When purchasing a home the escrow process can appear to be complex, especially for a first time home buyer. Following is an overview of the escrow process from the buyers perspective: Escrow is officially “open” once the Escrow Holder receives a purchase contract signed by both the Buyer and Seller. Escrow holder then assigns an [...]
With the increased amount of foreclosures on the market today, escrow officers are often asked about the foreclosure process. The first thing to know is the foreclosure terminology, which we discussed in a prior post. What is important for homebuyers and sellers to understand is that foreclosures happen to loans not properties therefore it is [...]
When purchasing real property in California you may discover that the property is subject to Mello-Roos. Mello-Roos is the common verbiage used to describe a tax that is imposed upon real property that falls within a Mello-Roos District. This tax or fee, which is a form of financing, can be used by cities, counties, and [...]
Short sales and foreclosures are the current hot topic in real estate with many of these types of transactions coming across the Escrow Officers desk. Foreclosures and short sales are often confused but they are two distinct processes supported by their own individual terminology. Following is a summary of many of the most common terms [...]
The escrow process can be a complicated and often technical necessity of buying and selling real estate. The escrow company and its officer have many duties to juggle on behalf of the Realtor, Seller, and Buyer during the real estate transaction. Understanding the various duties and functions of the escrow can assist all parties in [...]
What is a title binder? No, it’s not the binder you take to keep your notes in concerning your title and escrow proceedings. It IS something that you should know about to save money if plan on selling your home within 2 years after its purchase. A title binder, also known as an interim binder, [...]
Recent headlines have proclaimed that California’s foreclosure crisis is a long way from over. First time home buyers, predicted to make up 55% of the market in 2010, are looking at REO’s as an affordable way to get into the market. That makes REO or ‘Real Estate Owned’ properties the hot ticket right now. These [...]
The Buyer’s Choice Act (AB 957) was established to protect the buyer’s right in an REO transaction in having a choice as to which Escrow Company and Title Company is used. This sounds great, although in many cases it can be a benefit to the buyer to choose the companies that the REO Bank use [...]
To help consumers more easily understand settlement costs and prevent big price discrepancies between the preliminary Good Faith Estimate and the HUD-1 settlement statement, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created stricter Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) regulations are scheduled to take effect by April, 2010. (The regulations originally were [...]
The typical real estate escrow requires the buyer to sign 70 – 120 pages of documents, several of which require notarization. The seller also will have to notarize, at the minimum, the grant deed. Notarization, or the act of an uninvolved witness (the Notary) verifying that the signor (the buyer or seller) is indeed who [...]
