Company: First American Financial Corporation
Nomination Submitted by: RF|Binder
Company Description: First American Financial Corporation is a premier provider of title, settlement and risk solutions for real estate transactions. With its combination of financial strength and stability built over more than 130 years, innovative proprietary technologies, and unmatched data assets, the company is leading the digital transformation of its industry.
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Categories - Business Technology
Nomination Sub Category: Real Estate or Construction Management Solution
 Nomination Title: First American's Title's IgniteRE Residential Real Estate Platform
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated new or new-version product or service, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: If this is a brand-new product, state the date on which it was released. If this is a new version of an existing product, state the date on which the update was released:
Initially piloted in select markets in 2021, IgniteRE™ was launched nationwide with its full suite of capabilities in late 2022. Since then, the platform has been continually updated with breakthrough features and tools to better serve its users. For example, in summer 2023, First American launched IgniteRE’s Neighborhood Insights, a neighborhood discovery tool for real estate professionals. More details about recent updates to the platform are included later in this submission.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the features, functions, and benefits of the nominated product or service (up to 350 words):
Total 350 words used.
IgniteRE is an innovative digital platform designed to improve the residential real estate transaction process for real estate agents as well as homebuyers and sellers. Built from the ground up using firsthand, direct customer feedback, IgniteRE is packed with a suite of premier tools that empower real estate professionals to focus more time supporting homebuyers and sellers and thrive in today’s ever-evolving residential real estate market.
The platform is designed to help real estate professionals save their most precious commodity – time. From property research to initiating title orders to securely accessing, sending and eSigning important documents, the platform delivers a robust, device-agnostic experience using the latest innovative technologies. IgniteRE currently contains 14 on-demand tools and functionalities accessible via a single login, previously only available through burdensome, multiple logins and platforms, including:
- A secure transactions portal where real estate professionals can send and receive important messages, complete transaction opening paperwork and review escrow and title documents|
- Property data and reports and public land records
- Community insights to help real estate professionals become go-to neighborhood experts
- Customizable informational materials and printing options
- Training classes to help real estate professionals stay on top of industry topics.
IgniteRE was designed to be extremely nimble, allowing the platform to be quickly updated with the latest breakthrough technologies to better serve its users. For example, real estate professionals once walked door-to-door to better understand local housing markets and become neighborhood experts. In summer 2023, First American launched IgniteRE’s Neighborhood Insights, which is reinventing neighborhood discovery and provides real estate professionals all the tools they need to become neighborhood experts through a single platform. Other recent tools integrated into the IgniteRE platform include:
- Instant access to HOA contact reports and foreclosure reports
- The ability to access, send and eSign transaction documents from secure messaging portals
- Colored pins to show property ownership types – owner occupied; non-owner occupied
- Geolocation beacon for properties, allowing agents to use their current location to find properties.
By providing a seamless, secure platform for real estate agents, homebuyers and sellers, IgniteRE is at the forefront of the evolving real estate technology landscape.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Outline the market performance, critical reception, and customer satisfaction with the product or service to date. State monetary or unit sales figures to date, if possible, and how they compare to expectations or past performance. Provide links to laudatory product or service reviews. Include some customer testimonials, if applicable (up to 350 words):
Total 198 words used.
Word of IgniteRE’s benefits has spread quickly among real estate professionals. Since the launch of the platform’s full suite of capabilities in late 2022, the IgniteRE user base has increased more than tenfold. Driven by First American’s commitment to collecting and embracing customer feedback, the IgniteRE platform is poised to further enhance how real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers securely access and obtain important information.
With its frequent enhancements and new offerings, it’s no surprise IgniteRE continues to see an increase in engagement, reporting a nearly 1,000% year-over-year boost in clicks and page loads. Central to this growth is First American’s ability to collect, analyze and then integrate customer insight into the platform. IgniteRE uses multiple real-time and asynchronous channels to directly engage with real estate professionals, collecting more than 10,000 comments, suggestions, and requests to build solutions that help propel customers ahead of their peers. More than 95% of recent survey respondents rated IgniteRE as valuable, and the platform boasts a 90.2 customer satisfaction rating.
IgniteRE is a testament to First American’s culture of innovation and contributed to First American being recognized as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2023.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 75 words used.
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