Steve and his team at Chicago Title handled our real estate transaction immaculately. It was a nuanced and unusual situation - an off-market sale involving a co-owner buyout and a new owner being added - and speaking as someone who appreciates a good spreadsheet, I have nothing but admiration for the way Steve put the escrow accounts together so that everything flowed seamlessly. Highly recommend. read more

They 'forgot' to deliver our city and title fees when we closed escrow. When we reached out to get this fixed, they gave us the runaround for nearly 4 months while we were delinquent on the payment (and a looming threat of a lien on the house). We worked specifically with Cristina and while initially responsive, we started getting a lot of "we asked our Accounting team" with no sense of urgency. We've been extremely patient with them, followed up with them once a week (to which we just got the response "I've forwarded this to the Accounting team"). She then gave us the name and number to their Accounting department (after, literally, 4 months) to work with them directly. They've stated that they accept full ownership of the mistake and have dragged their feet to fix it. This has been a total nightmare for us and I wouldn't wish this on anyone else. It sounds like the office has made similar mistakes across the board. Do yourself a favor and find literally anyone else. read more

Rude people dismissive I think the lady was more preoccupied gossiping than doing her work someone came in to ask to use the bathroom and they we r hella rude and dismissive for no reason to him as well. Took hours to get anything done read more

No no and no. Me and my family worked with Alex Gonzalez on the purchase of my home in El Sobrante and the number of mistakes Alex and his team made were completely unacceptable. Here were some of the issues: - Typos in various critical documents that were repeated even after we informed Alex of the errors - Alex made incorrect assumptions about where our funds were coming from and didn't contact us to confirm key details - His team sent documents for us to sign but didn't actually send them to all signees - He listed our addresses incorrectly in the final docs (again, he made assumptions about our home addresses without confirming with us). - After we closed, he sent me the final buyer's statement for someone else, along with a copy of their grant deed, not mine. I wish I could laugh about this but honestly, these issues are not at all funny. Did they actually record our purchase correctly with the county? Did they send our final buyer's statement and copy of our grant deed to some other people? I have no confidence in Alex or his office to ensure mistakes like these don't get made. read more

I usually stray far away from writing bad reviews. I don't enjoy influencing consumer opinion to be negative for companies, and I fully understand how hard the real estate market is. Therefore, I am writing this as a way to inform other consumers, as a way to encourage transparency and to help potential buyers here who are thinking about choosing Chicago Title. This review is in particular for the consumer who is not spending more than $1M on a house in the Bay Area. Here are all the mistakes that the office of Alex Gonzalez made in closing my property in Spring 2021. (Also, Chicago Title, if you want to counter this review, I have plenty of email threads that document the following): (1) 3/6/21: Mobile notary public got sent to the wrong address before 9am in the morning. He drove from 45 minutes away to be directed to another address and therefore was late to the appointment. (Note: I felt sorry for that individual, and btw, the notary fees were greater than $200) (2) 3/6/21 (same morning): Emailed Lauren Hoyle, Assistant, to discuss why my husband's name was left off the deed. Notary stated that it was ok to sign transfer of title but then, to add his name to the deed before close. Lauren said that the understanding was that my name was only supposed to be on the deed. Realtor and mortgage lender did not agree with Lauren. Lauren sends over an add deed notice which can be added to closing documents. No accountability as notary fees would not be reimbursed, despite getting the address wrong and omitting my husband from the original deed papers. At this point, we are left with a few weeks of rent and another potential delay to close. (3) Liz Farinella was our original escrow officer, who apparently disappeared in the middle of the mortgage acquisition process. With no clear explanation, I was immediately transferred over Lauren. I can only guess what happened. I noticed below that some of the other reviewers had similar experiences and some are even worse than mine. I guess I wasn't alone on my pain train. read more

Semiko and her team are readily available to assist in a smooth and seamless transaction.

