Washington State Mortgages, Made Clear
Your signing appointment is one of the final steps before you get the keys to your new home — or before your refinance closes. Knowing what to expect and what to bring makes the process smoother for everyone involved, including the escrow officer, your lender, and you.
Here’s a practical checklist I share with my clients before their signing appointment, along with a few tips from my background of managing an escrow branch prior to my career in mortgage.
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Before I became a mortgage advisor, I spent 14 years working in the title and escrow industry — so I’ve seen this process from both sides of the closing table. I’m often asked by my clients if they can select their own title or escrow provider, and the answer is a big YES. Some people assume title and escrow fees are all roughly the same no matter who you use, but that’s not the case. In Washington, every title insurer and escrow provider is required to file their rate schedule with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner in Olympia — so a company can’t make up a one-off price just for your deal. But different companies file different rates, and I’ve seen those filed rates vary by hundreds of dollars between providers for the exact same transaction. That’s where the real opportunity to shop comes in.
Here are some pointers if you’re shopping for your title or escrow provider in Washington: [Read more…]
Editor’s note: This post has been updated for 2026 with expanded guidance on choosing a mortgage professional before you ever reach the signing table.
Years ago I read a post from an escrow officer describing his frustration watching borrowers see their interest rate for the first time—at the signing table. I related to it immediately. Before I became a mortgage advisor, I spent 14 years in the title and escrow industry, and I sat across from plenty of borrowers who asked their escrow officer some version of the same question: “How’s my rate?” [Read more…]
I am often asked this question during a refinance from homeowners.
Your mortgage payment is paid in arrears. For example, your February payment is paying January’s interest. Remember when you bought or refinanced your home and the loan originator stated, “you’re going to skip one month’s payment” or “you won’t have another payment due until the following month after closing”? Well, this is where that payment essentially catches up with you. (Technically, it’s not “that” payment, you’re just always paying the previous month’s interest).
