Whether it's your first place or your next place, I'll educate you through the process. Contact me and I'll help you become a smart buyer.

Completing the Transaction

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services PenFed Realty can walk you through closing - 410-647-8000 ext. 817
Let's talk about "escrow". To finish the sale of a property, a neutral, third party (the escrow agent) is employed to assure the transaction will close perfectly and on time. A property is said to be in escrow when in the closing process, money is held by a third party on behalf of two parties (in this case, a buyer and a seller) when the exchange of money takes place. A simple way to understand what an escrow company does is to think of the use of PayPal for Internet purchases.

Clearing the final hurdles like obtaining funds, completing forms, getting the documents for loans and liens, and assuring you get a clear title to the home prior to your purchase gets finalized are all part of the job of the escrow agent.

The certificates the escrow company may collect include:

  • Requests for payment for various services to be paid out of escrow funds
  • Loan documents
  • Tax statements
  • Fire and other insurance policies
  • Title insurance policies
  • Terms of sale and any seller-assisted financing

You're ready to close when every step is complete in escrow process. All expenses like title insurance, inspections and real estate commissions are paid. The property's title gets transferred to you and title insurance is issued per the steps of your particular escrow process.

When closing is in it's last step, you'll pay the fees to the escrow agent. As your real estate agent, I'll let you know what is an acceptable form of payment.

The Escrow Holder Will:

  • Write escrow instructions
  • Perform a title research
  • Meet lender's standards as written in the escrow agreement
  • Accept payments from the buyer
  • Prorate tax, interest, insurance and other fees according to guidelines
  • Record deeds and other documents as instructed
  • Obtain title insurance policy
  • Close escrow when all instructions of seller and buyer are complete
  • Disburse funds and finalize instructions

The Escrow Holder Won't:

  • Offer advice - the escrow holder stays at an impartial, third-party status
  • Dispense opinions about future tax estimations
The Escrow Holder Will:
The Escrow Holder Won't:
  • Prepare escrow instructions
  • Petition title inquiry
  • Comply with lender's guidelines as outlined in the escrow agreement
  • Receive funds from the buyer
  • Prorate tax, interest, insurance and other fees according to instructions
  • Record deeds and other documents as instructed
  • Request title insurance policy
  • Close escrow when all instructions of seller and buyer have been met
  • Disburse funds and finalize instructions
  • Tell you what's best - the escrow agent stays a neutral, third-party status
  • Offer opinions about future tax estimations

Mortgage Escrow Account

Creating a Mortgage Escrow Account helps keep track of on-going expenses while there's a loan on your house. Usually, the home buyer makes a payment at closing and also makes regular deposits through their monthly mortgage payment to fund the Escrow Account.

Now you know more about being in escrow. And, you can be a smarter home buyer and future homeowner.

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