Our Cornerstones

Everything We Do Is Because Of You

If you’re buying or selling a home, you have to use a title company. There’s just no way around it. And for years this has created a problem. It’s meant that you—the buyer, the seller, the real estate agent or lender—have had to settle for so-so service. With title companies unmotivated to create the best possible real estate closing experience, the industry became stuck.

Pat Stone couldn’t take it anymore. After watching the title industry stay inwardly focused with no real incentive to serve clients better, Pat, the former head of multiple title companies said enough. He was ready to give clients something new. So he started WFG in 2010.

Since our start, WFG’s guiding principle (and one of our Five Cornerstones) has been everything we do is because of you. WFG was founded because of you. We’re listening to you and our employees. We’re asking questions about what you need for a more efficient, transparent and safer closing. We’re looking out for points of friction that offer opportunities to innovate and serve you better.

We don’t have a purpose without our clients. So if everything we do is because of you, then we have to set out every day to make that true. That means working to take time and cost out of the real estate transaction. It means obsessing about service. And it means working to communicate, collaborate and co-exist with all our partners, clients and employees. WFG isn’t about us. It’s about you.

I thought there was an opportunity and a need for a company that was directly associated with the client. Whose sole focus was to make sure the client got the services and representation and that focused on enabling the client to do their business easier,  more efficiently, and with less stress."

Patrick Stone
Executive Chairman & Founder

Take Time and Cost Out of Real Estate Transactions

Uber shows you where your ride is. Southwest tracks your flight in real-time. Even Domino’s lets you know when your pizza is on the way. But when it comes to one of the biggest transactions there is—buying or selling a home—more often than not, you’re left in the dark during the closing process.

That’s where WFG comes in. Call it our “Dominoification” of closing. Now, whether you’re a buyer, seller, realtor or lender, you can know exactly what stage of the closing process you’re in with our MyHome® tool.

After watching clients hover in limbo-land for 30-45 days waiting on closing information, we knew we could create a better experience. Because not only are we obsessed with service but we’re also committed to taking time and cost out of the real estate transaction.

For buyers and sellers, that means tracking your progress to closing in real-time through text, email or dashboard notifications. And it means you don’t have to constantly check in with your realtor or title and escrow office to learn your home’s status. All the information you need is right there at your fingertips.

And for realtors and escrow officers, it means a dramatic reduction in phone calls from clients requesting status updates. Now you have more time back in your day to focus on delivering an outstanding client experience.

MyHome is safe to use. All your information is stored in a protected environment that only you can access with your unique account login information. And it’s easy to use. Like watching your Uber ride inch closer and closer to you, MyHome shows you exactly what remains in the closing process to get you across the finish line. Access your private dashboard through your mobile device, tablet or computer.

2 easy steps to get started

1. Create a MyHome account.
2. Once title and escrow receive an accepted offer, start tracking your progress to closing.

How MyHome makes closing easier than ever

Not only can you track in real-time where you are in the closing process, but you’ll also have access to:

• All your home’s important file details
• Contact info for all involved parties
• An intro video from your escrow officer prior to signing so you know who to look for at closing
• Turn-by-turn directions to your closing location

MyHome keeps you in the loop with your transaction’s status, prevents you from having to chase down need-to-know info, and connects you with everyone involved in your sale or purchase in one convenient hub. All that time, stress and cost saved—it might just be better than a pizza.

As reported in Inman News:

"Communication is key in this business," said Yvonne Blewett, a Broker in Lake Oswego, OR. "MyHome helps me in the many steps of a real estate transaction. The email alerts and the ability to check online provide me the confidence that my clients and I expect for a smooth closing. That's important when we are all keeping a fast pace in this market. I can check online instead of waiting for a return call or email. It is one of the many tasks/benefits that WFG does well for me."

Read the full MyHome article featured in Inman News HERE.

The 3 Cs guide us through our thoughts and decision making. To live them out, first, you have to be willing to ask what your client wants (Communicate) and then be willing to engage with them, asking for their input and feedback (Collaborate). Once you’ve done the first 2 Cs, the third one becomes automatic (Co-Exist).

We wrap as many arms around our clients as we can. Escrow, Title, Sales, Customer Service, Marketing Technology Directors, Leadership Team, Executive Team—everyone at WFG practices the 3 Cs because it’s who we are as a company. Knowing that we don’t exist without our clients inspires us to communicate and collaborate, which always leads to co-existing with one another. In a lot of ways, the 3 Cs are more of a math equation: Communication + Collaboration = Co-Existing.

