A really horrible experience with them. The did not release funds for 5 or 6 days, and the reason (I am sure it was a lie) that funds did not clear, and they never informed any one about it but released keys etc. to my property to the buyer. Some other closing attorney told me that these gyes normally earn some interest on your funds. They lied o me that funds will be release soon over and over and cited wire issues. When I told them I work for a bank and I know how wires work, they changed the story to funds not yet recieved form buyers. On my second closing i made sure the realtor is not using this scam of a business. Really disappointed and would suggest to anyone who is thinking of using this business to entrust their funds. read more

Not recommended. Smart Settlements: - failed to notify us that the buyer was moving closing forward until our agent proactively inquired about it - failed to deliver the settlement statement before closing - failed to correct an error on the settlement statement despite multiple messages and re-submissions of the appropriate documents during and immediately after closing - did not respond to my repeated inquiries about this error (and my refund) for three weeks - finally promised the refund I was due on the phone but did not process the refund until I reminded them about it again two weeks later Proceed at your own risk. read more

We had a very smooth and informed process with Smart Settlements. We appreciated the various forms of communication - email, phone, and portal - that allowed us to follow the administrative journey to buying our first home. I'd like to especially shout out Errol B. Williamson at Smart Settlements who showed incredible professionalism and patience with us and our very chatty realtor team as we celebrated the final sign-off in their offices. He was well informed and incredibly efficient! read more

They only want to communicate electronically. They closed and never got our loan pay off. I have been involved with 100's of closing. I've never seen incompetence like this. DO NOT CLOSE WITH THEM! read more

If I could give a review of "No Stars", I would. The DC Group is a scam. I had used them previously, and this time the husband T. Randolph who is an expediter attempted to upcharge me and my family by charging these enormous fees to expedite a title in Baltimore, MD. I asked to speak to the partner, E. Miller, and he replied its his wife and he's a partner as well. I scoured their website to see where he's listed as a partner of Smart Settlements, to no avail. Therefore, I suspect he's referring to the subsidiary that they created "Administration and Consulting Services, LLC", which is a complete SCAM. I recommend finding another title company until they remove T. Randolph. read more

Had a great experience with Smart Settlements! Working with Lucky made everything go very smoothly. Would definitely recommend!

Unfortunately, we did not have a positive experience with Smart Settlements. I was assisting a seller of a home in getting his sale done. Smart Settlements wanted a scope of work for the cosmetic repairs done at the property, was questioning why an HVAC permit was (appropriately) pulled (the seller added air conditioning), requested sign-offs from contractors, and several other things that I have never had a title company ask for. When I called to ask why these things were being requested, I didn't get a clear answer. The closing statement was inaccurate and I pointed out some revisions that were needed but they still presented the seller with an inaccurate one at the closing table and I had to double back for corrections. read more

The experience of closing both a sale and a purchase with Smart Settlements can only be described as a nightmare. Paperwork required numerous reviews and amendments because there was clearly a lack of quality control. I asked that I be provided one contact person for both transactions in order to reduce communication issues, that never happened. I had some basic questions about the homestead deduction that were incorrectly answered. What really brought to light what a disorganized mess this place is was the scheduling of the closing on the property I bought. I had asked for a time, then changed time and location to the most convenient for me. Then got an email with a different time, I asked to confirm, it was confirmed but then changed without any other communication. What a mess. The time difference was only half hour but I got 6 emails with incorrect time for closing. Then when I confirmed the time they did but that time got changed. Never got asked if the the new time was the best for me, apparently my opinion in the matter was irrelevant. This felt like a battle against incompetence with people that have no recognition of the issues they have. Never again will you get my business or referrals. PS, I'm unclear who these five star reviewers are, maybe their friends? read more

We loved our experience at Smart Settlements. The staff was efficient and timely in their communication, and the closing agent was pleasant and helpful and able to answer all of our questions and clarify the complicated process for us. The office was pleasant, parking was easy, and we were able to pick our closing day and time easily and conveniently. Thank you for your help Smart Settlements. read more

Working with Evelyn was a great experience! It was our first time with Smart Settlements and we had a bit of an issue with the house that arose right before closing. Evelyn was very helpful and worked hard to get the property through closing. Her guidance was critical to the process. We are so thankful she was there to make everything happen. We would wholeheartedly recommend her and her team...you want someone great in your corner in case something goes off the track. Thank you!! :) read more

Stay away if you are on the other side of this transaction as a settlement company!! I would demand that the other party uses a different settlement company - they created a fictitious $300 fee for the sellers even though they did not represent them. Then they requested an Affidavit from 2 vendors that did painting and carpeting stating there were no liens on the work, which they received. Then they demanded receipts and description of work receipts - all of this done before going on the market. They withheld sending the sellers proceeds until they received a THIRD 9 page form. Horrible experience and NEVER AGAIN! read more

