Community National Title · Fort Worth, Texas

Texas closings move fast. I help you stay ready.

I'm Zachary Hatley, Senior Escrow Officer with Community National Title in Fort Worth and the person behind Texas Escrow Guy. I help agents, lenders, buyers, and sellers navigate the details between contract and closing. Whether a file is straightforward or needs extra work to clear title, my goal is the same: keep you informed, solve problems early, and deliver a closing you can feel confident about.

Email me a file Call the office

3+ Years at
CNAT Title

Since 2005

In real estate and title

Residential and Commercial

DFW-based, closing all of Texas

CESP

Certified Escrow Settlement Professional (TLTA)

300+

Families served yearly: buyers, sellers, investors, borrowers

About Zachary

A closing practice built on preparation and follow-through.

Zachary Hatley is a Senior Escrow Officer with Community National Title in Fort Worth and the voice behind Texas Escrow Guy. Based in the DFW Metroplex, he has worked in the title and escrow industry since 2012 and closes residential and commercial real estate transactions across the entire state of Texas, helping buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, and investors move from contract to closing with confidence.

Zachary is known for clear communication, close attention to detail, and a practical approach to solving problems. From title issues and survey questions to lender requirements and funding deadlines, he works to identify what needs to happen next and keep everyone informed along the way.

With a busy closing practice, Zachary understands that timing and follow-through are essential. He works closely with his Fort Worth team to coordinate files, anticipate obstacles, and deliver a closing experience built on preparation and personal service.

Through Texas Escrow Guy, Zachary brings that same straightforward approach beyond the closing table, sharing insight into the escrow process and building relationships across the real estate community.

“His goal is the same on every file: keep you informed, solve problems early, and deliver a closing you can feel confident about.”

A Little More About Zachary

Fort Worth, through and through.

Zachary is close to his family, grounded in his faith, and happiest when the people he loves are gathered around him. He has a quick sense of humor and a way of making people feel comfortable, even when the day has gone completely off script.

At home, life includes his partner, Eric, and two cats who have a strong opinion about who owns the place. Zachary loves a good TV drama, a road trip with somewhere beautiful at the end, and turning his home into a space where friends can settle in and stay awhile.

He cares deeply, speaks plainly, and will usually tell you exactly what he thinks. If you get to know Zachary, you'll find someone who loves his people fiercely and shows up when it counts.

Specialties

Built from files, not from a brochure.

Every specialty below is something I've actually done for years, not a category I picked because it sounds good. No filler, just real reps.

Short sales

Before I was an escrow officer, I negotiated HAFA short sales for a major national bank. I know that side of the table too, which is why these files don't rattle me. It's one of two foreclosure alternatives I handle regularly, alongside deed-in-lieu.

Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure

I've coordinated deed-in-lieu files as a core part of my job, not a rare exception. Foreclosure alternatives, short sales and deed-in-lieu alike, need someone who's actually done them.

Institutional & bank-direct closings

I've been the preferred title closer for multiple national banks at once, closing 50-plus files a month for lenders like Bank of America, Citi, and Nationstar.

Wholesale, investor & builder files

Repeat production-builder relationships, wholesale assignments, novations, and investor-to-investor deals. I know the game, and I do my best work with people who write clean contracts and keep their files in compliance. Quality over quantity, every time, even if that means a slower closing.

Compliance-reviewed closings

As a doc prep closer for a Texas attorney's office, I reviewed lender documents for FHA, HUD, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac compliance. Some files got a streamlined review package, others needed full lender document preparation to close out the loan. That range still shapes how I run a file today.

Complex title curative

Liens, probate, divorce decrees, bankruptcy, and easements: the core knowledge areas behind my CESP certification, applied to the files that need real curative work.

Seasoned on residential, experienced in commercial

Residential closings are where I've built my reputation, but I've closed commercial transactions too. Different pace, different paperwork, same standard: get it right the first time.

Farm, ranch, and mineral transactions

Before DFW, home was Mitchell County, working at the only abstract title company in the county alongside a real estate attorney. Big farm and ranch sales, oil and gas leases, pipeline easements: that rural, mineral-heavy closing experience still shapes how I read a file today.

How it works

How closing actually goes.

Six steps, one file, zero surprises. Here's the real rundown, no cap.

