In a ballroom packed with hundreds of title & escrow leaders, the music thumped and lights flashed as Qualia CEO Nate Baker took the stage. The energy pulsated. Then, seconds later, everything quieted and the spotlight settled on Baker—an intensity made even more poignant.
In a calm, steady voice, Baker spoke plainly and honestly to kick off his opening keynote at Qualia’s 2026 Future of Real Estate Summit. A radically new future for the title & escrow industry is taking shape this minute, he said. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence, along with the soaring customer service expectations that it’s fueling, stands to fundamentally transform every business in the industry, including technology providers like Qualia. The question now is how to respond.
For Qualia, the road forward is paved by an unbreakable commitment: become the best technology partner possible for the title & escrow industry. Full stop. “We’re going to keep you on the absolute cutting edge of what AI can do,” Baker said. “We’re all in.”
FORES26 was full of energy and excitement.
‘An amazing conference’
Baker’s message set the tone for FORES26, establishing the central theme of the summit: The future is now and Qualia’s role is to empower its customers to succeed in this new era.
Over three days (April 27—29) at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin, TX, FORES26 delivered on that promise. Powerful presentations. Insightful panel discussions. Peer-to-peer roundtables. Hands-on demonstrations. An inspiring keynote from former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino. Plus, the first-ever Qualia Innovator Awards, which celebrated groundbreakers propelling title & escrow toward a brighter future.
Across all these and more, Qualia delivered deep-dive insights into everything from industry-specific applications of AI and an ambitious product roadmap, to pressing cybersecurity risks, beyond-the-headlines economic analysis, and evolving best practices. The abundant networking opportunities that came in the form of everything from impromptu conversations and convivial social gatherings, to planned meetings further enriched the FORES experience.
“The whole three days were a wonderful and lovely reminder of what this industry is built on—incredible people making genuine connections,” said Arley Nevar, Key Accounts Director at First National Title Insurance Company and a Chapter Chair with Women in Title.
Her sentiments were common among attendees, who came from 42 states, totalling a record-breaking 650 participants. This was the largest FORES ever.
“Thank you Qualia for putting on such an impactful summit,” said David K. Mason, CEO at Universal Title. “Our attendance and participation in FORES26 reflects our commitment to leadership, education, and building stronger relationships across the real estate community.”
Networking and peer-to-peer collaboration were a big part of FORES26.
The road forward
One of the most popular sessions of the summit was Qualia’s Product Keynote. Presented by Vice President of Product & Design Charlotte Brown, the mainstage address drew a standing-room-only crowd of hundreds.
Brown’s talk highlighted two pivotal paths forward in Qualia’s product evolution: Harnessing the incredible capabilities of swiftly-progressing AI for title & escrow and the organic shift to digital payments. On the AI front, major enhancements planned or already in play with Qualia Clear—Qualia’s agentic AI system built specifically for title & escrow—were a primary focus.
Applause rang out when Brown spoke about AI agents in Qualia Clear that will be able to perform curative work. These agents can navigate important websites, find information required for files, attach screenshots, and update file data. They can also coordinate with vendors when necessary.
There was excitement over Qualia Clear’s AI-fueled email solutions, which dramatically reduce time spent in the inbox. The system achieves this through capabilities that include classifying inbound emails and routing them to the right workflow and file, intelligent proactive response drafting, and one-click approvals that convert emails to completed actions without rekeying data.
Still, the product keynote was about more than Qualia Clear. Among other advancements, it also teased the forthcoming Qualia Payments Network—a fully integrated ecosystem that forms the most comprehensive payments solution ever built just for title & escrow. The network will deliver always-on wire fraud prevention through Qualia Shield, automated digital payment flows across every stage of the closing through Qualia Payments, cost-saving title-first banking infrastructure through Qualia’s Bank Partner Network, and Fraud Recovery Service.
“I had a fantastic week at FORES26,” said Amy Foushee, Owner/Lead Agent at Dependable Title Agency, LLC. “I’m particularly impressed by the roadmap Qualia has shared. The focus on innovation and streamlining the closing process is exactly what we need to stay ahead.”
In addition to ample free FORES26 branded merchandise, Qualia also orchestrated a swag-driven charitable initiative—Merch That Matters. For a donation, attendees could get premium branded items. Proceeds benefitted ALTA Good Deeds, which supports the charitable efforts of title professionals across the United States.
Expert perspectives across a changing market
To deliver a wide range of valuable insights, Qualia featured real estate industry thought leaders in a series of panel discussions at FORES26. Discussions centered on:
Compass’ groundbreaking AI
In a fireside chat framing how AI will reshape real estate at scale, Baker sat down with Boris Veltman, Senior Director of Engineering at Compass, who leads the company’s AI roadmap. Representing the largest residential brokerage in the country, Veltman outlined how Compass is investing over $100 million annually to build an “agent operating system” powered by AI—one that foundationally changes how the business operates.