Notwithstanding that everyone has now learned to live with, and operate in, a world where there is COVID, Chicago Title (Alex Gonzalez, specifically) insists on sloughing off the responsibility of signing to a mobile notary. Not only is it an inconvenience to have to have someone into your home, figure out what to do with the dog and kids, etc., but they then charge you for this "service " that is not needed, that you did not ask for, and you do not want. Just another money grab where they toss the onus of their operations on the customer and then, with a grin, working remotely without interruption from home I assume, tell you it is your responsibility to pay for it. AVOID. read more

Worked with Alex Gonzalez and team on a purchase transaction. Ive been in Real Estate for almost 20 years and working with Alex and his team was pretty much flawless. Would love to work with them again. read more

We worked with Semiko Prim upon the recommendations of 2 separate individuals. Semiko was affable, responsive, and she gets the job done. If I ever need the services of a title company again in the future, I'll definitely come back to Chicago Title at Montclair. read more

Semiko is cool in my book. She is nice, cordial and sports a nice Hermes bag (Yes! I noticed, me likee :)). Hmm...I'm definitely in the wrong profession, I want one of those! If I ever hit the lottery...sigh... Semiko carefully explained each page as my shaky hand signed each page of the document. The stack was literally an inch thick, that's a lotta signatures! It was a bitter sweet moment for me because I was signing away my first home away. During the entire time of escrow, there were many days I wanted to halt the process because it was too heartbreaking to let it go. Then I think about the tiny square footage, strangers touching my laundry in the laundry room (gross), choo choo train horns, cold as hell in the winter, hot as f in the summer and expensive HOA fees that covers an elevator that I never use and a small garden (I did enjoy this garden). Goodbye E-ville, it was good to me when I was living there alone but I've outgrown the space and really need a walk-in closet, a 2-car garage, my own washer/dryer and rooms with a door so that I can slam them when I get mad at the man! The only reason I give 3 stars out of 5 is because they forgot to send my check in a timely manner. Lost interest for over a week, which is not cool! Especially when a closing costs hurts like mother and were in their hands before me! Not.Cool.At.All!! Its located in a quaint area with boutique shops and tiny coffee cafes. They offer free validation at the parking lot on La Salle Street. And Semiko, she was great to work with. But damn, how do I get a job like hers? I need me a Hermes Birkin bag too! read more

Most annoying experience. They're responsive but made a ton of mistakes with the refinance of our house and it's unclear to me if it was Chicago Title or the notaries they work with - most likely it's both: - They arranged for a notary to come over and this person "forgot" about the appointment. Incredibly disrespectful of our busy time. - They rescheduled with us for the following day and sent a different notary. He was very nice and told us repeatedly that he's filled out paperwork like this hundreds of times - well, neither Chicago Title or the notary noticed that there were typos on the documents. - These two mistakes delayed our payment for a week, because they noticed the typos a week later. When we rearranged a third meeting with the notary, he didn't make us sign some of the documents. A person from Chicago Title sends an email A WEEK LATER saying that it was our fault because we were in a rush as if WE made those mistakes and not acknowledging that the process was already delayed. Plus, we're not the experts, they are! - Not accountability on their end and very non-apologetic. read more

Cristina was very on top of her game. Although our process was very rocky (not d/t CT), Cristina was very responsive to emails and on top of her game. Her notary that came out was great, very professional and conversational during a scary moment. Highly recommend them! read more

Out of the few title companies that I've worked with in the past, Chicago Title Company is by far the best (but they're located in California lol). Tara Riley and Semiko Prim were my Escrow Officers for the previous home that we closed on. Throughout the process, we communicated more with Tara since she handled the paperwork and any updates. I couldn't be more happier with her performance and friendliness. She knew how quickly we tried to close our sale and to move forward with our new primary purchase. She was consistent with her emails and phone calls to update me with the process. I appreciate her professionalism and patience and would love to work with her again. read more

i've waited a few months to review Chicago Title in Montclair Village because i wanted time to cool off after their impossibly incompetent handling of escrow on our recent home purchase. It's likely that their poor service is partly to do with their being understaffed. the solution would be to hire more (and better) people. Instead, what started out as mere indifference when i dropped of the good faith check descended into a combination of stonewalling, combativeness, and delay that stunned both agents and cost us money as we were forced to extend closing again and again. from my experience, this type of shoddy performance usually starts with the tone set by management. there is nothing in our experience dealing with Lyn Dimas at Chicago Title that contradicts that. i'd recommend avoiding her special blend of snarky indifference at all costs (and there were costs). read more

We closed escrow for a property we were selling in Montclair through this office in June 2020. Didn't notice that they had not included the 593 paperwork for state tax withholding in the closing docs package until I started doing my taxes in April 2021. I tried emailing and calling Semiko Prim, who was our escrow officer, many times with no response. Finally one day Anna Goodwin answered the phone and when I told her why I was calling she said "Oh, I can help you with that". In less than 5 minutes she had emailed me the needed documents. Anna is super helpful. Cannot recommend Semiko. read more

