A further note of caution.
Using escrow accounts is still the way to go on most big ticket items, but online crooks have even found a way to steal money using fake escrow sites. I've attached a link to an article I read a few weeks ago about this.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/846795.asp?0si=-&cp1=1
Man that ticks me that someone here on FTE has been burned!!