Compass’s strategy centers on deep back-office automation, predictive intelligence, and even voice-driven workflows. It all aims to reduce friction and unify the transaction experience. Rather than replacing real estate agents, Compass is designing these AI capabilities to enhance their role and maximize their productivity. As Veltman put it: “We are betting on AI to give agents superpowers.”
This approach positions Compass to move toward a fully connected, AI-native platform. It will be one, Veltman said, where agents spend less time managing tasks and more time advising clients. The transaction itself will become faster, more seamless.
At FORES26, Qualia CEO Nate Baker and Boris Veltman, Senior Director of Engineering at Compass, delved into how AI stands to reshape the real estate industry.
Economic insights
Hosted by Qualia Chief Operating Officer Jess Tory, “How the 2026 Outlook Impacts Today’s Closing Reality” brought together Michael Simonsen, Chief Economist, Compass; Odetta Kushi, VP and Deputy Chief Economist, First American Financial Corporation; and Matt Christopherson, Director of Business and Consumer Research, National Association of Realtors.
Panelists presented data that painted a picture of a housing market that remains constrained but not in crisis. The lingering malaise is generally a result of subdued hiring and affordability pressures that are limiting transaction volume even as demand builds beneath the surface. Inventory challenges persist, but vary widely by region: Stock is abundant in parts of the South but scarce in certain Northeastern and Midwestern states, including New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. These regional supply shortages, combined with limited job mobility and the lowest hiring levels in 13 years, are among the key factors keeping residential home sales muted, panelists said. Nonetheless, home sales have been modestly up many weeks on a year-over-year basis in 2026, Simonsen noted.
While recovery is expected to be gradual and localized, improving affordability and early demand signals suggest a move toward stronger housing market conditions. “We’re seeing the market normalize, just very slowly,” said Kushi.
Qualia had a bit of fun with the AI theme running through FORES26 by featuring ADAM, a robot from Richtech Robotics that served attendees drinks.
Cybersecurity
A panel on cybersecurity that featured former Senior Secret Service Executive Robert Craig Wolf (Founder/CEO, Fenrir Consulting Group), Jennifer Halsted (President, Universal Title), and David Stender (CISO, BankUnited) underscored that real estate fraud has evolved into a sophisticated, organized threat driven by transnational criminal networks. These digital crooks nefariously use AI, criminal specialization, and social engineering to exploit high-pressure closing environments.
Panelists emphasized that fraud prevention must go much deeper than just training. It also requires modern preventative technology, layered defenses, strict process discipline, secure communication tools, and a cultural shift away from rushing deals at the expense of security. Ultimately, panelists called for stronger industry collaboration on fraud, faster coordination with banking partners, and empowered teams who consistently follow verification protocols. Collective industry vigilance is critical to reducing successful attacks, they said.
Other industry thought-leader panels focused on practical tips for implementing AI at a title & escrow business, operational lessons learned from adapting to the currently paused FinCEN RRE rule, and how to scale a title & escrow firm in the new marketplace, among many others.
“I learned a lot that I can apply to our business,” said Frank Hammond, Director of Technology at TitleEase.
Collaboration in action—at FORES and beyond
Crucially, FORES26 attendees were more than absorbers of content. They were active participants.
Attendees took part in the first-ever Qualia Clear pre-conference workshops and visited the onsite Qualia Clear Innovation Lab, where current Clear customers worked directly in their deployments with the help of Qualians, while prospective customers viewed demos of the agentic system. At the Success Bar, attendees stopped in for interactive, personalized support across all Qualia products. Further, FORES participants exchanged ideas in candid roundtable discussions with peers and enjoyed the mix of business and fun in countless networking opportunities, including a rooftop party hosted by Qualia.
Fun social gatherings, like this rooftop party that Qualia hosted, were an integral—and welcomed—component of FORES26.
The roundtables, for instance, featured short presentations from Qualians that teed up small-group conversations among peers. Prompted by thoughtful on-topic questions, attendees explored the challenges and opportunities shaping title & escrow today, from evolving client expectations and emerging technologies to leading teams through change, scaling effectively, and building strong talent pipelines even as the industry ages.
“The roundtables were time really well spent,” said Allisin Bahr, Project Manager at Primary Title Agency, LLC. “I liked seeing all the different points of view—how different companies, especially larger ones, operate. It was really helpful.”
Helpful. Collaborative. These words peppered attendee descriptions of FORES26. That was by design: Qualia aimed for a sense of togetherness to permeate this centerpiece summit for title & escrow. Times are changing fast, but the way forward isn’t one that companies should navigate alone. Qualia is committed to being part of the shared journey, supporting and strengthening the industry every step of the way.
“Nothing we’re creating is done alone or in a vacuum,” Qualia’s Charlotte Brown told attendees. “We do it with you, thanks to all of you, for you. We’re in this together.”
To learn more about how Qualia is building solutions to empower title & escrow for today and tomorrow, speak with an expert today.
