It’s honestly a toss-up sometimes, I agree. I’ve seen “premium” companies that were slow to respond and smaller outfits that were super proactive. Here’s what I usually tell clients:
- Ask your real estate agent for recent experiences—they’ll know who’s been reliable lately.
- Look up recent online reviews, but focus on the most current ones.
- If you can, call the company and see how quickly they answer or respond to your questions.
Even then, it’s not foolproof. Sometimes it just depends on which escrow officer you get assigned. I wish there was a magic formula, but it really is a bit of a gamble.
Even then, it’s not foolproof. Sometimes it just depends on which escrow officer you get assigned.
That hits home. Had a deal nearly fall apart last year because the escrow officer just ghosted us for days—total nightmare. Now I always double check who’s handling things, but honestly, it’s still a bit of a roll of the dice.
Now I always double check who’s handling things, but honestly, it’s still a bit of a roll of the dice.
Yeah, totally get that. Even when you think you’ve got a solid team, one weak link can throw the whole thing off. I’ve had deals where the escrow officer was on top of every detail, and others where I felt like I was chasing them down just to get basic updates. It’s wild how much difference one person can make. At this point, I try to work with folks I know, but sometimes you just don’t get a choice.
It’s wild how much difference one person can make.
That’s honestly spot on. I’ve had transactions where everything was smooth until one person dropped the ball—suddenly, you’re scrambling to fix things that should’ve been routine. There was a closing last year where the title company missed a lien, and it nearly delayed everything. Even with all the double-checking in the world, sometimes you just can’t predict where the hiccup will come from. It really does come down to who’s on your team, but like you said, you don’t always get to pick.
Even with all the double-checking in the world, sometimes you just can’t predict where the hiccup will come from.
That hits home. When we bought our place in Dallas, I thought I’d covered every base—inspections, paperwork, you name it. Still, the appraiser missed a water issue in the crawlspace, and it turned into a headache months later. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected and keep a paper trail for everything. You can’t control every variable, but you can at least be ready to react when something slips through.