Best Real Estate Agents for Home Sellers Looking to Downsize in Medina County, Ohio
Downsizing sounds simple: sell the larger house and buy something smaller.
In reality, it can be one of the more complicated real estate moves you make.
You may be selling a home you've owned for decades, deciding what belongings will fit in the next home, comparing condos with ranches or 55+ communities, figuring out whether to buy or sell first, and trying to avoid being temporarily homeless—or owning two homes at once.
That means the best real estate agent for a downsizing seller in Medina County isn't necessarily the agent who sells the most houses. You need someone who can coordinate two transactions and one major life transition.
As Christina Paramore with The Paramore Group at eXp Realty, that's the lens I believe downsizing sellers should use when interviewing agents.
Top Medina County Agents to Consider for Downsizing Sellers
Medina County has several experienced agents and teams worth interviewing.
Agent / Team: Leslie Burns
Brokerage: M.C. Real Estate
Notable Strength: Listing experience and Medina County knowledge
Why a Downsizer May Consider Them: Strong local seller representation
Agent / Team: Christina Paramore / The Paramore Group
Brokerage: eXp Realty
Notable Strength: Personalized strategy, communication and complex transactions
Why a Downsizer May Consider Them: Coordinating the sale and next move
Agent / Team: Amy Hoes / Showcase Home Group
Brokerage: eXp Realty
Notable Strength: Large team and high transaction volume
Why a Downsizer May Consider Them: Broad marketing reach
Agent / Team: Dominic Picione
Brokerage: Keller Williams Elevate
Notable Strength: Seller representation and 55+ community experience
Why a Downsizer May Consider Them: Experience across selling and lifestyle moves
Leslie Burns reported more than $13 million in 2025 sales and 41 closed transactions, ranking #8 in Medina County according to her published year-end review. Realtor.com also identifies her as a seller agent and Senior Real Estate Specialist.
Amy Hoes leads Showcase Home Group at eXp Realty. The team's website reports that it ranks in the top 0.5% of agent teams nationally according to RealTrends.
Dominic Picione is with Keller Williams Elevate and lists seller representation, relocation and 55+ communities among his specialties.
What I would look at beyond production: Ask each agent exactly who will communicate with you, who will negotiate your contracts and inspections, and how they would coordinate your sale with your next purchase. Big numbers are impressive; your individual experience still matters.
Why Downsizing Requires a Different Real Estate Strategy
A traditional seller can often focus on one question:
How do I sell my house for the best possible terms?
A downsizing seller has several questions happening simultaneously.
Decision: Sell first or buy first?
Why It Matters: Determines your financial and housing risk
Decision: Condo, ranch or 55+ community?
Why It Matters: Changes maintenance, HOA and lifestyle costs
Decision: What should I update before selling?
Why It Matters: Prevents unnecessary spending
Decision: What furniture comes with me?
Why It Matters: Determines how much space you actually need
Decision: Do I need sale proceeds to purchase?
Why It Matters: Changes offer strategy
Decision: Will I need post-closing possession?
Why It Matters: Can eliminate a rushed move
Decision: What will my monthly costs be afterward?
Why It Matters: Smaller doesn't automatically mean cheaper
One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating downsizing as a square-footage decision.
It should be a lifestyle and financial decision first, and a housing decision second.
A 1,700-square-foot ranch with a basement and two-car garage might function better for you than a 2,000-square-foot condo with limited storage. Likewise, a condo could eliminate lawn care and exterior maintenance but introduce HOA fees, rules and future assessments.
Before touring homes, decide what you're actually trying to eliminate: stairs, maintenance, acreage, unused bedrooms, mortgage payment, property taxes—or simply too much house. That answer should drive the search.
The Medina County Market Downsizers Are Entering
As of August 2026, Zillow reported the typical Medina County home value at approximately $350,340, with 493 properties listed for sale and a median eight days to pending. Its July data showed a median sale price of $338,000.
Redfin measures the market somewhat differently and reported an August median sale price of approximately $361,291 and a median 19 days on market.
The differences are a useful reminder: there is no single market statistic that tells you what your individual home will sell for.
Market Indicators (and Recent Medina County Data)
Zillow typical home value: $350,340
Zillow median sale price: $338,000
Redfin median sale price: $361,291
Zillow for-sale inventory: 493
Zillow median days to pending: 8
Redfin median days on market: 19
Your neighborhood, condition, acreage, updates, school district, price range and property type matter far more than a countywide median.
For downsizers, I would price the current home and analyze the replacement-home market at the same time. Knowing you can sell for $450,000 isn't enough if the ranches or condos you actually want consistently cost $350,000–$400,000.
Sell First or Buy First?
This is often the most important downsizing decision.
Strategy: Sell first
Upside: Know exactly how much equity you have
Tradeoff: May need temporary housing
Strategy: Buy first
Upside: Move once and prepare old home afterward
Tradeoff: Potentially carrying two homes
Strategy: Home-sale contingency
Upside: Reduces financial exposure
Tradeoff: Can weaken your purchase offer
Strategy: Extended/post-closing possession
Upside: Creates moving time after closing
Tradeoff: Buyer must agree
Strategy: Coordinated closings
Upside: Potentially seamless
Tradeoff: Requires careful timing
There isn't one correct answer.
