Houston Association of REALTORS® Partners with PropertyInfo Corporation to Deliver Acclaimed SureClose® Electronic Transaction Management to Member Brokers

The Houston Association of REALTORS^® (HAR) and PropertyInfo Corporation announce their strategic technology partnership to offer HAR-ETS (Electronic Transaction Solution) to 24,000 real estate professionals across the greater Houston area. This partnership is part of HAR’s ongoing mission to bring technological innovation to broker members in an effort to enhance their productivity.

Margie Dorrance, chair of the Houston REALTORS(R) Information Service, and Tom Groom, chief technology officer and senior vice president real estate segment of PropertyInfo Corporation, seal the deal for the Houston Association of REALTORS(R) and PropertyInfo Corporation strategic technology partnership. (Photo: Business Wire)

HAR-ETS is a platform consisting of HAR’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS), electronic signatures and transaction management that will be powered by PropertyInfo Corporation’s acclaimed SureClose product. SureClose is a secure online system that gives real estate brokerages and their agents the ability to manage their business online to increase productivity, expand service offerings, improve communication and improve the customer experience.

"HAR-ETS is a natural evolution in the ever-expanding suite of services that HAR provides MLS subscribers to ensure they have all the tools they need to succeed in business,” said HAR President and CEO Bob Hale.

"After thoroughly evaluating a variety of transaction management systems, we concluded that SureClose had the strongest track record of success of any platform out there,” said Margie Dorrance, chair of the Houston REALTORS^® Information Service. "We believe that HAR’s MLS subscribers will immediately realize the advantages of HAR-ETS and will be eager to wean themselves off the cumbersome and inefficient paper-based method of handling transactions.”

In 2008 the Arizona Association of REALTORS^® adopted the SureClose platform for their members. This year they renewed that contract for three more years due to continued success with adoption and usage of the system.

"HAR is one of the most progressive associations in the country and we are proud to have been selected by a group that has done so much to serve its members,” said Tom Groom, chief technology officer and senior vice president real estate segment of PropertyInfo Corporation. "HAR’s track record with the roll-out of successful programs to its members makes them an ideal partner to work with. We are confident that our partnership with HAR will result in similar high adoption rates as we have experienced with the Arizona Association of REALTORS^®.”

HAR-ETS, powered by SureClose, will be available later this fall.

About Houston Association of Realtors^®

Founded in 1918, the Houston Association of REALTORS^® (HAR) is a 24,000-member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, property management and counseling. It is the largest individual membership trade association in Houston and the second largest local association/board of REALTORS^® in the United States.

About PropertyInfo Corp., a Stewart Company

PropertyInfo Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Title Company, delivers state-of-the-art real estate information solutions to the real estate, closing and mortgage industries. As a global provider of online transaction management and e-closing solutions, real estate information services, title/escrow production systems, hosting services, software development and online product distribution via its Web portal, PropertyInfo.com, PropertyInfo provides title and real estate professionals with the electronic data and integrated applications needed to increase their business efficiency and improve the quality of information used throughout the real estate transaction process. For more information, visit http://www.propertyinfo.com or e-mail at smarttechnology@propertyinfo.com.

About Stewart

Stewart Title Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Information Services Corp. (NYSE-STC), a customer-driven, technology-enabled, strategically competitive, real estate information, title insurance and transaction management company. Stewart provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries throughout the United States and international markets. Stewart also provides post-closing lender services, automated county clerk land records, property ownership mapping, geographic information systems, property information reports, document preparation, background checks and expertise in tax-deferred exchanges. More information can be found at http://www.stewart.com, or by visiting the Stewart blog at http://blog.stewart.com, following Stewart on Twitter @stewarttitleco, becoming a member of the Stewart Title group on LinkedIn, or liking Stewart on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/StewartTitleCo.

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