Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Contact the escrow and tell them you want to hold the close due to a failure of a condition of the contract. If, as is common practice, the contract was deposited in escrow, they have notice of its terms and will be inclined not to close or record when on notice of a breach of the contract. That will buy you time.

As for the rest of it, we'll need a specific question for this format. Otherwise you should consult with an attorney who is familiar with residential sales and escrows. I happen to qualify, but given my location would only be available for telephone consultations. So you might prefer someone local.

If there is a third-party escrow holder, you need to work with it. Keep in mind that escrow holders don't make decisions; they mechanically follow instructions already given them by the parties. To get it to delay recording, you'll need to convince the escrow holder that some reason for holding up recording exists, based on a pre-condition to recording, contained in the instructions the parties have given.