Real estate, like any industry, has a rich past. From primitive cave art hinting at land ownership to the 19th century's structured transactions and mortgages, it's come a long way. The real estate market of the 1900s faced the typical market ups and downs. Since our beginning in 1989, we've come a long way here at Lone Wolf, too.
35 years of transforming real estate
In 1989, Lorne Wallace and Des O'Kelly saw the pain points of real estate professionals: complex deals, paperwork mountains, juggling clients, and mastering a dizzying toolset. From there, they developed financial software like brokerWOLF, WOLFconnect, and globalWOLF, starting them on the journey to revolutionizing real estate back offices and accounting.
But that was just the beginning. These products paved the way for a complete end-to-end experience, evolving with agent and broker needs. Lone Wolf Back Office stands as a testament to this journey. We've also grown through acquisitions, adding modern flagships like Transactions (zipForm Edition), Authentisign, Cloud CMA, and many others.
The modern era: Connected software takes center stage
Now we’re in a new, digitally rich era at Lone Wolf. Transactions (zipForm Edition), Authentisign, and Cloud CMA have their own histories, too.
Transactions (zipForm Edition): From paper chaos to all-in-one digital experience
It all started in 1991 with a tech-savvy son's software to help his real estate mother better organize her forms and paperwork, laying the groundwork for zipLogix and later, zipForm. By the mid-2000s, zipLogix, in partnership with C.A.R., delivered digital tools like zipForm Plus and zipForm TMS, simplifying forms and transaction management across all of real estate.
In 2019, zipLogix, including a standard zipForm version, joined our transaction management portfolio, which had already contained the industry favorite TransactionDesk. Later that year, we rolled out a two-way integration between Lone Wolf Back Office and Transactions (zipForm Edition), boosting efficiency for agents and brokers.
Today, Transactions (zipForm Edition) is a powerhouse in transaction management and forms. It guides the entire real estate journey, allowing agents and brokers to manage everything in one place, on the go. It boasts the top forms editor, custom checklists, and even connects directly to back office tasks and other helpful apps, CRMs, digital marketing solutions, and more.
Authentisign: From two tools to one streamlined workflow
TransactionDesk and Authentisign from Instanet Solutions joined Lone Wolf in 2017. Instanet provided their desktop transaction management solution, TransactionDesk, to over 500,000 REALTORS® through its partnership with MLSs and associations across North America. The software included several cloud-based products for document and file management, electronic forms, file review and compliance, and eSignature—Authentisign.
Fast forward to 2019, the zipLogix acquisition brought with it the eSignature tool, Digital Ink. Our two eSignature solutions were pulled together to create the all-new Authentisign for both Transactions (TransactionDesk Edition) and Transactions (zipForm Edition) in 2022.
Today's Authentisign brings a new transaction workspace for agents, pulling in forms, documents, and contacts seamlessly. This workspace, available in both Transactions versions, offers a superior signing experience, up to 60% faster signings, built-in eSignature packets, and much more.
Cloud CMA: From eye-catching reports to winning over more sellers
In 2008, W+R Studios emerged as a web software leader for real estate, championing a "less is more" approach. The 2010 launch of Cloud CMA, an online report generator for CMAs, buyer tours, and single property reports, took the industry by storm. Cloud CMA's stunning interface and beautiful reports quickly captivated the market.
By 2018, W+R Studios had expanded with Cloud Agent Suite, offering tools for landing page creation, MLS searches, listing alerts, and automated newsletters. We acquired W+R Studios in 2020, integrating Cloud CMA and Cloud Agent Suite into our end-to-end vision.
Since then, we’ve made several enhancements and have integrated Cloud CMA with many of our own and our partners’ solutions. For instance, its direct integration in Transactions (zipForm Edition) helps agents save a lot of time, giving them access to immediately kick off a transaction from their Cloud CMA report. Earlier this year, we also teamed up with Realtor.com® to give agents the extra edge to win over seller clients and inspire confidence, with a Cloud CMA plug-in available for Listing Toolkit.
The story is far from over
This is just a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Lone Wolf's journey, and we have many more chapters to write. This year, we're celebrating 35 years in the industry, and are thrilled to introduce you to the future of real estate with one innovative platform made for the way real estate professionals think, move, and work. Get ready, because there is something big coming your way in 2024!
