Cornerstone Escrow

These folks are in business with Rancho Horizon LLC and Griffin Real Estate (see their Unilocal reviews and that the addresses match). The two house-​flipping companies will force you to use this escrow company. They are terrible. Beware and avoid at all costs.
Cornerstone unfairly pushed back escrow claiming the county assessor’s office was closed, when it was not, then charged me $ 600 for being late on escrow.

I’ve had a great experience with cornerstone escrow these past 7 years that I’ve been working with them. All the staff is friendly and knowledgable. Any issues or obstacles are easily taken care of by their team. As a realtor its important to have a strong escrow company to facilitate the process between seller and buyer. I recommend this escrow company if youre looking for a smooth stress free transaction.

I’ve been in the business for 26 years and in a business that is so demanding and requires so much client cooperation Cathi Riley and Cornerstone Escrow have by far set the bar at its highest levels of customer service I would refer them to everyone and anyone. Thank you for you system of follow up and constant kindness. Thank you

I didn’t have a choice when selling my home about escrow companies because my realtors chose this place and apparently the realtors seem to give this place good reviews, the customers, who is ME and who is PAYING their FEES, are not giving them good reviews. This company really should pay more attention to customer service because one day the public will wake up and realize they do have a choice and trust me when i am ready to purchase a home this company will NEVER handle another transaction of mine or anyone in my circle of friends because that is what i can do as a customer who is totally unsatisfied with the service they received is to make sure that others know of their lack of respect for their customers and make sure they don’t use this company… Cathi Reilly was HORRIBLE… so rude and disrespectful it was torture to have to deal with her. I will never understand how people in the service industry can be so rude to their customer. Whatever — the job is done and i can only hope others will heed the warning and not use this company.

I have used Gloria and Sandi for several transactions and those transactions couldn’t have gone smoother. Very nice and professional people there and always close in the time frame I need. I would highly recommend.

I am a Realtor and have used Cornerstone Escrow for many years. They are professional, extremely responsive, and excellent on solving difficult problems with the process when they arise. They exceed my expectations everytime, and I use them whenever I have the opportunity to choose the escrow company. Sandi Ali has gone above and beyond every time and she makes my job easy. Thank you for all you do! I would recommend Cornerstone to anyone needing to choose an Escrow company!

I’m not sure about the confusion between Cornerstone Escrow and Griffin Real Estate as they are two different and unrelated companies that share the same building. But in regards to Cornerstone; I’m an active Real Estate Broker and have been for almost 15 years and they are the only Escrow I use if the choice is up to me. They are supremely helpful and are always only a phone call away. The act of buying and selling a home is a complicated one and the test of a good escrow is not how they do business when the deal is easy but how they act when things get difficult. Many deals have «oh s***» moments. It’s during those moments that test how good someone or some organization is. Cornerstone has always acted in good faith and gotten things done. There is nothing more anyone can ask.

I have been in the mortgage industry for 17 years. I have dealt with many escrow companies and none of them compare to Cornerstone Escrow. I have very high expectations for myself so I naturally set high expectations for others. Cornerstone exceeds my expectations Every. Single. Transaction.
Every opportunity I have to work with them, I jump at it. Mind you, I’m a Loan Processor, and I want everything YESTERDAY. They get me everything the day before yesterday lol! No joke!!! I have recommended this company to several other real estate/​mortgage professionals and every single person has been completely blown away by their service.
If you haven’t tried them, use them at least once, you will NOT be disappointed.
Shout out to the entire Cornerstone staff and double shout out to my Cornerstone E.O. Theresa and right hand girl Valerie. Thanks for ALWAYS being AMAZING!!!

I appreciated the attention and constant communication throughout the process with our buyers with escrow officer Theresa Rugg and her team. At the end of the transaction our buyers brought in a cashiers check and d they were willing to work with us even though they only accept with transfer cause of the interest rate expiring that day. We appreciated them working with us! Thank you!!!

My family and I recently closed escrow with the assistance of Theresa Rugg and her Team from Conerstone Escrow. All I can say is, «BRAVO!» Without a doubt, this was the most seamless escrow process we’ve ever experienced. The efficiency and communication from day one until closing was nothing short of phenomenal. Excellent job Cornerstone Escrow, you definitely exceeded our expectations!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Cornerstone Escrow!
EP

Stay away from this company. They are going to do such a poor job that you will regret it. From misspelling your name to rushing you with requests at 5:45PM that are due by 6PM the same day, it will be a painful process.
The escrow instructions are terrible to begin with and they only magnify the problem by having zero attention to detail and zero ethical standards.
The initial deposit we agreed to was different from their standard 1%. We were willing to offer 2% and that was what we signed on the contract. Well, Cornerstone doesn’t care to read the details and just assumes you are going to go through the 1% standard amount. This is an example of how they don’t care what you say or how you want to proceed because they are going to do it their way and you better get ready for some headaches.
They only accept 1 form of payment and that’s Wire Transfer. Not a bank transfer or a cashiers check or a major credit card. And they will send you the paperwork last minute due the same day. So you end up rushing for no reason and jumping through all these hoops, only to find out that if you cancel escrow, they will take 2+ weeks to mail you a check. Wait, I sent you the money via Wire Transfer and spent $ 65 to get it to you within 3 hours and now I have to wait for a check that you will mail to me by spending a mere $ 0.35 cents in postage? Wow. that’s awful.
Glad we pulled out of escrow. I was actually surprised to see that we even got our full deposit back. I was ready to have to take these guys to court and was assuming they would just try to rob me entirely.
Griffin Residential forces you to use these guys because they own both companies. How is that fair? I cannot believe the State of California allows this because clearly there is a conflict of interest in my opinion and going through this process shows me that I will NEVER EVER EVER work with these guys. So if you see Cornerstone Escrow anywhere in the paperwork, RUN AWAY! Not worth the tears you will shed in frustration and the waste of money that Cornerstone will bring down on you.

