Los Angeles escrow, handled personally.

Escrow is the neutral third party in a sale. We hold the buyer’s deposit and closing funds, collect signed documents, follow the written instructions of buyer and seller, coordinate with the lender and title company, and release money and documents only when every condition is met.

Most escrows close in 30 to 60 days. A 30-day escrow is common for financed purchases, and cash deals can close faster. Loan approval, appraisals, HOA documents and payoff demands are the usual reasons a closing date moves.

Escrow fees are set by each escrow company and usually scale with the price and type of transaction. In Southern California, buyer and seller customarily split the escrow fee, but the purchase contract can say otherwise. Call Iris at (323) 300-6122 for a quote on your deal.

Buyer and seller agree on the escrow holder in the purchase agreement. Either side can propose Cal West, and agents often recommend an escrow officer they trust.

Yes. Cal West Escrow is an independent escrow company licensed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) under license 96DBO-108128, and a member of the Escrow Agents’ Fidelity Corporation (EAFC).

Licensed independent escrow companies like Cal West are regulated and examined by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, require every employee to be fingerprinted and background-checked by the DFPI, and are members of the Escrow Agents’ Fidelity Corporation. Escrows handled under an exemption, such as by a bank, an insurance or title company, an attorney, or a real estate broker handling a sale in which it is an agent or a party, are not licensed under the Escrow Law or members of EAFC. They answer to other regulators with different rules.

Measure ULA is a City of Los Angeles transfer tax on high-value sales. For sales closing after June 30, 2026, it adds 4% of the entire price when a property sells for more than $5.4 million and less than $10.9 million, and 5.5% at $10.9 million or more. That is on top of the city’s 0.45% base tax and the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. In Los Angeles it is usually paid by the seller, though the contract decides. A November 3, 2026 ballot measure proposed a one-time ULA exemption for homes damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 Palisades Fire and sold within five years of the fire, so check its outcome before quoting ULA on a Palisades sale.

Measure ULA applies to the entire sale price, not just the amount over the threshold. In the City of Los Angeles, a seller who accepts $5.45 million nets about $168,000 less than at $5.4 million, after county, city and ULA taxes. The higher price only comes out ahead above roughly $5.63 million. The same cliff appears at $10.9 million, where the rate rises to 5.5% and the break-even point is roughly $11.07 million.

We send wiring instructions directly to the buyer rather than through the agents. Before sending any money, call our office at (323) 300-6920, using a number you already know rather than one in an email, to confirm the account details. Treat any email that changes wiring instructions as fraud until you have verified it by phone.

The fully executed purchase agreement with all counters and addenda; contact details for the buyer, seller, lender and any HOA; the title company and home warranty choices; commission instructions; and anything special we should know about your clients.

Yes. We handle the escrow for both the sale of the relinquished property and the purchase of the replacement property, and coordinate with your qualified intermediary, who holds the exchange funds between the two closings.

Our office is at 888 South Figueroa Street, Suite 2030, Los Angeles, CA 90017, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. We close escrows throughout Los Angeles County and across Southern California, from Malibu to the Inland Empire and down to San Diego.