Update: I got the following message from Ann P who I suspect is the branch manager. "I'm sorry your experience was not satisfactory. However, the information in your review is incorrect, with all due respect. First, the wire instructions were confirmed. Christina asked her Jr. Escrow Officer to confirm with you, which she did. When you inquired a 2nd and 3rd time, Christina acknowledged and responded that all was correct. In fact, Christina responded to all your emails and most of your calls. Because of the volume, she did let a few repetitive calls stay in voice-mail. She never refused to talk with you, she just couldn't always take your calls at the time you called. She did have a number of transactions at the time, some with tighter deadlines than your file. Next, Christina and her team must follow instructions from the client. Everything Christina did, including timing and scheduling of sending documents and the signing, were per instructions given to her from the client. James Han, the Notary, had other appointments and since you refused to sign the documents due to an unanswered question for the Lender, James had to reschedule with you. Christina only informed James that time was of the essence due to deadlines. She did not in any way pressure urgency to overlook explanation and reading of the documents. That's confirmed. Last, the positive reviews come from only a small handful of several very happy clients of Christina's. She is known for her exceptional work, response time, accuracy and service. She and the company have never, nor would ever, accept "Kick-backs" as you suggest. We understand that buying a house is stressful and with the addition of COVID 19, even more so. However, this review is unwarranted and unjust due to a complete misunderstanding of what Christina was required to do in her job. Again, we are sorry you had a bad experience, but to blame Christina and the Company is simply unfair." My response: I think a true review from a buyer or a seller would have enabled me to make an informed decision to not go ahead with Old Republic San Carlos. I hope this extra information helps others with their decision. With all due respect, I can confirm that Netane, the junior escrow officer, only called me to confirm that Old Republic received the signed paperwork and that we were going to the bank the next day to wire funds. At no point in time did Netane confirm the actual wire instructions or account we should wire to. Christina told us on the phone, on more than one occassion, that she was too busy to talk to us and didn't offer an alternate time to talk. In that sense, she did refuse to talk. Ann claims I made "repetitive calls" but I have called Christina roughly 4-5 times during our approximately 35 day escrow period. James Han specifically told us he had to let Christina know, very assertively, that the pressure that we were put under was unnecessary. You cannot invalidate our terrible experience of going through the closing process with your company with the inaccurate statements made above. I also don't want to go over each and every incorrect statement being made above, nor do I have the time for it. I stand by my review. I think a business that is so unwilling to accept feedback from a paying customer has already shown it's intentions. Please don't threaten to take down or change reviews of your paying clients. They deserve to post their opinion and truthful experience. read more

Old Republic Title - Real Estate Services Near Me - San Carlos, California

See all

I can't say enough about Christina at ORTC...I was very worried when my escrow officer left awhile ago and I was referred to Christina..but all of that disappeared the first time I worked with her.. Her response time is second to none, her efficiency is perfect..she's excellent at problem solving and even answers on the weekend! I highly recommend Christina! read more

Christina is the most excellent escrow officer. When I began working with her, she very quickly picked up exactly what I want in an officer. She is always one step ahead of what is needed. Nothing flusters her and I never have to ask twice for anything. She is sharp and knows her business like no one! Realtors, lenders, homeowners, never hesitate to use Christina! read more

I've worked with Jennifer Shade for several years. She's incredibly knowledgeable and easy to work with - and we've had some difficult transactions. She's always there to help - even if the transaction is not being processed by her office. Sometimes I need a second opinion when an agent has chosen another title company to work with. Ann Palermo is one of my favorite people. She always - always - has a smile and an offer of support each time I see her. It's really nice to be able to run marketing ideas by her and get a feel for what's working in the industry today. Real estate is a relationship business. We've created very strong relationships with each other and make a great team working together. Thanks, ladies, for always being a pleasure to work with. read more

I needed some paperwork from the sale of my house 2 years ago. Called and spoke to a very nice woman who emailed me everything I needed - and even stayed on the line to make sure I'd received it! All done in about 5 minutes!! I had been dreading it for weeks, figured I'd have to drive the 40 miles and spend hours - couldn't have been easier. This mirrors how I was treated at the time of the sale - nice professional folks. read more

Christina is an excellent escrow officer. I've worked with her on many transactions, and she is consistently responsive, thorough, a problem solver, and so easy to work with. Working with Christina, I know all the bases are covered! read more

Why the negative reviews? These ladies are amazing. I've worked with other title/escrow companies and Toni Fonseca and her team (Rachel and Ann) are THE BEST. These ladies make title/escrow easy as pie. Toni knows everything. Seriously. Whenever I have a question, or my client has a question, I can rest assured knowing that Toni is a wealth of knowledge and will be able to explain everything in a manner so that my client can make the best decision possible. They are an absolute joy to work with. Upbeat, friendly, responsive, easy to get a hold of when you need them, and of course knowledgeable- What else can you ask for? Toni, Rachel and Ann are seriously the best which is why I refer clients to them again and again. read more

