I have seen positive reviews of Granite Escrow at other locations and with other staff. We worked…read morewith Lori Wurzel from Granite on the sale of my parents' condo in Laguna Woods during the summer of 2023 and I have to say, it was a pretty terrible experience. My father has dementia, which is why my parents had relocated back to their original home back East, and it felt like Granite was coming up with tons of last-minute requests to verify his condition and our power-of-attorney authorizations. We would get tons of abrupt emails from Lori demanding new things with very little notice or time to comply, so we'd have to scramble to contact multiple doctors and sign and notarize documents. Not a positive experience at all, but we worked with another escrow service for the sale of their second property in California this year and it was just as bad, if not worse. It would be nice if escrow officers knew their jobs and could help facilitate a complicated process involving lots of documentation and signing rather than just ping you with a thousand emails and phone calls asking for things you never knew you needed for a real estate transaction.

Lori Wurzel was our escrow officer and she was instrumental in moving our escrow along during a…read moreparticularly difficult time...COVID-19! Our escrow closed on 10/14/2020 45 days late, but not due to Granite Escrow. My husband and I have 50 years of combined experience as mortgage lenders with 2 major banks, and no one could have expected the delays and complications we experienced due to COVID. I see a previous review and have to remind everyone, it is not the responsibility of the escrow company to explain the process, rather it is your realtor, mortgage lender and in our case the homeowner association at Laguna Woods Village. Unfortunately for us, the HOA was shut down for an unreasonable amount of time, creating a backlog and unnecessary delays because of poor administrative procedures. This is not escrow's fault, and our escrow team was extremely helpful in bridging the issues with all the parties. If you are purchasing or selling in Laguna Woods Village, we highly recommend LORI WURZEL and her team at GRANITE ESCROW. They are professional, highly knowledgeable of all the nuances of Laguna Woods Village, and easy to communicate with throughout the process. Most of the time, Lori answered the phone on the first ring...very unusual in our business. Job well done Lori! Escrow is always the unsung hero in our business. Thank you for your expertise and guidance, Dolores, William and Cynthia Stage

Don't use this Real Estate Service... they only think about themselves... they don't care about…read moreyou... never tell you the truth... my experience with Marlene was terrible She was a total nut... what a terrible person... lacks integrity and character...

From the owner: VRES Inc., better known as Village Real Estate Services in a full-service residential real estate…read morecompany with old-fashioned service and today's technology, based in Laguna Woods, CA, the heart of sunny south Orange County and beautiful Southern California. For over 12 years, Marlene Bridges (REALTOR, Certified Residential Real Estate Specialist, Seniors Real Estate Specialist) , founder of VRES Inc. has been helping people buy and sell homes and condos in markets such as Laguna Woods Village Condos for Sale, Laguna Woods Homes for Sale, Laguna Niguel Real Estate and all of the Orange County Real Estate Markets.

Disclaimer: This review reflects my personal opinion and experience based on publicly filed court…read morerecords, escrow communications, and my direct involvement in a real-estate transaction that became the subject of litigation (Tyson v. Correa). It is not a statement of undisputed fact, does not allege criminal conduct, and is shared solely for consumer awareness and due-diligence purposes. In my opinion, based on the documents and communications involved in Tyson v. Correa, serious concerns arose regarding the professional handling of escrow by Olivia Mercer during a real-estate transaction that ultimately did not lawfully close. From my perspective, escrow proceeded in a manner that did not adequately address fundamental issues affecting the validity of the transaction. Throughout the process, escrow communications and document processing continued despite unresolved questions regarding legal authority. The individual induced to sign transaction documents was not the lawful trustee and did not have verified authority to sell or convey the property. In my view, this was a material issue that warranted suspension of escrow activity until clarified. Instead, the transaction appeared to continue as though it were routine, despite these unresolved inconsistencies. There were multiple warning signs that, in my opinion, should have prompted escalation or a pause in escrow, including conflicting trustee information, inconsistent instructions, and communications that treated a known tenant as if they had authority to act on behalf of a trust. Based on my review of the records, these issues were not clearly resolved before escrow activity proceeded further. It is my understanding that escrow officers are expected to act as neutral parties and to refrain from facilitating transactions when documents are facially inconsistent or legally unclear. In this situation, I believe escrow should have required verification, clarification, or withdrawal rather than continuing forward under uncertainty. Allowing the process to proceed under these circumstances, in my opinion, exposed all parties to unnecessary legal and financial risk. I am sharing this experience to encourage buyers and sellers to protect themselves. Do not assume that escrow, title, or agents have independently verified authority simply because documents are circulating or deadlines are approaching. Independently confirm ownership, trustee authority, and escrow instructions, particularly in trust-related transactions. If anything does not make sense, stop the process and seek independent advice. This review is offered as a cautionary perspective so others understand the importance of due diligence and active oversight in real-estate transactions.

