Inland Empire Title Insurance for Real Estate Agents

Team Title Guy is led by Ryan J. Orr, Vice President at Fidelity National Title, with 24+ years in the title industry. Ryan works with real estate agents, lenders, buyers and sellers in Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Ontario, Fontana and across the Inland Empire in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

In Southern California, title and escrow are usually separate services. The title company searches the public record, issues the preliminary title report and insures the title. Escrow is the neutral party that holds funds and documents, follows the buyer and seller instructions and closes the transaction. The title company then records the documents and issues the title policy.

By local custom, the seller usually pays for the buyer’s owner’s title policy and the buyer pays for the lender’s policy. Escrow fees are customarily split between buyer and seller. These are customs, not law, and the purchase agreement controls who pays what.

A preliminary title report, or prelim, shows who owns the property, its legal description, and the liens, easements, taxes and other items of record that the title policy would list as exceptions. It is issued after escrow opens and title is ordered, so problems can be cleared before closing. Routine files often come back within a few business days; trusts, probate and liens can take longer.

A Closing Protection Letter is issued by the title underwriter to the lender or other named party. It protects that party if the closing agent mishandles closing funds or documents or fails to follow written closing instructions. It is separate from the title policy and does not replace calling a known phone number to verify wiring instructions. You can request a Fidelity National Title CPL with the CPL request form on this page.

San Bernardino County and Riverside County each charge a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of value. The City of Riverside adds its own $1.10 per $1,000. By custom the seller pays. Rates can change, so use the transfer tax calculator on this page and confirm with escrow.

Prop 19 lets homeowners 55 and older, severely disabled homeowners and wildfire or disaster victims move their assessed value to a replacement home anywhere in California, within two years of the sale. For a parent-to-child transfer of the family home, the lower assessed value can carry over only if the child makes it their primary residence, and only up to a value cap the Board of Equalization adjusts every two years. Use the Prop 19 calculator on this page for an estimate and confirm with a tax advisor.

Use the Fidelity National Title rate calculator for current title rates, Fidelity Agent ONE for seller net sheets and buyer estimates, and Fidelity Property Pro for property profiles and farm lists. Or book a 30-minute call with Ryan J. Orr for help.