Most title companies are waiting for a software vendor to solve their problems. Chris Sauerzopf isn’t.
At World Class Title, where he’s co-owner, he sees the same inefficiencies that have plagued title and escrow for decades—redundant processes, outdated systems, and a reliance on manual labor that slows transactions down.
But he’s not waiting for someone else to fix it. He’s building the technology himself.
And not in some far-off future—his AI-driven system will be operational within weeks.
Why Wait When You Can Build?
Chris wasn’t always in title. He started in industrial design, then found his way into the industry after the 2008 financial crisis. From mobile notary to sales rep to owner, he worked his way up.
But along the way, he recognized something most title professionals don’t want to admit: Service alone isn’t a competitive advantage.
"Great service isn’t enough, it’s our job.," Chris says. "If your entire value proposition is that you answer the phone and close on time, you’re already losing. The real edge comes from technology—creating efficiency, reducing friction, and making life easier for your clients."
That mindset made World Class Title one of the first fully cloud-based operations back in 2010—long before the rest of the industry caught on.
For Chris, title isn’t just a service business. It’s a process business. And process businesses thrive on automation.
The Industry’s Fatal Flaw: The Status Quo
Chris doesn’t have patience for industry inertia.
"We love talking about innovation in title," he says. "I think the large players and software providers in title have vested interest in maintaining the status quo. If you own or have invested millions into a title production software and suddenly, AI can potentially render it obsolete, it reduces the rush to innovate.
The greatest innovation in the title industry the last 10 years isn’t technology, it’s finding legal ways to purchase business through joint ventures and ABA’s.
We can do better. We can actually innovate and create real value for all stakeholders in the transaction.”
AI Will Reshape Title
Chris is engineering a fully AI-powered workflow that will change how his company operates.
The result? Title professionals focus on strategy, relationships, and closing deals.
"Right now, a 10-person team does 100 transactions," Chris says. "With AI, one person will do the same volume. That’s not a theory—it’s happening."
A Future Without Busywork
For Chris, the future is clear:
Yet most title leaders are focused on the wrong things.
"I keep hearing about the ‘aging workforce crisis,’" he says. "It’s not a workforce crisis, it’s a management crisis. Smart, young people are everywhere, as an industry, we simply don’t manage or train them well enough.
He also pushes back on the idea that title’s biggest problems—wire fraud, inefficiencies, and slow closings—are unsolvable.
"It’s all solvable," he says. “For years we hear from software companies how wire fraud is getting worse, it means their solutions aren’t working. We’re failing the consumer, we’re failing the title agent, we’re failing the real estate industry. AI will solve all of this.”
Ask most title professionals where they see the industry in 10 or 20 years, and they’ll speculate.
Chris doesn’t speculate.
He’s already building it.
"There won’t be busywork," he says. "There won’t be redundant data entry. Title will be about sales, marketing, and delivering an exceptional consumer experience. Everything else will be automated."
Unlike others who talk about AI, he’s not waiting for the industry to catch up.
World Class Title is prototyping their solution now. Their system will be live within weeks.
And when the rest of the industry finally wakes up?
Chris will already be miles ahead.
The Growth & Scale Report is published by CloseSimple, and explores strategies for growth and tools for scaling your title or escrow company. The report emphasizes the art of balancing growth and scale, with a focus on personal and organizational success stories. It aims to share insights from industry leaders who have navigated these challenges, providing a platform for broader conversations in the business landscape.