The California Escrow Association, has been trying to educate the public about escrow so that they can make better informed decisions, and be able to successfully buy a home. To help with this, the current governor of CA, Arnold Schwarzenegger has deemed October as "Escrow Month." He supports the CEA and wrote them a letter praising them for their efforts saying that, "Your commitment and professionalism are helping to ensure trust in commerce, while playing a crucial role in our economic prosperity.¨

In case anyone is unfamiliar, escrow is normally associated with real estate, and is involved in mortgages when the mortgage company creates an account to pay things like property tax and insurance during the length of the mortgage. It can also be where before buying, you give a type of deposit to a third party, who holds that until the property is deeded over, or vice versa.

The CEA offers the 4 following bits of advice as the best way to launch and complete escrow.

1. Work with a escrow professional, make sure they have maintained their CEA membership.
2. Read and review all documents carefully, if you do not understand something, ask!
3. Teamwork, to ensure that your escrow is completed successfully you and your hired professional must work together.
4. Preparation is Key: Have all your part of the paperwork ready and stay on top of things.