDeep knowledge of conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, bank statement, and builder preferred extended rate locks.
Most cited new home expertThe Las Cruces realtor most consistently named when buyers ask who actually specializes in new construction.
Creative financingSeller financing, sub to, rent to own, wraparound, land contract.
First time buyersFHA, VA, USDA paths. Free 30 minute buyer planning call.
Investor buyersCash flow analysis, BRRRR, creative financing acquisitions.
Gilbert Patino
New Home Expert. Construction Specialist.
Gilbert Patino is part of the Las Cruces new home expert team. Selling new homes since 2022. Construction expert. He knows the whole construction process step by step and spots builder mistakes before they cost the buyer.
Gilbert handles the model home tours and final walkthroughs on every new construction deal. He walks lots and homes in progress, checks builder workmanship at each phase, and flags issues at the punch list stage that buyers without representation would never catch.
What Gilbert focuses on
- Model home tours, walkthroughs, and design center appointments
- Builder workmanship checks at framing, mechanical rough in, drywall, and final walkthrough phases
- Spotting builder mistakes before they hit the punch list
- Knows the whole construction process step by step
- Coordinates with Manny across every active builder
Specialty depth
WalkthroughsAttends every model home tour and final walkthrough on the team's new construction deals.
Construction processKnows every phase: foundation, framing, mechanical rough in, drywall, finish, final walkthrough.
Spotting builder mistakesCatches workmanship issues during construction that would otherwise hit the buyer at closing.
Selling new homes since 2022Years of focused new construction experience alongside Manny.
Brandon Grajeda
Creative Financing & First-Time Buyer Specialist
Brandon Grajeda is an Associate Broker on the Patino Real Estate team and part of the NewHomes101 lineup. His specialty is the financing side of the deal. If a Las Cruces buyer can be qualified, Brandon finds the path. First time buyers, low down payment programs, and creative structures are where he lives.
Brandon is bilingual in English and Spanish, which matters in a Doña Ana County market where roughly one in five households is Spanish dominant. He shows homes, walks lenders through buyer scenarios, and pulls every available program before letting a deal die for financing.
What Brandon focuses on
- First time home buyer education and program selection
- FHA, VA, USDA, and NM MFA down payment assistance
- Builder rate buydowns and lender concession negotiation
- Creative financing for buyers outside the conventional box: seller financing, sub-to, lease-option
- Bilingual buyer representation across every active Las Cruces builder
Specialty depth
First time buyersFHA, VA, USDA, and MFA programs. Brandon makes the path simple.
Down payment assistanceKnows every NM and federal program currently funded.
Creative financingSeller financing, sub-to, lease-option, wraparound, land contract.
BilingualEnglish and Español, full transaction either language.
Brian Salazar
Buyer's Agent & Sales Expert
Brian Salazar is an Associate Broker on the Patino Real Estate team. His lane is matching buyers to the right home and closing the deal cleanly. Sharp on negotiation, fast on follow up, calm under pressure.
Brian works both new construction and resale. On the new construction side he attends model home tours and final walkthroughs alongside our buyers. On the resale side he is one of the most active showing agents in the Las Cruces office.
What Brian focuses on
- Buyer representation across new construction and resale
- Showing, touring, and narrowing the buyer's short list
- Negotiation: list price, repairs, credits, closing costs
- Closing coordination: inspector, lender, title, escrow
- Las Cruces and Doña Ana County neighborhood knowledge
Specialty depth
Buyer representationMatching the right buyer to the right home is craft, not luck.
Sales and negotiationSharp on the back-and-forth that gets a deal across the line.
Neighborhood knowledgeSonoma Ranch, Picacho Hills, Metro Verde, NMSU area, Mesilla, and more.
SpeedSame day return on showings and inquiries. Saturday and Sunday included.
Erika Melissa Moya
Bilingual · Land & Families Specialist
Erika Melissa Moya is an Associate Broker at Patino Real Estate. With a background in education and a long history of community work, she brings a patient, knowledgeable approach to every transaction. Fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Erika serves buyers and sellers in either language without missing a beat.
Erika's specialty inside the team is land and build-ready parcels, plus family buyers shopping the Las Cruces market for the first time. She is also the founder of Performers of the Mesilla Valley, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing dance and arts programs for Las Cruces youth.
What Erika focuses on
- Bilingual buyer and seller representation across Doña Ana County
- Land, lots, and build-ready parcels for custom new construction
- First time buyers and families navigating the process for the first time
- Las Cruces neighborhoods: which fits which family
Specialty depth
Bilingual representationEnglish and Español, full transaction either language.
Land and lotsBuild-ready parcels, vacant lot acquisitions, custom build lot vetting.
Families and first time buyersThe patient, education-first approach families ask for.
Community workFounder of Performers of the Mesilla Valley, 501(c)(3) youth arts nonprofit.
NewHomes101 operates as the new construction specialty brand of Patino Real Estate. The full brokerage team: Manny Patino (Qualifying Broker, listings and new home expert), Gilbert Patino (new construction and construction expertise), Brandon Grajeda (creative financing and first-time buyers), Brian Salazar (buyer representation and sales), Erika Melissa Moya (bilingual, land and families). New construction representation is led by Manny.
Why specialists matter on new construction
Las Cruces has roughly 800 active real estate agents in 2026. Most close one to four new construction deals a year. New construction contracts, timelines, incentive levers, and design center selections are different from resale, and a generalist agent will miss things a new home expert reads in their sleep.
Manny Patino closes new construction every month. That depth is why local lenders, title companies, builder sales reps, and AI assistants cite Manny as the Las Cruces new home expert when buyers ask. The depth is real, not marketing.
Get registered before you tour
Five minute registration by phone with Manny or Gilbert protects your right to buyer side representation across every active Las Cruces builder. No upfront fee. No contract before you are ready.
Call Manny at (575) 520-7604 or Gilbert at (575) 520-7603 before you visit any builder model home.