Semiko Prim was absolutely the best when it came to helping me along with my business equity loan. Because of her hard work and tenacity I was able to get my money I needed to fund my small business in time to give us the cash flow we needed. The city of Oakland placed unjust liens on my property and Semiko went out of her way to call and fax the city until they release those liens and got us the payoff we needed in order to close the deal. Semiko also followed up with my lending company on a daily basis which helped speed along the entire process . I will recommend using Semiko to all my colleagues. Thanks Semiko Prim, You're the best! read more

Liz Farinella is top notch! Diligent, organized and meticulous, she was very helpful. I appreciate her flexibility to work with my schedule. Thank you. read more

Semiko Prim is an excellent Escrow Officer who offers attentive, responsive and thorough service. Semiko has handled transactions for many of my clients and I can honestly say that her customer service is exceptional. When I recently purchased a property, the transaction was very complicated with different parties who lived in distant locations. Semiko orchestrated the entire process flawlessly and brought my transaction to a successful close right on time! I know it took a great deal of effort and my expectations were definitely exceeded. Great work Semiko and Chicago Title! read more

Semiko Prim did an excellent job walking me through all the forms I needed to sign to process the Title/Escrow on my house. She answered every question I had, and made sure I was clear on every point. Also, when I had some follow-up questions, her email response time was amazing! Which was very reassuring during a stressful time (selling my house.) I felt complete confidence in her every step of the way. I highly recommend Semiko and Chicago Title. read more

Semiko Prim was our escrow agent for our recent home purchase in Oakland and my husband and I recommend her and her team highly. We're very grateful our real estate agent recommended her. Semiko was incredibly calm and patient during a tense last week of our escrow period when we were trying to close early. She eases tension just with her voice, walking you through everything and making sure no detail is overlooked. She and her team are also incredibly responsive, immediately answering calls and email, and never impatient with repetitions of the same questions (some which were probably stupid on our part). Thanks, Semiko. read more

I was fortunate enough to have Semiko Prim as my Escrow Officer. She did a magnificent job of managing a difficult situation and did so with grace and aplomb. You can count on Semiko top provide quick and efficient answers to any questions AND you can also count on her to answer her voice mail (YES!!! Someone who does answer their voice mail on an ASAP basis) and email expeditiously. I heartily recommend Semiko; she is a terrific representative of Chicago Title and deserves to be recognized. Thanks Semiko for a great job well done!!!! read more

I wish I could give them 0 stars. The escrow officer was rude, condescending, and very unprofessional. On numerous times she made comments that sided with the seller and made many numerical mistakes on the HUD as well which I had to correct personally. Escrow companies are supposed to be neutral but this company and the escrow officer was definitely seller biased. I own a lot of property and I will never use nor recommend Chicago Title to any of my investor friends. read more

This review is for Semiko Prim - ONLY! After having some of my worst experience in the business with Chicago Title a bright light appeared by the name of Semiko Prim. She has all the qualities I appreciate in a business person - pro-active, responsive, takes accountability and problem solver. 5 stars for Semiko for sure, anyone rating this company less worked with someone else. read more

We recently purchased a home and one of the last steps in our home buying process was the signing at the title company. Semiko Prim, a senior escrow officer at Chicago Title, was such a pleasure to work with and made the signing a very engaging, informative and pleasant experience. She greeted us with her friendly, infectious smile and warm personality and we knew right away that we were in good hands. She took time to explain the various forms and legal documents in detail in a very professional, clear and concise manner and made sure no question was left unanswered. Semiko is a truly dedicated and passionate professional who also adds a personable and human touch to an otherwise solely procedural process. read more

Semiko is wonderful! She often does business with our real estate agent. We needed to have some documents notarized, but our agent was not there yet, so Semiko took the time to explain what the document was and the significance of our signing it. It was unexpected and helpful. Semiko was pleasant, professional, and very friendly. We would love to do business with her and would recommend her to our friends. read more

Escrow officer Semiko Prim has helped me close escrow and finally make the purchase of my first home. Her expedient business practice and follow through made my deal less painful then what I thought it would be. Chicago Title has made a great investment by hiring such a hard worker. I will definitely recommend Semiko and Chicago Title to all my friends and family. read more