Closing Day

Lowkey nervous? Normal.

Everyone shows up with valid ID, ready to sign. First-time buyers get the full walkthrough, no question is a dumb one.

Funds Verified

No cap, your funds are here.

Wiring instructions get confirmed by phone, never by email. Nothing moves until the numbers are logged and matched.

Clear Title

It's giving clear title.

Title search complete. Nothing standing between you and ownership, and if something did come up, it got handled before today.

The Package

Every page tabbed. Every number balanced. Say less.

The closing package gets built and double-checked before it ever hits the table. No last-minute scrambling.

Signing

No signature without knowing what it means. Fr.

Every document gets explained in plain English before it's signed. You leave the table understanding what you agreed to.

Home

Funded, recorded, and yours. Bet.

Keys in hand. The file closes out clean, and you walk away with a closing you can feel good about.

Always Be Closing.

Trust is built one file at a time.

★★★★★

“We had a wonderful experience with CNAT. Zach was great to work with! He explained every document as we were getting ready to sign.”

Bobby Gathright · Google Review, CNAT Fort Worth

Based in DFW. Closing all over Texas.

Home base is the Fort Worth / DFW Metroplex, with core coverage across North Texas, but files close statewide on request.

Statewide · Texas Tarrant Dallas Parker Johnson Denton Wise Hood Ellis

Just for fun

What kind of closer are you?

Five questions, zero stakes, immaculate vibes only. Find out your closing personality.

Get In Touch

Sending a new file, or want to talk through a deal?

Email texasescrowguy@cnattitle.com

Office 817‑632‑6326

Company Community National Title

Based in Fort Worth, Texas

Resources

Helpful info for buyers, sellers, and agents.

Straightforward explanations of the closing process, no jargon and no sales pitch.

The full closing process, step by step

Here's everything that actually happens behind the scenes between an executed contract and the closing table.

Contract received

Once you have an executed contract, it comes straight to our team: Miranda, Lindy, Zachary, and Evelyn open the file and send a received contract notice so you know it's in our hands.

Earnest money and option fee receipt

We confirm your earnest money and option fee have been deposited and send a receipt confirming those funds are sitting safely in escrow.

Buyer and seller information sheets

We send a secure link for buyers and sellers to fill out their information. This is critical for preparing documents correctly, and we'll need a copy of ID for everyone on the file. If anyone is buying or selling through an LLC or other entity, we'll need that entity's formation documents too.

Reading the contract line by line

While title work gets ordered, we read the contract in detail to catch every requirement: does a home warranty need to be ordered? A survey? An HOA resale certificate? If an HOA resale package is required, we confirm who's responsible for that upfront fee per the contract and make sure it's paid before closing, with instructions emailed explaining it all.

Title commitment prepared

Once the title work is complete, we build the title commitment and email it to every party for review, along with a plain-English guide to reading it. You'll also get a copy of the tax certificate showing the current tax rate, the proposed tax bill, and any delinquencies.

Clearing title

We work through anything listed in Schedule C of the commitment, most often an existing mortgage that needs paying off, but sometimes child support liens, tax liens, or UCC filings tied to financed items like a water softener or solar panels. Anything attached to the seller or the property gets resolved before closing. We also search the buyer's name, since under Texas law a judgment lien can attach to property a person acquires after the lien is recorded, so nothing unexpected follows you into your new home.

Working with the lender

If there's a lender involved, we're working alongside them the whole time: sending over title work, waiting on their clear to close, and coordinating closing time and location.

Balancing the CD

Once the lender has clear to close, Zachary balances the Closing Disclosure with the lender to lock in final figures.

Closing disclosure and final confirmation

You'll receive the Closing Disclosure to review, followed by a final closing confirmation email with the exact time, location, and everything you need to bring.

Closing table

You sign, funds and documents get recorded, and the home is yours.

What is title insurance, actually?

Title insurance protects against problems in a property's ownership history: things like forged signatures, unpaid liens, or missing heirs from decades ago that could surface later and threaten your ownership. Unlike most insurance, it protects against past events, not future ones, and it's a one-time premium paid at closing, not an ongoing bill.