Run from this company, if you see their name. I echo what someone else said about only wanting to communicate electronically. When something goes wrong as it did with my transaction they hide behind emails and never give direct responses as to what they are doing about it. There's no sense of urgency despite my issue being time sensitive. I pray no one else has to deal with this Company. read more

With everything happening with COVID, I wasn't sure how the closing would work. I had concerns about how/where it would take place. I was able to e-sign with one of their closing agents and there was no fee for them to wire my money directly to my bank. They were all really nice and answered all of my questions - very responsive. They made the entire process seamless. If given the option, I would use Smart Settlements again. Thank you for SUCH an easy process during these trying times. read more

Smart Settlements is always a pleasure to work with! They are more technologically advanced than any other title company I've worked with, plus fast, efficient, and accurate in the important in this very important role of making sure real estate settlements go smoothly. They are a family-owned company and their staff is always helpful! read more

Buyers of our former home picked smart settlements for the real estate transaction. This place has been nothing but a headache. They had all of the information for over a month now and did not put together the paperwork for proper closing on the house. They were extremely pushy and didn't listen to my request to delay settlement. Had they done so we would not be in this situation right now. They said they would do many things, yet have to perform to an acceptable standard for the price they charged. read more

easy to use interface and very knowledgeable staff. They kept the process moving !

Really bad experience. Purchased with cash in August 2020. Had to keep chasing things down from them prior to closing. During closing in their fancy office in Clarendon/Arlington, the reception was very cold, as if we're bugging them the moment we walked into the office. During signing, the closing agent made a bunch of smart aleck comments. smart aleck comments. Despite telling us that we would get all the documents within a few days, we received none whatsoever. We called, left messages many times since then, and still nothing until March 2021!! Fast forward, another smart aleck person on the phone answered our call, put us on hold for a looong time, got us disconnected twice, and we finally got the deed document via email. SEVEN months later!! Oh, she said they shredded the originals. Yeah, there are plenty of choices if settlement offices. AVOID Smart Settlements! read more

Professional. It was a pleasure working with them. I was in NY and closed on a house in MD. Process was simple and streamlined.

The staff were quite friendly and I appreciated that. Otherwise I wouldn't use them again. I had lots of issues with what documents were where, scheduling appointments, and most importantly, keys! They did not have the keys to the house I bought at the closing, and blamed the seller. And while it may have been the seller's fault, they seemed to have completely forgotten this essential component to a closing! It's not a great feeling after having signed a mountain of paperwork to have the person look startled and clearly not know what happened to your keys. I had to have the keys delivered to my place two days later. While the overall appearance was professional, my experience struck me as a small firm trying to do too much. read more

Very glad we chose Smart Settlements to help us close on our first home! Closing on a house can be a stressful process with the deadlines, document requests, and negotiating - but Smart was incredibly responsive and quick to provide us with updates along the way. Their online file sharing system was incredibly user friendly and made it easy to view important documents throughout the process. Our processor, Karolina, was very proactive in keeping us informed, and made us feel comfortable that we were being taken care of. The highlight of the experience was the fact that we were able to close at our new house! This made the closing that much more memorable for my wife and I. Our closing agent, Matt, was very informative in explaining the documents that we were signing on closing day. We have no reservations about using Smart, and are very happy that we chose them to help us throughout the settlement process! We will definitely be using them again in the future when it comes time to buy another house! read more

I had a wonderful experience with this settlement co. EMD was submitted electronically, all forms filled out via their program Qualia / online (+ an email sent each time so I knew they needed something), and then funds processed in a timely manner as well after closing (received some back). Our settlement lasted 30-40min and we received the signed forms within our profile within 24hr. I had never worked with them before but I really liked them. Settlement agent / lawyer was highly professional and patient as well. read more

Disappointed in the lack of quality control. Had to complete a number of addendums, and fix a wire after the wrong closing costs and info was provided. Was asked to provide a cashiers check to make up the difference and in order to close in time. Also told to sign an incorrect document which contained closing numbers that were not consistent in order to proceed with closing and that it could be fixed. It was overall, not an orderly process and I'm certain there could have been better communication. read more

We have literally had to chase them down for a copy of the deed to our home. Six months after purchase and still haven't received it. We have left voicemails, messages with some lady (that sounds like we are bothering her)but nothing yet. not sure if this is typical of a settlement agency, but I was surprised. read more

It's always a great experience when closing with Evelyn and her team at Smart Settlements.

What a positive experience working with Smart! They are incredibly professional and efficient. Would most definitely recommend them for your closings. They also host classes for agents which are very helpful as well! read more

Smart Settlements made closing on our home very easy. Their online portal was very simple to use and allowed all of the documents to be prepared quickly. At closing, everything was explained thoroughly and all of our questions were answered on site. If you want an easy, simple closing, I recommend using Smart Settlements. read more