A residential transaction can involve buyers, sellers, two agents, a lender, an inspector, an appraiser, title or escrow, and sometimes an HOA — each with deadlines. Transaction coordination is the discipline of making sure nothing slips. This checklist covers the typical flow; adapt it to your state's contracts and your brokerage's policies.
Important: what an unlicensed assistant can and can't do
Administrative coordination — timelines, document collection, scheduling, file compliance — generally doesn't require a real estate license. Activities like negotiating, advising clients on contract terms or showing property typically do. Rules vary by state, and your brokerage may have its own policies. When in doubt, check with your broker and state regulator. The National Association of REALTORS® is also a useful resource.
Stage 1: Contract executed
- [ ] Receive fully executed contract and all addenda
- [ ] Open the file in your transaction management system (Dotloop, SkySlope or similar)
- [ ] Build the timeline: every contingency and deadline with dates
- [ ] Send introduction email to all parties with key dates and contacts
- [ ] Confirm earnest money delivery and receipt
- [ ] Add key dates to agent's and client's calendars
Stage 2: Due diligence
- [ ] Schedule inspections at the agent's and client's direction
- [ ] Track inspection response deadlines
- [ ] Collect required seller disclosures and acknowledgments
- [ ] Order or request HOA documents where applicable
- [ ] Track appraisal scheduling and receipt
- [ ] Remind the agent of upcoming contingency deadlines 48–72 hours ahead
Stage 3: Financing and title
- [ ] Confirm the lender has everything needed; track loan milestones
- [ ] Confirm the title or escrow order and track the commitment
- [ ] Flag title issues to the agent immediately
- [ ] Track financing contingency deadlines
Stage 4: Pre-closing
- [ ] Confirm closing date, time and location or remote closing method
- [ ] Coordinate final walkthrough scheduling
- [ ] Confirm utilities transfer reminders sent to clients
- [ ] Collect final documents and signatures
- [ ] Confirm closing disclosure timing with lender
Stage 5: Closing and post-closing
- [ ] Confirm closing completed and funds disbursed
- [ ] Upload final documents; ensure file is complete for broker compliance review
- [ ] Send thank-you and post-closing information to clients
- [ ] Update CRM: closed date, sale price, anniversary reminders
- [ ] Record commission details for bookkeeping
Communication cadence
- Weekly status email to the agent (and clients, if the agent wants) listing completed items and upcoming deadlines
- Deadline reminders 72 and 24 hours before key dates
- Immediate escalation of anything that threatens a deadline
Wire fraud warning
Real estate closings are a frequent target of wire fraud. Coordinators should never send or confirm wiring instructions by email alone, and should remind clients to verify wiring instructions by phone with the title company using a known number. Report incidents to the FBI's IC3.
Tools
- Transaction management: Dotloop, SkySlope
- E-signature: DocuSign or your platform's built-in tool
- CRM: Follow Up Boss, kvCORE, Lofty
- Calendar and task tools shared with the agent
Measuring coordination
- Deadlines missed (target: zero)
- Files complete at closing for compliance review
- Agent hours per transaction spent on admin
- Client feedback
A worked example: a 30-day financed purchase
Contract-to-close timelines vary by state, contract form and loan type. Here is an illustrative 30-day buyer-side timeline showing what a transaction coordinator tracks. Always use the actual dates in your executed contract, not this template.
| Day | Milestone | TC action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Contract fully executed | Open the file, send intro emails to all parties, build the timeline from contract dates |
| 1–3 | Earnest money due | Confirm receipt with escrow or title; save the receipt |
| 1–10 | Inspection period | Schedule inspections; send reports to the agent; track any repair request deadline |
| 3 | Loan application confirmed | Confirm the lender has the application and the buyer has received the Loan Estimate |
| 7–14 | Appraisal ordered and completed | Track the order; alert the agent if the value comes in low |
| 10–21 | Title commitment and HOA documents | Request, receive and send for review; track any objection deadlines |
| 21 | Loan approval (or contingency deadline) | Confirm in writing from the lender |
| 27 | Closing Disclosure | Confirm the buyer received it; under TRID, it must be received at least three business days before consummation |
| 28–29 | Final walkthrough | Schedule; confirm utilities transfer |
| 30 | Closing | Confirm the signing time and location; send wire-verification reminders; close the file |
The intro email template
Send this the day the contract is executed, to every party, with the agent copied:
- Property address and the key contract dates in one table
- Each party's role and contact details: agents, lender, escrow or title officer, attorney if used
- What the TC will send and how often (for example, "a status update every Monday and Thursday")
- A wire-fraud warning: "We will never email you wiring instructions or ask you to change them. Before sending any funds, call the title company at a number you find yourself, not one in an email."
Checklist: the file audit before closing
- Every page of the contract and addenda signed and initialed by all parties
- Required state and federal disclosures signed, including lead-based paint disclosure for homes built before 1978
- Inspection reports and the repair agreement, if any
- Appraisal and loan approval documents
- Title commitment and any cleared exceptions
- Commission and compliance paperwork as your brokerage requires
- Notes of every deadline met, with the date and supporting document
Brokerages typically audit files, and a TC who keeps the file audit-ready saves the agent time at the end of every deal.
Why licensing limits matter in practice
An unlicensed TC can schedule, track and communicate logistics. They should not negotiate terms, interpret contract language for clients, or advise on price or repairs. Those activities generally require a license, and the rules vary by state. When a client asks a "what should I do" question, the right answer is: "Great question. I'll have your agent call you today."
Tools and file-naming conventions
Most TCs work inside the brokerage's transaction-management system, such as Dotloop, SkySlope or Brokermint, plus a task tracker and a shared calendar. Whatever tools you use, agree on a naming convention so the file audit is fast:
[Street number] [Street name] – [Document type] – [YYYY-MM-DD]
For example: 123 Oak – Inspection Report – 2026-10-14.
Two further habits make a TC dependable:
- Deadline calendar invites for everyone. Every contract deadline goes onto a shared calendar with a reminder 48 hours ahead and another 24 hours ahead, sent to the agent and the TC.
- A Monday and Thursday status email. One short email to the agent (and, if the agent wants, the client) lists what's done, what's next and what's at risk. Clients stop calling for updates when updates arrive before they ask.
The bottom line
Transaction coordination is checklist work with high stakes. A dedicated coordinator who owns the timeline, documents and communication lets agents spend their time with clients — within the licensing lines your state draws.
See Real Estate Assistants and Real Estate.
Sources
- National Association of REALTORS®.
- FBI, Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards.
- FBI, Business Email Compromise and real estate wire fraud. ---SOURCES---
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