Where's the Courtesy?

I'm writing this to vent my irritation at some escrow companies. I know I'll feel much better after I write here, so I want to say up front that there are some first class escrow officers out there, that escrow companies provide a valuable service and that the escrow officers have no say about their company policies etc...

That being said, my most recent closing left a bitter taste. My buyers are purchasing property in another county and the escrow officer asked them if they would like to have a courtesy signing take place at their home. My clients appreciated the courtesy and were given the appointment.

The courtesy signer was a local notary public who wrapped up the signing in 30 minutes, due to the fact that she offered little explanations as to the forms, but mostly directed where signatures or initials were required. On the final HUD statement my clients found an additional charge of $150.00 for the courtesy signing service.

There are two items here that I take issue with:

1. When offering the courtesy, the escrow officer should have explained that it comes with a $150.00 price tag.

2. $150.00 is an outrageous charge, in my opinion, for a 30 minute service. Since the signer was local she did not need to travel.

I can see that the escrow companies like offering this service to their clients. That way they can earn additional money and at the same time save their escrow officers an hour of their time. I admit it saves my clients a 30 minute car drive, but at $150.00 it's hardly a win-win situation.

There's a lot to be said for being able to direct transactions to one's escrow company of choice.

POST SCRIPT: I have contacted the escrow officer and asked her if it was company policy to offer courtesy signings without disclosing the additional cost up front. She told me that they usually disclose the cost, but in that particular instance neglected to inform my client. The escrow officer apologized and promised to see what could be done do to shave off some of the other fees to come close to saving my buyer the $150 on some of the additional escrow costs. I appreciated her candor and her efforts to make things good.

Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com