5 years ago I had my first Escrow with ORTC in San Carlos. Ann Palermo charmed me, my first day on the job as a new agent , and it was Christine Cang who walked me through each step of my first transaction, with patience, precision and diligence. It was a challenging sale, with skiddish Buyers, 4 sellers, one very stubborn, and a court confirmation on top. The professionalism and welcoming office always bends over backwards to make sure deals are moving forward. Several other challenging circumstances have come up through the years, and the ladies there are alway helpful, as well as Felix C, who did some amazing research for me on a couple of pieces of property! I cant wait for my next Escrow with this dynamic team! read more

Used this company to close on my first home a year ago even thou we purchased the home in the east bay since I work in San Carlos we were able to use this office and everyone was wonderful. Today I had to go back I am filing my taxes and I need my escrow statement, I've been looking every where for it can't find it. I drove down here and Patty helped me and since my house is not in this county they do not keep my records. Patty could of just gave me the number to the office in the east bay to call but no she went out of her way and called twice and asked them to send to her so she would print and sign. I just thought it was very nice that she went out of her way on her busy day to help me, you don't find good customer service like her any more. Thank you Patty you made my day and I wont have to reschedule with my CPA again. read more

I would really like to say at least one positive thing about how this escrow officer Christine handled my transaction, alas, I wasn't able to find one no matter how hard I tried. My phone calls and emails went unreturned. Once I was able to get my escrow officer on the phone, she sounded annoyed and arrogant, at times rude. My agent's requests went unanswered for days, and lender's instructions weren't followed, resulting in delays and me having to come out of pocket for rate lock extentions. Documents they prepared had mistakes and were not corrected in timely manner. I felt that they didn't appreciate my business at all. My transaction was NOT handled in professional manner by the very least, and I would not recommend using them. Even my Realtor who gave them a shot called it a mistake and vowed not to ever use them again. read more

We bought our home recently and used this title company per the seller's request. Our experience was awful -- there were mistakes that should not have been made, eg. mis-spelling, typos, incorrect info, filing our stuff in another customer's file. They were also unresponsive (didn't return emails, voicemails), tardy and we had to chase and shepherd them every step of the way to closing. As it is, home-buying is stressful enough, the title company should not be a roadblock to a smooth closing. Especially when they charged us $$$ for it. If I can, I would give them NO star on Yelp. read more

I too had issues with mistakes during my closing. We literally got four different prelims with tons of errors, including three different closing costs on the day of signing. I ended up paying $30 to change the check twice and wiring them the balance when I showed up with the wrong amount. After the signing and two days before closing, I got a call from my new insurance company saying the escrow company needed me to raise my coverage by X amount. I got that taken care of, only to have the escrow company call my realtor the next morning and tell her I still needed to raise the amount (even though the insurance company had already faxed over the updated information). When the escrow agent finally called me after playing a needless game of telephone tag, she complained that the insurance company was being difficult to work with and I should fix a bunch of things she was being paid to do. read more

Christina Kirk - a great escrow officer! Super organized, responsive, accommodating & professional. Lovely personality & great with your Buyers & Sellers. Plenty of parking in busy downtown San Carlos. read more

I've been meaning to write this review for a while, because we closed back on Sunday, September 8, 2013. Yes, SUNDAY. We were anxious to make the promised date for the close of escrow. So Rachel Solidum, the assistant to Senior Escrow Officer Toni Raygosa-Fonseca, suggested she come in on Sunday for us to sign papers. She was so thorough and professional, and even apologized for being dressed in her 49ers shirt because she and her husband were on their way to a game as soon as we finished. We told her we were just so pleased that she took time out of her day off for us. Anytime you deal with multiple parties giving estimates for closing figures they can change as the process moves forward. Rachel always kept us up to date with any changes. My husband and I would highly recommend Old Republic Title, and especially Rachel Solidum! read more

I have done 5 transactions with Jennifer Shade this year so far. She is prodigious, I promise! She makes sure the final details are handled and only involved me when she had to. In fact, one time she very kindly came to the home of my 90 year old client so he could sign his closing papers. Jennifer has always been sensitive to my clients needs. She takes the time to explain all fees and the process of closing. I will continue to use ORTC and I would highly recommend this office and Jennifer Shade for their/her professionalism; they know the title business! Cheers! Stephanie Nash, Alain Pinel Realtors - Woodside read more

We use Old Republic Title for our refi, thanks to the San Carlos team and Ann Palermo for taking care of us. Trowbridge Insurance Agency sends clients to them because they provide great service. read more

Its sad to see all the bad reviews, however, escrow is tough to love. However, I see none of these reviews are about Toni F. I would highly recommend her for your title/escrow needs. I used her for refinances and purchases with much success. She is knowledgeable and responsive (which i find rare). I have worked with many escrow agents and she is by far the best! read more

Christine Cang, San Carlos office - not a friendly representative to work with. She made multiple significant errors during the closing of my home. When confronted, she was basically pointing the finger towards others and not taking responsibilities for her actions during the process and was VERY RUDE!!!! If I would have known this was the type of service I was going to receive from her, I would have went ELSEWHERE! I strongly recommend not using her services read more

Jennifer Shade is a "Guru" when it comes to handling my escrow transactions. There are moving parts throughout the process and she and Alicia are always on top of the situation. Very knowledgeable when it comes to a plethora of questions concerning expediting the transaction process. I have opened escrows with Jennifer for the last 12 years and have the utmost respect and admiration for what she does on a daily basis. Happy to say she brings the word Fun into the escrow process. read more