A preliminary title report reflects the ownership of property. This report also indicates any liens or encumbrances that run with the property.

In order to open escrow, a purchase agreement signed by the buyer and the seller must be submitted.

Refer to our escrow brochure

You can get an instant and reliable estimate on your individual closing costs by using our AI escrow assistant, Ava. Just click the chat icon at the bottom of this page.

We accept a personal check, cashier’s check, and cash (if it exceeds over $5,000.00, we make arrangements with our bank to handle the deposit directly).

As a policy, we disburse to the entity to avoid the occurrence of malfeasance or fraud.

Yes, although, if a lender is involved, you are advised to pay with a personal check or wire transfer, as the lender will need to prove the source of originating funds, which is not possible with cash. If there is a deposit in excess of $5,000.00 in cash that is stipulated, your buyer may be asked to make the deposit directly with one of our partner banks.

Yes, although, as a courtesy, we request at least a few hours notice, which we will use to make arrangements with one of our banks to handle your deposit directly. The depositor will be required to fill out federal disclosures regarding the source of funds.

Yes, but we must receive the deposit with ample time for the check to clear so we have verified funds for closing. For instance, a USAA check may take up to 10 business days to clear. We can clear checks at most local banks within 24 hours.

As a preventative measure against fraud and malfeasance, we do not allow agents to act as attorneys-in-fact for transactions in which they are being compensated.

Escrow can only release the deposit in conjunction with the terms of the agreement. In the event of a disagreement, the parties cannot proceed until either an agreement is reached or the court renders a decision regarding the dispute.

Beware of buyers with funds held in China. The Chinese government currently makes it extremely difficult to move large sums of money abroad. Beware of buyers asking to move funds through you or who are receiving multiple deposits from friends or investors. This may be attributed to an illegal practice called "smurfing" in which a buyer will funnel money through friends, family, associates, or third parties and have them make small deposits on their behalf that are designed to escape the notice of regulators.

Typically, as much as possible, but in a pinch, we've been able to set up a simple exchange overnight with our preferred QI. Please note that they operate on Hawaii time, so Mondays are typically not an option for short notice closings.

We can accommodate some 24-hour requests for notary services, but reliability is hit or miss. Typically it takes 48-hrs.