“Before entering into a new state, the first thing we do is contact Pippin Title, our Marketplace vendor, to ask if they do searches in that state. That way we know the product will be consistent and can roll out in that state in real-time.”
—Matt Bachner, Title Operations Manager at LemonBrew
ABOUT LEMONBREW TECHNOLOGIES
LemonBrew Technologies is an innovative, full-service real estate company that streamlines the homebuying process from start to finish by fully integrating their four divisions— LemonBrew Real Estate, Lending, Abstract, and Insurance. By providing real estate, mortgage, and title services, LemonBrew is able to orchestrate a digital end-to-end homebuying experience for consumers.
In 2019, LemonBrew Abstract, the division that issues title and handles closings, implemented Qualia as their digital closing platform to scale operations and increase efficiency by automating workflows, eliminating data rekeying, and centralizing documents and information. LemonBrew leverages Qualia’s suite of products including Core, Connect and Marketplace. Core powers LemonBrew Abstract’s title production workflows. Connect brings clients and closing stakeholders onto one shared platform for a transparent and simple closing experience. Marketplace, a digital hub of integrated title service providers, allows LemonBrew to easily work with vendors.
Through Qualia Marketplace, LemonBrew was able to rapidly expand from 3 to 33 new states in two years with the help of integrated, national vendors like Pippin Title which allowed them to efficiently scale title production and centralize all their vendor operations on one platform.
CHALLENGE
In 2019, LemonBrew operated in 3 states and wanted to quickly scale nationwide. LemonBrew’s rapid expansion plans meant that they could not establish boots on the ground in every state and they would need to rely on local vendors to launch operations in new states and cities.
The need for a national title search vendor was especially pressing. By identifying a reliable and digitally-integrated title search vendor with nationwide operations, LemonBrew could quickly stand up operations in new states. After all, a timely and accurate title search was the first step to a seamless closing process.
Finding a national vendor with local expertise who could integrate with LemonBrew’s title production workflows posed several operational challenges that, if not solved, would significantly impact LemonBrew’s ability to scale.
Sourcing new title search vendors was time-consuming and inefficient
Before working with Qualia, LemonBrew manually sourced new title search vendors in each region which took a significant amount of time. The process involved several days of googling and emailing providers plus up to 30 phone calls to find the right vendor who could offer services in the regions they needed. The process was painstakingly slow which impacted LemonBrew’s ability to meet its rapid expansion timeline.
Disparate order placement systems slowed down processing
With each new vendor came an entirely different process to submit orders, receive information, and manage invoices. Each vendor also used a different system to intake orders and complete tasks, so the LemonBrew team needed to log into a variety of portals to retrieve information and engage with vendors.
Title search vendor performance was difficult to track and optimize
Because LemonBrew used spreadsheets as a tool to track vendor orders, there was no single source of truth to track vendor performance. It was difficult for LemonBrew to understand which vendors were consistently meeting expected turnaround times and how vendors compared to one another when it came to efficiency and service level.
SOLUTION
In 2019, LemonBrew Abstract implemented Qualia as its technology infrastructure. The team now uses Qualia Core, Connect, and Marketplace to deliver a closing experience that seamlessly integrates with the rest of the LemonBrew home buying journey.
To mitigate the challenges of vendor management, LemonBrew Abstract leverages Marketplace, a single space to discover new vendors, manage vendor workflows, and track vendor performance. LemonBrew quickly identified Pippin Title as a title search provider that could meet their need for accurate and timely title searches from a single vendor with nationwide coverage.
Easily source vendors in new markets
Marketplace makes it easy for LemonBrew Abstract to see the list of available title search vendors for a particular property address by readily surfacing vendor info. This includes details on liability coverage, pricing, vendor ratings, and product information. Through Marketplace, LemonBrew can quickly identify vendors in new markets that will best fit their business needs as well as local requirements.
Centralized and automated vendor management workflows
Through Marketplace, LemonBrew can order services and manage the entire vendor process without leaving their core workflow. This allows LemonBrew to streamline and standardize workflows regardless of which vendor they work with. This consistency reduces stress and enables a more efficient transaction.
Marketplace automates much of the previously manual work for the LemonBrew team. For example, LemonBrew set up an order template in Qualia that automatically triggers a title search order with Pippin Title for purchase transactions that occur in New Jersey. In addition, by leveraging Marketplace’s Title Search Plus product, LemonBrew can have title search results from Pippin Title automatically delivered into a templated title commitment. This reduces the need for rekeying information during title production.
With Marketplace, LemonBrew is able to consolidate to a handful of integrated vendors (i.e., for surveys, title searches, release tracking, notaries, etc.) who offer services in LemonBrew’s markets. Pippin Title, one of the many vendors on Qualia Marketplace, was a natural choice for LemonBrew because Pippin Title has local title searchers in more than 3,000 counties across the country. These local experts can efficiently access local databases and courthouses to find accurate title records. This level of coverage provides LemonBrew with a consistent title search process as they expand to new regions.
Tailored solutions at scale
Select vendors offer LemonBrew products tailored to their specific transaction needs. For example, Pippin Title allowed LemonBrew to combine the delivery of tax certificates with current owner searches (previously this was two separate orders with two different vendors). At scale, this level of customization affords even more efficiency and time-savings for LemonBrew.
“Whether it is 10 orders a day or 100, Pippin Title is a quality Qualia Marketplace vendor that provides a tailored product unique to LemonBrew and at scale. They are someone we can rely on and trust. And that is invaluable having a partner we can trust so my team can focus on other important business activities.”
—Matt Bachner, Title Operations Manager at LemonBrew
Title search vendor performance reporting
Marketplace provides LemonBrew with a vendor reporting tool to view vendor performance at an individual and global level. Centralized vendor reporting is essential for LemonBrew to consistently track service quality by viewing average turn times, pricing trends, and other key metrics.
RESULTS
LemonBrew has experienced immense growth by maximizing operational efficiency through Qualia. Since implementing Qualia as their digital closing platform in 2019, LemonBrew has reduced overall processing time from order opening to closing by 23%.
LemonBrew now reaps the benefits of consistency in title search services, which translates into reliable turn times. By working with a trusted, national title search vendor like Pippin Title, LemonBrew has been able to uphold their promise for a high-quality customer experience, while quickly expanding their title operations to more states.
“I know I can trust Pippin Title to reliably deliver within the turn times that are promised.”
—Matt Bachner, Title Operations Manager at LemonBrew
In addition, Marketplace has helped to automate previously time-intensive, manual work and provides a consistent vendor order management process that is the same, regardless of the product, state or region. Efficiency combined with consistent vendor service from reliable vendors like Pippin Title contributed to LemonBrew’s rapid national expansion from 3 states to 33 states in just two years.