Owner's Policy vs. Lender's Policy

Two different title policies usually get issued at closing, and they protect two different people. The Lender's Policy protects your mortgage company for the loan amount. Nearly every lender requires it, and its coverage shrinks as the loan is paid down. The Owner's Policy protects you, the buyer, for as long as you (or your heirs) own the property, regardless of loan balance. Only one of them protects your equity.

"Why am I being charged for something the seller agreed to pay?"

In Texas it's customary, though negotiable in the contract, for the seller to pay for the Owner's Policy. Federal disclosure formatting rules sometimes require that fee to be listed on the buyer's side of the Closing Disclosure anyway. If the seller is actually covering it, you'll also see a matching seller credit, often a page later, that zeroes it out. It's a formatting quirk, not a double charge. Ask your escrow officer to walk the two numbers side by side if it doesn't look right.

What is "Shortage in Area" coverage?

Every Texas Owner's Policy starts with a standard exception for boundary and acreage discrepancies, meaning the policy won't cover you if the property turns out to be a different size or shape than expected, unless that exception is deleted. Deleting it requires a current survey plus an added endorsement, typically priced off the sales price. Whether you get this coverage is decided in the survey paragraph of your contract, so it's worth asking about if boundary accuracy matters to your purchase.

What does an escrow officer actually do?

An escrow officer is the neutral third party who holds funds and documents during a real estate transaction, makes sure title is clear, coordinates with the lender, and ensures money and property change hands correctly and simultaneously at closing. Think of it as the person making sure every condition of the contract is actually met before anyone signs.

Closing day: what to bring and what to expect

Bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID: a driver's license or passport. We cannot accept an expired ID. If you're bringing funds to closing, wire them per the instructions you received, we cannot accept a cashier's check the same day as closing, since it delays funding. A cashier's check needs to be delivered at least 24 hours in advance. Buyers should expect to sign the largest stack of paperwork; sellers typically sign fewer documents but should bring keys, garage remotes, and any warranty info for the home. Closings usually take 45–60 minutes.

Common title issues, and how they get resolved

Liens from a prior owner, missing releases on a paid-off mortgage, boundary or survey discrepancies, and unresolved estate or divorce matters are the most frequent things that show up on a title search. Almost all of them are resolvable. It just takes documentation, and the earlier they're caught, the less they threaten your closing date.

Protecting your closing funds from wire fraud

Never trust wiring instructions received only by email, even if they look like they came from your title company. Always confirm wiring instructions by calling a phone number you look up independently, not one provided in the email itself, before sending any funds.

Glossary: a few terms worth knowing

Earnest money: a good-faith deposit showing you're serious about the purchase. Title commitment: the insurer's promise to issue a policy once certain conditions are met. CD (Closing Disclosure): the final breakdown of loan terms and closing costs, required at least three days before closing on most loans.

Resale vs. new construction closings

A resale closing centers on an existing owner's title history, where surveys, HOA documents, and payoffs matter most. A new construction closing centers on the builder's chain of title and often involves a first-time survey and a brand-new HOA setup. The paperwork looks different, but the goal is the same: a clean, insurable title.

Reviews

What clients and agents are saying.

Real Google reviews for Community National Title, Fort Worth: 4.2 stars across 61 reviews and counting.

“We had a wonderful experience with CNAT. Zach was great to work with! He explained every document as we were getting ready to sign. I look forward to working with Zach in the very near future!”

Bobby Gathright · via Google

“As a listing agent, I always look for a title company that keeps communication clear, handles details efficiently, and ensures a seamless experience for my sellers. The team at Community National Title delivered exactly that.”

Jason Koford · via Google

“I had a wonderful experience working with this title company from contract to closing. Their team was responsive, professional, and proactive every step of the way. Their communication and attention to detail gave everyone confidence throughout the process.”

Lauren Bailey · via Google

“So grateful to work with the closing team like Kandi and CNAT. We had a seller trying to close on his Florida home, and after delays from the lender we were in a crunch, Kandi rallied the troops and got it done.”

Brittney Kosev · via Google

“Absolutely amazing to work with! Very accommodating! Thank you so much!”

Rhonda Sidney · via Google

“Realtor here! Close with CNAT! That is all.”

JS Weber · via Google

Reviews shown are public and unedited, pulled from Community National Title's Google Business Profile.