My first time dealing with cathi reilly escrow officer. She was very rude and unprofessional, to the point where i have to have her replaced. The sad thing is that cornerstone didn’t seem to really care. Seek another company, I am sure you would be better off.

Cornerstone was the escrow company that was used when my wife and I bought our home. The deal went smoothly and there really wasnt any issues. I too purchased a Griffin home and had none of the issues that the other people wrote about. The entire transaction went according to plan, from start to finish. Good Job Cornerstone Escrow!

Wow First off I have used this company for years Let me start by telling you that they are in the same building as Griffin but that is where the similarity stops. I am a Real Estate Agent in the Corona Area and I would recommend Cornerstone Escrow to everyone. they are efficient, Courteous and Get the Job Done. On a few occasions they have gone way above and beyond for what an escrow company would be expected to do for my buyers and sellers. That means prospective homeowners as well as Local Home Owners offering there property for sale.
No they are not in any way affilitated with GRIFFIN you can use them and be assured that you are getting the Best Escrow Company in the IE or Los Angeles for that matter…
Doug Beaver
Norco, CA
Century 21 Olde Time
Realtor ® CDPE

As the others have said, these guys are somehow related to Griffin Residential and it’s affiliates. As with their real estate arm they were difficult to deal with and frequently incompetent with continually missing things that needed to be signed. If you’re dealing with them presumably you are already trying to buy a Griffin home, so you’re already probably frustrated and likely screwed.

As Matt clearly writes/​reviews, these are the same folks who own a series of LLCs which flip homes. What’s really wrong is how they don’t care about the quality of the transaction, they only want the deal to close.
I wrote a review of Griffin and my experience.

I purchased my home, the first home I have ever purchased, through Griffin Residential in 2011. It was a terrible experience and will forever taint my memories of my first home. Before I elaborate on my experience, I want to note that Ian R. Griffin owns Griffin Residential and he purchases foreclosed homes through Rancho Horizon LLC. He also has a constellation of LLCs: Inland Realty, Phoenix Realty, Griffin Real Estate, and GRIFFIN RESIDENTIAL that has the motto of: «I n t e g r i t y * V i s i o n * E x c e l l e n c e.»
From the moment we put in the offer, there was nothing but difficulty when dealing with them. They stipulated a 30-​day escrow and said I would be charge $ 100 dollars per day if I were to cause it to go longer. However, they could not make the 30-​day deadline and kept asking for escrow extensions. When I went to have the house inspected, the lock-​box was missing and I was informed, «…there was a miscommunication» in their office. I ordered my appraisal on time and the house appraised for 310,000. However, when it came to them ordering their appraisal they dragged their feet. Apparently, when their appraiser showed up to inspect the home, the lock-​box was again gone. When their appraisal did come in, it oddly enough, came-​in right at the price they wanted: 318,000. However, upon review of the appraisal, it was noted that the square footage was incorrect, the address was incorrect on several pages, the schematic of the homes footprint was incorrect, and it said a refrigerator was included — which it was not. However, there was that pesky issue of the first appraisal of 310,000. To this, they filed a challenge to the 310,000. It was denied. The next tactic was to see if I would pay some additional outside of the loan of 310,000 or the deal was off. We decided that we would honor our original offer of 313,500. However, this was just not good enough: they needed 314,000. We did not budge on our price, so they asked my agent to lower his fees to squeeze out that extra 500. He did that and then we had to wait 3-​weeks for them to perform the repairs the home inspector had found. The repairs were finally done after 3– weeks and another request for an extension. We then had to wait a week for Cornerstone Escrow, oddly located at the same address as Griffin Real Estate, to get the escrow documents and closing costs estimates. When we finally did get the HUD 1, it was incorrect. On the HUD 1, we were charged for the extensions! There were additional issues with it as well such as an incorrect property tax amount. Once again, just a silly little mistake we were told and it would be corrected. In the mean time, we can wait for the revision. This was towards the end of the month (like 3 – 4 days) so Griffin put the screws to us: we, they decided, had to get everything on our side done within 3-​days to close by October — they could not wait. Everything had to be rushed. I had to sign the loan docs at night and then they were driven to Cornerstone Escrow (did I mention that they are located at the same address as «Griffin Residential.») Cornerstone was going to stay open late for us, thanks Griffin! The next morning I had to wire money to them — a cashier’s check was just too slow — and it HAD to be in by 11AM! What do you know, when we were in charge it was done, and we made the 11AM deadline. Then, a messenger was dispatched to Los Angeles recorder’s office to have the property deeded to us. We heard that we took possession of the home at 5PM and went up to the house to get the keys and, wait for it, the lock-​box was gone. My agent called Griffin and they informed us that the key was taped to the water meter and we could get it from there. I went and got the key for MY FIRST HOME from behind some electrical tape on the water meter: «I n t e g r i t y, V i s i o n, E x c e l l e n c e.»
In my opinion, they are an evil company and I would never engage in a deal with them again.