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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Jamie February 7, 2012 at 4:22 pm

Hi,
It has been a year since I purchase a house through your escrow company. I would like to add my wife’s name to the property title. Someone pointed to me that an escrow company will be able to do that. Could you tell me how? Thank you.

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Juliana Tu February 8, 2012 at 10:01 am

Thank you for posting your question and using our escrow services. Adding your wife to the ownership of your home is just a matter of preparing and signing a Grant Deed. You can prepare it yourself by accessing the Grant Deed form on our website under “Forms” http://www.vivaescrow.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_18/custom/pdf/GRANTDEED.pdf . Use your present deed as the starting point, with you as the “Grantor” and you and your wife as the “Grantee”. Call us directly at (626) 744-1684, and we will walk you through this! – Juliana

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Albert December 21, 2011 at 1:25 pm

Juliana,

The loan amount is $200K so the title insurance would be around $400?

Thanks

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Juliana Tu December 22, 2011 at 11:19 am

Albert,

After asking around we have a title company who can charge you as follows:

Title insurance $450.00
Sub Escrow $25.00
Wire fee $30.00
Recording fee $65 flat fee (no matter how many pages)

Thanks for your question.

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Albert December 19, 2011 at 5:52 pm

I am refinancing my single family house in Arcadia. How much do you charge for escrow & settlement services? Could you give me a quote on title insurance also?

Thanks

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Juliana Tu December 20, 2011 at 9:57 am

Dear Albert,

Thank you for your interest in our escrow services. Here are the fees that are normally charged in a refinance transaction:

Escrow fee – $550.00 (for loan amount up to $800,000)
Notary fee – $80 to $179 (the higher cost is if you require a mobile notary)
Handling Payoff/Demand fee $50.00 (if there are any loans to payoff)
Drawing Documents $50.00 (if any extra documents are needed)
Messenger/FedEx fee $80.00 (for transmitting of loan documents)
Wire of net proceeds – $35.00 (if you require net proceeds to be wired to you at closing)
Recording fees – $120.00
Title Insurance premium – based on the new loan amount.
Example – for $500,000 loan – $935.00, for $800,000 – $1,210.00
Title sub-escrow fee – $125.00
Title wire fee – $30.00

Please call us (626) 584-9999 directly or post if you have any further questions. The Escrow fee and Title Insurance premium may vary a little from company to company, but you will find that it is “SERVICE” that is important and we have a reputation for good service in this community.

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Sonique S. September 9, 2011 at 3:08 pm

To Whom It May Concern: I’m interested in learning how to do Escrows, and would like to know if you train and/or hiring. I have a current/valid California Real Estate License. Thank you.

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admin September 12, 2011 at 9:31 am

Hello Sonique,

Thank you for posting your questions.

There are 2 ways to get escrow training, on the job training and training classes by The Escrow Training Institute http://escrow-eti.com/index.htm.

Currently, we don’t have any opening for escrow related position. http://escrowboard.net/ is a great site to search escrow related jobs.

You can also learn a lot from the information posted on our site. Please use the same “ask your qeustions” link http://www.vivaescrow.com/ask-your-questions if you do have escrow related questions and we’d be happy to answer them.

Best regards,

Ken Ma, Operations Manager

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Brian August 24, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Hi,

I am in the process of purchasing a short sale property, and our closing date is in two days. I found out yesterday, this will be delayed due to a tax lien on the property. I have fulfilled all my responsibilities, and my lender is ready to fund the loan. I am definitely not the expert, which is why I am here, but I think there is some negligence on somebody’s part. The problem is, my lock will expire in one day, which was planned to match that of the escrow closing date. Ironically enough, the escrow company was leaning on my buying agent, and my lender to make sure everything is turned in on time, as there would be no extensions granted. now I am in limbo, and risk paying either more points on a loan, and I don’t know what else. What recourse do I have as a buyer? I believe my buying agent is doing everything she can.

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Juliana Tu August 25, 2011 at 9:54 am

Hello Brian,
Thank you for leaving a question on our website. With reference to your short sale transaction, my recommendation is that you immediately check with your loan agent as to how much an extension to your loan will cost and if there are any other fees. Add this additional cost in to your present cost and purchase price. Is the end result still within the parameters of what you feel the property is worth? If so, extend your commitment. If not, then request a cancellation with funds to be returned to you. The Short Sale Addendum that is normally attached to a Short Sale Purchase Contract should give you protection in case escrow can’t close due to situations like this.
You mentioned that there will be no extensions? If the Short Sale Lender will not agree to an extension then the issue of the tax lien that came up has to be resolved. Who will pay? Will the Short Sale lender be willing to pay the amount? Are you going to be asked to pay this tax lien? All this needs to be considered. This tax lien may have been filed recently and not picked up by the Title Company until just now. In a short sale transaction the liens against the Seller and the property can be very fluid due to the situation the Seller finds himself in, therefore, finding a tax lien at the last moment is not that unusual. It is unfortunate, but not unusual. Purchasing on a short sale basis is not easy. The ultimate question you need to ask is: Is the property and the amount you are paying worth your time, effort and cost?
Hopefully I was able to give you some scenarios. I would be more than happy to talk to you in person if you have further questions. With regards, Juliana Tu, Escrow Manager.

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Ruth Eastburn August 24, 2011 at 2:48 pm

What counties in California now require a Documentary Transfer Tax Affidavit?

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Juliana Tu August 25, 2011 at 9:44 am

Dear Ruth,

Thank you for posting a question on our website.

With reference to the counties that require Transfer Tax Affidavits, they are as follows at this time:

El Dorado, Merced, Riverside, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Solano

Mind you, this may change as other counties pick up on this idea. We have just posted the list with weblinks to the county sites as well as other information we garnered on our website under: http://www.vivaescrow.com/for-your-convenience/faq/transfer-tax-affidavits, for your convenience!

Regards, Juliana Tu, Escrow Manager

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