The Escrow Process
Upon Mutual Acceptance
Escrow is opened by real estate agent.
Preliminary title report is ordered by escrow and/or broker
Open escrow correspondence sent to buyer & seller w/ a form for return.
The Title Report
- Is received & reviewed by escrow team
Possible liens, judgments, or title matters are to be paid off and/or cleared.
Vested owners verified
Property tax information verified
HOA or recorded maintenance agreements verified
Payoffs & Monetary Items
The escrow team gathers and verifies statements and information for monetary items to be paid and cleared at dosing such as; mortgage payoffs, liens & judgments, HOA demands, assessments, sewer capacity, property taxes, commission disbursements, earnest money, leased utilities, rent & deposit pro ration’s, fuel tank readings, & lien-able utilities (to name the most common items).
Buyer
While all of this is going on in escrow behind the scenes, the buyer should be in close contact w/ their lender to provide all necessary information for the loan to be underwritten. Some of these items may include:
- Paystubs
- Bank Statements
Tax Returns
Asset Verification
Letter of Explanation
Signing
Once the Settlement Statement/Closing Disclosure has been approved by the lender, escrow contacts the buyer & seller to schedule their final signing appointments. Typically the buyer & seller sign separately for privacy purposes. Signing usually occurs 2-3 days in advance of the contract closing date & may happen at our office or remote location, if more convenient for the client.
The buyer will wire their down payment funds to escrow (As applicable)
On the Closing Date
- On the final closing date the lender will fund the loan, which is the process of wiring the loan proceeds to escrow.
Upon receipt of all funds, escrow will *release* the file for recording, which is the process of sending the deed to the county to record CLOSED!!
Once escrow receives confirmation that the transaction has recorded with the county, all parties are notified that the transaction is closed and funds are disbursed accordingly. Unless other arrangements have been made for possession, this is when the buyer is given the keys to their new home.
Seller
- Completes & returns property’ info. Form to escrow {this provides authorization for the escrow team to order mortgage payoffs, HOA info, lien-able utility bills, other lien-able items, etc.
After Signing
After the buyer signs, their documents are returned to the buyer’s lender to review for preparation of the final dosing date.
Closing Process