— Ben Matson, AVP Sales Manager

Our clients get the benefit of knowing we have their best interest at heart and that we truly care about the work we’re doing. The 3 Cs instill confidence that they’ll get the answers they need and care that is unmatched in our industry. If I don’t have the answer to a client’s question, I know I can reach out to my teammates to get the correct answer in a timely manner. Even on the busiest days, my WFG team will drop what they’re doing to help out. Our teamwork is so strong because the 3 Cs are so important to us.

— Chastity Eyres, Client Services Manager, WA

Our 3 Cs—Communicate, Collaborate and Co-Exist—push us to have constant communication with agents, loan officers, processors, buyers and sellers. We collaborate to make sure we’re all on the same page for the closing. Teamwork is what makes the world go ‘round. It’s the only way we can co-exist so that agents and loan officers never have to hesitate to work with us again.

— Hilda Castillo, Branch Manager & Escrow Officer, Nevada

Because of the 3 Cs, I LOVE coming to work every day. I love creating healthy relationships with my coworkers and feeling like my voice is heard. I am most passionate about collaborating with my teammates because at WFG we get the privilege of truly working with some of the best in the business. I don’t ever feel like I am “just an employee” or “just a number.” I truly feel like my voice is heard and the company appreciates me and wants to hear my ideas. We all push each other to be better, all while praising one another for our accomplishments. Being able to say that our founder reaches out to congratulate us on our wins is unheard of when you work for a large corporation, but it really does happen. Often! WFG puts their employees first. We have the best of both worlds: a small business-feel with corporate backing. It’s a win-win!

— Courtney Carlone, Sales Manager, Eastern WA

I have a great story to tell about our ability to Communicate, Collaborate and Co-Exist. Pat Stone, WFG’s founder, sent me an email during my first week and told me if I ever needed anything to let him know. I was told by other people that Pat likes to do video conferencing with our agents. I shared this with a WFG agent and told him I’d help set up a time for Mr. Stone to video conference into his team’s management call. It wasn’t just a feel-good offer. It’s something we actually make happen.
Pat joined their conference call and joined in a 10–12-minute discussion on the economy and what he thought the commercial side of real estate would look like going forward. He took questions for another 15 minutes. The owner and the managers were excited to have Mr. Stone on the call, and it was funny to see the reactions of everyone when he joined. They know WFG is right there with them, giving them information they can use.

— Patrick T. Malone, VP Agency Manager, Midwest Region

Obsess About Service

Ask any company what makes them great and nine times out of ten you’ll get the same answer: our service. But if you were to ask those same companies how they know—really know—it’s their service that sets them apart, it might be a lot tougher to get a straight answer.

At WFG, we obsess about service. That means we don’t just talk about it, but we actually measure it. It’s that important to us. And we can’t say something is important if we’re not paying close attention to it.

So what does it look like to obsess about service? It means we measure three things:

1. Preliminary title report turnaround times

There’s no question that real estate is a fast-moving business. When there’s no time to waste, agents and lenders need to know as soon as possible if a property can be sold. We know our ability to get preliminary title reports turned around quickly and accurately means our clients can help buyers and sellers sooner. We measure our turnaround times in each market to ensure we’re staying ahead of the curve.

2. Net Promoter Score®

WFG is committed to not only providing you with great service but providing such great service that you would trust us to take outstanding care of your family, friends or colleagues. It’s why we ask everyone one short question at the end of their transaction: On a scale of zero to ten, how likely are you to recommend WFG to a friend or colleague? That number is our Net Promoter Score (NPS), and it’s another way we measure our service.

An NPS of 70 or greater is considered 'Excellent'. Think Netflix (68), Airbnb (74) or Starbucks (77). Our NPS? 85.

We measure our NPS at the company-level, the local-level, all the way down to a specific branch or escrow team. See, we really do obsess about service.

To learn more about NPS - read "The Importance of Measuring the Customer Experience", available for download on this page.

3. Reviews and follow ups

Testimonials are great, but the real gold is always in the reviews. And we take the feedback we receive in NPS scores and online reviews seriously. While we want every transaction to go off without a hitch, if it doesn’t, we want to know about it. Honest feedback from clients about their experience with us helps us grow, enhance our services, fine-tune our processes and innovate to meet the needs of changing markets. Third-party review sites give us five stars and a 9.2 (out of 10) referral rating.

As a title, closing and settlement services provider—the very last piece of the real estate closing experience—we know just how vital it is that what comes last is always first-rate. Your clients have searched for their home, you’ve written and negotiated offers, loans have been secured—all that stands between a deal and a done-deal is the closing (and a really big stack of paper). So it has to be right, every time, no matter what. And we won’t stop until it is.