SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Realtor.com® and Qualia today announced a new relationship that will give agents and their clients a unique ability to collaborate online in real time with their title provider of choice as part of a fully integrated digital closing experience.
The experience will first launch next month as a pilot test in seven states across the country, followed by a nationwide launch later this year. The seven states are Florida, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
Realtor.com® and Qualia are joining forces to deliver simplified digital home closings to today’s digital-first home buyers and sellers, and the agents and title providers who help them achieve their homeownership goals.
"Realtor.com® believes an open marketplace approach that offers choice, control, transparency and efficiency creates the best experience for home buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals," said Move Inc. CEO David Doctorow. Move, Inc., is a subsidiary of News Corp and operates realtor.com®. "Our relationship with Qualia is a great example of this. We're empowering agents by providing options to help them get their clients all the way through closing, as we simplify the process of buying and selling homes for people throughout their real estate journey."
Agents in realtor.com®'s ReadyConnect Concierge℠ network will be able to use their existing ReadyConnect℠ Agent app to select one of the many highly rated title partners who are powered by Qualia's platform. Agents can also introduce additional title partners to the network through the ReadyConnect Concierge℠ app and web experience. If they choose, agents can continue to work outside of the app with any title provider outside of the Qualia platform.
If they work with a title provider in the Qualia network, agents and their clients can automatically manage and review documents, track progress in real time, and communicate with the chosen title company through the secure Qualia Connect platform. The platform's security features also help protect buyers from phishing and fraud; cyber crime in real estate transactions has been increasing rapidly over the past few years, according to FBI reports. Consumers can sign their closing documents, and in select states some participants can have them remotely notarized with Qualia's fully integrated Remote Online Notarization tool, as well.
In states that allow fully remote closings, agents who give their clients the ability to e-close by working with title providers that embrace modern, digital solutions can set themselves apart from the competition. In an October 2020 Qualia Homebuyer Sentiment Survey, more than 60 percent of survey respondents said they wanted a fully digital closing experience, and more than half of home buyers chose their real estate agent based on a differentiated level of service around closing.
Title and escrow providers in the Qualia network can grow their business with the increased exposure to the 140,000+ agents in realtor.com®'s ReadyConnect Concierge℠ network. They'll also save time and increase efficiencies by collaborating with agents and consumers on one secure, cloud-based closing platform.
"The role that each participant in the home buying journey serves is evolving faster than we've ever seen," said Qualia CEO Nate Baker. "Realtor.com® is a Proptech leader that has consistently remained ahead of the curve, empowering its agents to deliver a differentiated home buying experience. We are excited to help them continue this journey alongside our existing network of Qualia powered title and escrow partners across the country."
Visit marketing.realtor.com/concierge to learn more about the ReadyConnect Concierge℠ network and how realtor.com®'s referral program can help agents and brokers build their business. Unlike some other success-based models, ReadyConnect Concierge℠ is open to all brokers and their agents who want to join – as market conditions allow – and requires no upfront expenses.
About realtor.com® Realtor.com® makes buying, selling, renting and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and professional expertise that help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, realtor.com® pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, realtor.com® is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS®. For more information, visit realtor.com®.
About Qualia Qualia is the category creating digital closing platform used by over half a million real estate professionals. Qualia's cloud-based closing rooms provide the complete infrastructure to streamline the home closing experience for real estate businesses and their clients. The company offers a suite of products that brings together homebuyers and sellers, lenders, title & escrow agents and real estate agents onto one secure, remote platform. Since launching in 2015, the company has been named an ALTA Elite Provider, CB Insights Fintech 250, grown to over 400 employees, and has been recognized by Forbes as a Best Startup Employer. The company is a leader in industry security and was the first technology company to join the Coalition to Stop Real Estate Wire Fraud. Qualia is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and has offices in Austin, TX. For more information on Qualia, visit www.qualia.com.
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