Semiko Prim helped provided escrow services for our house closing. She was great at answering our questions and showed us all the right places to sign! read more

I have to second the nice reference for Semiko Prim at Chicago Title in Montclair, she was my escrow officer when I purchased my home and she is amazing! I will always do business in the future with Semiko for any home financing or refinancing needs I may have. She saved me from a nightmare situation. Semiko is extremely professional and knowledgeable. She definitely knows her stuff! read more

SEMIKO PRIM was the escrow officer on our home purchase. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and walked us through closing with professionalism and care. We would work with her again in a heartbeat! read more

Semiko Prim is outstanding. Very responsive and professional. She provided a successful solution to a unique problem that could not be addressed at a different title company. We would not hesitate to recommend her. read more

I would like to commend escrow officer Semiko Prim for only excellent service these past ten years both here at Chicago Title and with her prior escrow company. She has been in this business for a long time, and her level of expertise reflects this. She is considerate and professional in her response time, able to make transactions move smoothly and trouble-free for her clients, and as another yelper commented, great with accommodating children or unusual circumstances, such as offering door-to-door notary services, or rebooking appointments due to last-minute changes in your schedule to ensure that business is completed on time. Thank you Semiko! read more

Liz Farinella and all the staff at this office are excellent. I had bought a house in Rossmoor and used another agency (which I won't name but will write about separately - they were awful), and then sold two properties through this office. They are kind, thoughtful, remembered me and my co-owner/seller, and had everything prepared just as we needed it. I recommend them highly. read more

Since I have just reviewed my wonderful realtor on YELP, I thought it appropriate to also recognize my escrow officer, Semiko Prim of Chicago Title. Semiko flawlessly managed the escrows on my two residential sales this year. They were pretty straightforward and everything went smoothly, but it is clear to me that Semiko is an efficient, experienced professional whom you would want on your side when things go smoothly and when they don't. Thanks for the first-class work, Semiko. read more

Semiko's Team is Awesome! They really ROCK! She's so helpful and timely with my clients. I have no hesitation sending people her way. I know that they are in good hands. She is fast and responding and very knowledgeable about local practices. read more

My agent recommended that I work with Semiko Prim at Chicago Title in Montclair when I sold my Oakland townhome. Although it was the buyer's choice, she agreed to use Chicago Title and I am happy we did. As my agent had promised, Semiko, the manager and escrow officer, and her staff were exceptionally attentive to my needs and their communication was excellent. They even made it super convenient by arranging for me to sign closing paperwork in another part of California, where I was staying. Semiko is very knowledgeable and she went out of her way to help me. I highly recommend Semiko Prim and Chicago Title. read more

Worst title company ever. They showed past due taxes that weren't ever in existence. They showed taxes for properties that weren't even mine. After several emails to contest these inaccuracies, they sent me an updated version. Guess what??? They didn't change anything they had inaccurate, they just moved these inaccurate items and re-stated them. Incompetence 100%. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. THESE GUYS ARE TOTALLY INACCURATE AND WHEN PROVED WRONG, THEY DON'T EVEN CORRECT THEIR MISTAKES. RUN RUN RUN TO ANOTHER TITLE COMPANY. YOU WON'T BE SORRY. read more

A little strange to review a title company, but it was such a relief to do business here I have to write something. Had a nightmare house deal (never-ending escrow, agent from hell, financing madness), and our title officer Semiko helped us fix all the mistakes that were made by the other people involved in the deal. Everyone in the office was friendly and super nice to our toddler. I don't know if there is any way to request a certain title officer when you buy a house, but the next time we do, we will go looking for her! read more

I am not their client and my only experience with this company is one that I had a few days ago. I randomly called to ask a question about obtaining a copy of my house deed. The woman whom I spoke couldn't have been nicer and five minutes later I had an email with the information I needed. read more

Semiko Prim worked with me to resolve an unusual and complicated title transfer. She saved me thousands of dollars and provided invaluable assistance and advice. She is an outstanding professional with a great depth of knowledge and experience in her field. Thank you Semiko! read more

As a first time homebuyer, I was eager to get in my cute new house, and thanks to Semiko Prim (who came very highly regarded and recommended), my house closed quickly, even over the holidays! She was professional and efficient - I'm happy to recommend her! read more