Big shout out to Debbie at Generations Escrow! She made my two escrows a breeze. Debbie is a true…read moreprofessional and naturally works very quickly. She was always available when I had questions and went out of her way to make things easy and make sure we closed on time. Highly recommend! P.S. She's also really cool, and fun to talk to :)

This escrow company provided excellent service throughout the entire transaction. Nicole Tran,…read moreEscrow Manager, was knowledgeable, professional, and kept everything moving smoothly from beginning to end. Trinity Aboytes, Escrow Staff, was equally helpful, responsive, and great to work with. Both were attentive to details, quick to communicate, and made the whole process feel easy and well organized. It is always a pleasure working with a team that truly cares about doing a great job. I highly recommend them. Their prices are lower than the other Laguna Woods Escrow Companies.

The staff at Blue Pacific excels in professionalism, and customer service. Which in today's day and…read moreage, is no small feat. They are friendly, and extremely easy to work with. If you are looking for the best suited firm to handle escrow in Laguna Woods, this is it. Go Blue!

Worked with Ken Straw on a purchase deal. As a Lender, I work with a lot of agents and more than…read moremost, Ken worked extremely hard for his client going above and beyond during every facet of the purchase process. He really wants the best for his clients. Ken is also a man of principles with a demonstrably high level of integrity in everything he does. I would recommend him to anyone.

Posted pictures of available rental which were NOT the actual rental. Agent not knowledgeable about…read morerenting out property. What are the responsibilities of a renter v property management. Overpriced costs for necessary & unnecessary repairs.

I recently listed my aunt's property in Laguna Woods with "Those Sisters" Diane McMahon & Kindra…read moreBell. I could never recommend them to anyone. The communication problem while the house was being viewed was terrible. I partly blamed my elderly aunt on not understanding appointments & times. As I worked with them during the offer and the nightmare closing their communication got even worse. Not sure why they have voice mail, they never return a call. Actually Diane wasn't as bad, but Kindra Bell was the worst. If you want some one to help you through the process and actually feel like they earned a commission, keep looking for a different team. They actually got us over asking price, not by any of there doing. Save yourself the frustion and either sell it yourself or get any agent with good referrals. I wish I would have taken my own advise.

Great team! I recommend them for all of your real estate needs! They are knowledgeable, really…read moreknow their business, and can answer all your questions!

From the owner: Over 70 years of combined experience here at EXP Realty’s LThreeRealty Teamread more

This park is exclusively for 55 and older, owner occupants. There is a sense of pride shown by the…read morehome owners and the park itself. The location of this mobile home park is ideal for those who still work (close to the 5 freeway), but perhaps it's best for those who are already retired and may not be driving any longer, or aren't comfortable driving far from home. Everything is close by, with many stores as easy walk away. The El Toro branch library is just outside of the front gates, with Ralph's Petsmart, Home Goods, Daiso, and many restaurants easy to walk to as well. The common areas - roadways, tennis courts, pool, spa, pool table room, recreation center and laundry room are all well maintained and kept sharp looking. The management requires that homeowners keep up their homes and spaces and consistently enforce the rules. It is very quiet and we feel quite secure - in 4 years, we've never had any problems. Space rent is high in this part of Orange County - it is what it is, so even though it's high, it's not any lower anywhere else around here that I know of. They will raise your rent every year, but again, this is a common practice that you will find anywhere.

A lot of my family now lives here because they are old and retired. It's like a trailer park…read morehomes. Okay here is where it gets complicated. They are really house but mobile. So If you really want to, you can uplift your house that is why it is called mobile homes. Odd no? So they have a feeble gate that comes down at 7pm. The mobile homes are pretty nice depending on which one you buy. They are just like your normal one story houses, but the difference is you can move it when you are sick of this location. =P It's a retirement community, so you know it's full of old people who complain and complain. I have seen some fliers and it's quite funny at how much they complain or how many rules they list. The people are friendly and it's a nice community so I give it 3 stars and it's conveniently located to the newly remodeled shopping centers. You can just walk to the library or to food, supermarkets, and more within a few mins.