Yosemite Title Company - Sonora, California

Kevin C.

Worst title & escrow experience I've had in over 20 years and a dozen+ real estate transactions. Compared to many deals I've done on houses, condos, land, FHA, multi-state & multi-party ownership, this should have been as simple as could be: raw land owned outright for sale, and they still made multiple stupid mistakes.

First Yosemite inappropriately asked my wife to sign a waiver of ownership interest in a property that was my separate property, predated my marriage and was also in prenuptial papers & was listed by the county as my sole & separate property. This matters because the property was protected by Prop 13 tax status. If the deal failed then any strange, unnecessary ownership documents might falsely cause a reassessment which could have raised my taxes thousands of dollars! I had to argue with an incompetent employee who was convinced we had to do this. Eventually I talked to Yosemite's manager David and he confirmed that his underling was wrong and my wife did not have to sign anything. Strike 1.

This gave me red flags. Other local title companies warned me about dealing with Yosemite, but the deal was underway. I told David I would let this go but I warned him no more mistakes. He promised NO MORE MISTAKES.

The deal was septic test contingent, standard for raw land. I am diligent so sent the septic study company info to Yosemite title & stipulated I would be paying for half of the cost of the septic study up to $1200 via the proceeds.

The deal got extended due to delays & the buyer agreed to waive the results of the test but still wanted it done and I still agreed to pay. This was all communicated in extensive email chains to Yosemite. On the closing docs I signed with the notary there was a debit labeled for septic with understanding Yosemite would pay my half to the septic company.

Deal ends & a few weeks later I get an overdue bill from the septic company demanding $1200. I called Yosemite and asked what happened. They claimed on their "final" closing documents they had the $1200 listed as a credit from me to the buyer. This was NOT what was on MY docs. They said I only had estimated closing documents and that sometimes changes occurred, but the amount didn't change, they did change WHERE the money was going without telling me. So what was the point of them accepting the septic company info I sent them? Strike 2.

Not many septic companies in this area and I didn't want to get a bad reputation since it wasn't my fault & I had more business to conduct. I wanted answers. Beth was awful, she couldn't initially explain the change on the closing documents I had signed. I spoke with the owner Lisa who told me David would call me. Instead Beth called me! She told me that the buyer's agent had asked them to change the $1200 to a buyer's credit and they did it without asking me!

I told Beth I didn't want to talk to her and that Lisa had promised David would call me. Apparently Beth had found out I had called her boss and decided to intervene, probably to try and cover her behind. I told Beth to transfer me to David. She put me on hold and then it hung up on me... I called back demanded to speak to David. David could not explain Beth's bizarre behavior.
Strike 3.
You're out!

I told David that Yosemite damaged my relationship with the septic company and screwed up in many, many ways but he refused to refund my fees despite Yosemite's multiple mistakes and Beth's bad behavior.

RUN from Yosemite. If your buyer/seller tries to use them DEMAND A CHANGE, YOU CAN DEMAND A CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT COMPANY. I should have! There's more that happened but the google character limit is short.

EDIT: You can see their response to this review is meaningless. David refused to refund the fees I paid them despite their ADMITTED MULTIPLE MISTAKES AND RUDE BEHAVIOR. If you use them, they will mess up your deal too. I was willing to let the first mistake go, but the repeated negligence and malfeasance was absurd. If you want to spend weeks arguing and doing work to fix your escrow company's mistakes, then Yosemite is for you!

Shark D.

I'm just finishing selling my house in Minnesota and needed to have closing paperwork notarized . The team at Yosemite Title went above and beyond great service and made the long-distance transaction so easy. I would rate them the best in class 👌

Colleen S.

I have never dealt with a title company that was so quick to help me and in my business I deal with title companies daily. Megan picked up the phone after one ring and immediately started helping me. She was very patient and helpful nor did she waste my time by putting me on hold. My experience has been very refreshing!

Amariah R.

Yosemite Title is great! As a Realtor its important to have a great team to get a transaction closed and I know I can always count on Yo Title to get it done whether it's a 5 day escrow or 45 day escrow they have never disappointed me!

Gayla C.

As a real estate agent, I have only great things to say about Yosemite Title. I usually have Neali Regelin as my escrow officer and she has always be outstanding! Always keeping me updated on the transaction progress, even getting to close sometimes earlier than expected.
I currently have a difficult transaction in the process now and wih Jeff Kerns stepping to make this happen for the seller and buyer. Between Jeff and Neali, I have full confidence that the issue this transaction has encounter will be resolved! Kuddos to Jeff, Neali and everyone at Yosemite Title!

Tatum E.

When I started in the real estate business everyone at Yosemite Title walked me through the title and escrow process with a helpful hand and a smile. They always answer my questions and they make me feel at home with them.

Tina G.

Thank you Yosemite Title Company for coming to the Buyer's aid, when an escrow had to be closed quickly, 10 days. You handled it professionally and got the job done!

Gary A. J. F.

I like using Yosemite Title for my real estate transactions. They are friendly and responsive. And I like that if I want to go there and talk to my title officer face to face, it's convenient.