Before you send any money, call us - Criminals monitor closing email threads and send spoofed wiring instructions that look identical to ours. Once a wire goes out, the money is usually gone within hours and is rarely recovered. We will never send you changed wire instructions by email. Before sending any funds, call our office at a number you looked up yourself, not a number in an email, and verify the instructions out loud.
Once a contract is signed, we open a file and order the title search: the chain of ownership back through time, checked for unpaid property taxes, contractor's liens, easements, boundary encroachments, an old mortgage that was never released, or an unknown heir with a claim. Anything we find gets resolved or disclosed before closing, not after.
While the search is underway, we open escrow. Earnest money and, later, the buyer's closing funds are held in a neutral account and released only according to the contract's instructions - never at our discretion and never to one side alone. A closing statement itemizing every credit and debit goes out before signing, so nothing on it is a surprise at the table.
Closings are most often delayed by a lien nobody knew about, a mortgage payoff figure that arrives late from a lender, a name mismatch between a deed and an ID, or an estate that needs to go through probate before it can sell. We flag these as early as possible so a delay is measured in days, not discovered at the table.
Lender's policy: Usually required by the bank and paid for at closing. It protects the lender's financial interest in the property, not yours, and its coverage shrinks as the loan is paid down.
Owner's policy: A separate, optional policy with a one-time premium. It protects your own equity in the property for as long as you own it, even against a claim that surfaces years later. It is your decision, not a requirement, and we explain it plainly so you can choose.
