Escrow means a state-licensed, insured, regulated third party holds every dollar and every document until all conditions of the sale are met, then exchanges them simultaneously. In Ohio and Texas that party is a licensed title insurance agent or company (regulated by the Ohio Department of Insurance and the Texas Department of Insurance respectively); in Georgia, closing must be conducted under the supervision of a licensed attorney, a rule the State Bar of Georgia enforces as the unlicensed practice of law. When a closing runs through this structure, the classic horror story, signed the deed and never got paid, is structurally impossible.
KEY FACTS FROM THIS GUIDE
- A written cash offer should show comps, repair estimate and margin, every time
- All closings run through licensed title companies (OH, TX) or closing attorneys (GA)
- Never sign a deed outside a closing; never pay a fee to sell your house
- Primary-residence gains up to $250,000/$500,000 are usually tax-free (IRC 121)
Follow the money: the exact sequence
1. Buyer earnest money goes into the escrow account, identified by your property file number, within days of contract. Call the title company and confirm receipt; they will tell you. 2. Before closing day the full purchase price arrives in escrow and must clear as verified funds. 3. You sign the deed at closing, and it is held by the escrow agent, not handed to the buyer. 4. Disbursement and recording happen together: your payoff to the lender, liens cleared, your proceeds wired to you, deed recorded with the county. Ohio’s “good funds” statute (R.C. 1349.21) and Texas’s equivalent title rules exist precisely so that step 4 cannot happen with promises instead of money.
The five rules that make a seller unscammable
One: never sign a deed anywhere except a closing conducted by the title company or closing attorney. The “sign it now, we will pay you Friday” request is the signature move of deed theft, which the FBI and state attorneys general classify under real estate and equity-skimming fraud. Two: accept payment only through escrow disbursement, never a personal check, app transfer or parking-lot cashier’s check. Three: verify wire instructions by phone on a number you found independently; the FBI’s IC3 unit reported over $145 million in real-estate wire fraud attempts in a recent single year, nearly all via spoofed emails. Four: look up the title company yourself and call them; confirm your file exists. Five: treat any pressure to skip rules one through four as the scammer identifying themselves.
A written offer costs nothing and decides nothing yet. Written numbers, licensed title company closings, zero pressure.
What title insurance adds for you
The title company searches county records for every lien, judgment and mortgage against the property, lists them on the settlement statement, and pays them from the sale price at closing. You never write those checks, and nothing survives to chase you later. The buyer’s title policy insures the transfer; your settlement statement is your permanent proof of exactly where every dollar went.
How to run these checks on us, specifically
Before signing anything with us, ask which title company or closing attorney will hold escrow. We answer immediately, because the answer is our best credential. Then call them, confirm they know us and ask how our closings run. Ten minutes of verification, and every protection on this page is working for you personally rather than theoretically.
Quick answers
Who pays for the escrow and closing?
In our purchases, we do, and it appears as such on the settlement statement. You should never bring money to sell your house to anyone.
Can I have my own attorney review everything?
Yes, and we encourage it in writing. Georgia requires attorney supervision at closing anyway; in Ohio and Texas your own attorney can review the contract before you sign and attend closing if you wish.
How fast is the money in my account after closing?
Same day to one business day after recording, by wire from the escrow account. The settlement statement you sign at closing states the exact figure.
Test the structure on a real number: request a written offer and we will name the title company in the same conversation. Or book a call and walk through this page point by point with a human.