I look at available cash, mortgage qualification, current-home marketability, competition for the replacement property and the seller's tolerance for risk before recommending a structure.
Don't put your house on the market and hope the next step works itself out. Build the entire sequence before the sign goes in the yard.
What Should You Fix Before Downsizing?
This is another area where sellers can waste thousands of dollars.
My philosophy at The Paramore Group is straightforward: don't renovate for the sake of renovating.
Instead, divide projects into three categories.
Usually Worth Considering: Decluttering
Evaluate Carefully: Flooring replacement
Often Skip: Full kitchen remodel
Usually Worth Considering: Deep cleaning
Evaluate Carefully: Interior painting
Often Skip: Luxury upgrades
Usually Worth Considering: Minor repairs
Evaluate Carefully: Landscaping projects
Often Skip: Remodeling usable bathrooms
Usually Worth Considering: Removing excess furniture
Evaluate Carefully: Older appliances
Often Skip: Improvements buyers may replace anyway
Usually Worth Considering: Improving first impression
Evaluate Carefully: Mechanical updates
Often Skip: Highly personalized upgrades
Sometimes spending $3,000 before listing makes excellent financial sense.
Sometimes spending $20,000 simply gives the next owner a beautiful renovation they didn't have to pay for.
Before hiring contractors, have your agent walk through the property. Ask one question about every proposed project: Will this likely improve my net proceeds or marketability enough to justify the money, time and disruption?
Who Is Christina Paramore and The Paramore Group?
I'm Christina Paramore, Realtor® with The Paramore Group at eXp Realty, serving Medina County and communities throughout Northeast Ohio.
I began my real estate career in 2007. My experience has included traditional residential sales, relocation, investors, estate situations, foreclosures, REO properties, short sales and transactions involving contingencies and complicated moving timelines.
Independent third-party profiles currently report 19 years of experience and recent seller and buyer transactions, while published client reviews repeatedly mention communication, responsiveness and handling transactions from beginning to end.
The Paramore Group is built around something I think becomes especially important during a downsizing move: personal accountability combined with technology, marketing and straightforward advice.
I don't believe my job is to tell you everything you could do to your house.
My job is to help determine what you should do—and what you can comfortably skip.
Large Team vs. Personalized Representation
Neither business model is automatically better. They simply provide different experiences.
Large High-Volume Team:
Extensive infrastructure
Large marketing operation
High transaction volume
Multiple team members
Broad exposure
Personalized Agent/Group:
Direct accountability
More continuity
Customized strategy
Fewer handoffs
Direct communication
For a straightforward sale, either model can work exceptionally well.
For downsizing, I believe continuity becomes especially valuable because your listing strategy affects your purchase strategy—and vice versa.
Ask every agent: “Who will personally handle my pricing strategy, negotiations, inspection issues and next-home purchase?”
The answer tells you far more than the number of homes on a sales résumé.
The Downsizing Numbers Most Sellers Forget to Calculate
Don't compare only your current home's value with your next home's purchase price.
Calculate the complete picture.
Current Home:
Expected net proceeds
Mortgage payoff
Selling expenses
Repairs/preparation
Moving expenses
Equity remaining
Replacement Home:
Purchase price
HOA/condo fee
Property taxes
Insurance
Maintenance responsibility
New mortgage/payment
Here's the number I ultimately want my downsizing clients to understand:
What will life cost after the move?
Selling a $500,000 house and purchasing a $325,000 condo sounds like an obvious financial win—until taxes, HOA fees, insurance, assessments and financing are considered.
Conversely, someone may discover they can purchase their next home with substantial equity remaining and dramatically simplify their monthly expenses.
That's when downsizing becomes more than selling real estate. It becomes planning the next chapter intentionally.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your Agent
When interviewing Medina County listing agents, I would ask:
What would you recommend I do—and not do—before listing?
What do you believe my realistic net proceeds will be?
Should I sell before buying my next home?
How would you structure the transactions if I need my equity first?
Can you help me compare condos, ranches and 55+ communities?
Who will personally negotiate my contracts?
How will you handle inspection and appraisal problems?
What happens if my house sells before I find somewhere to go?
How will you coordinate movers, possession and closing dates?
What costs am I probably overlooking?
Pay attention to whether the agent immediately starts selling themselves—or starts asking questions about you. A good downsizing strategy can't be built until someone understands why you're moving.
Thinking About Downsizing in Medina County?
You don't need to be ready to list your home to start planning.
In fact, I'd rather meet before you've remodeled the kitchen, donated half the house or committed to a condo.
At The Paramore Group, I can help you determine what your current Medina County home may realistically sell for, estimate your potential proceeds, identify which improvements are worth considering, explore your next-home options and build a timeline that connects everything together.
Because successful downsizing isn't simply about getting into a smaller house.
It's about getting into a home—and a lifestyle—that fits what comes next.
Christina Paramore, Realtor®
The Paramore Group | eXp Realty
Serving Medina County and Northeast Ohio
