A real estate transaction coordinator (TC) manages a deal from signed contract to closing: deadlines, documents and communication with everyone involved. A virtual assistant is a wider hire who can do transaction work plus CRM, marketing and follow-up. If you close a few deals a month and paperwork is your bottleneck, a TC fits. If the mess spreads beyond closings, a VA does more for the money.
What a transaction coordinator does
A TC owns the file after the contract is signed. The usual work:
- Opening the file in dotloop or SkySlope and loading documents.
- Tracking every contingency, inspection and deadline.
- Chasing signatures, lenders, title and the other agent.
- Keeping the checklist current so compliance is ready for review.
- Updating the agent so nothing surprises them at closing.
It is narrow, detail-heavy work, and mistakes are expensive. A missed deadline can cost a deal.
What a virtual assistant can cover
A good VA can do much of the same coordination. The difference is that a VA can also work your CRM, enter MLS data and keep listings current, follow up with leads, and handle marketing tasks. In a slow week for closings, a VA has other useful work. A dedicated TC usually does not. Social media is one example, covered in real estate social media virtual assistant.
One practical note, which is general knowledge and not a legal opinion: what an unlicensed assistant may do varies by state, and your broker may have rules too. Confirm before you hand over anything that looks like negotiating or advising.
Transaction coordinator vs virtual assistant cost
All figures here are published ranges, not quotes. RISMedia reported in 2023 that US transaction coordinators charge flat fees of $300 to $1,000 or more per transaction, 1% to 3% of commission, or $25-$50 an hour. That article is older than most of our sources, so check local rates. VA Masters, a Philippines VA agency, advertises $300-$600 per file for closings-only coordination, or $8.50-$10.50 an hour for coordination by a Philippines VA.
The trade-off, as we see it: per-file pricing is cheaper at low volume, and an hourly or monthly VA is cheaper when volume is steady and you want the extra capacity. Our virtual assistant cost guide covers the hourly ranges in more detail. Your tool subscriptions are separate and billed by each platform.
What this looked like for a client
Susanna Castro hired us for full transaction coordination. We ran her files in dotloop and SkySlope, with a single source of truth for each file and a standardized checklist so every deal followed the same steps. We coordinated across agents, lenders and title, and handled MLS data entry and listing upkeep. We reached out to leads proactively. That mix is the point: one person covered the closing process and the work around it. See the full Susanna Castro case study.
We did something similar for Pamela Peninsula, where we formalized transaction coordination alongside a unified CRM and coordination with her brokerage partners.
What Pamela Peninsula’s and Tammy Theis’s files added
Pamela Peninsula runs real estate and property management, so her work crosses business lines. Alongside formalizing her transaction coordination, we unified her CRM across both lines, built her new website from scratch and coordinated with her brokerage partners. The lesson is that transaction files and the CRM should not live in separate worlds. Read the Pamela Peninsula case study, and see property management for how we support that side.
For Tammy Theis in Augusta, GA, transaction support ran from contract to close, next to her Lofty account management and daily lead contact. Having one team on both the deals and the leads is what a VA can offer that a closings-only TC does not. Details are in the Tammy Theis case study. If the CRM side is your gap too, see what to outsource in CRM management and our CRM virtual assistant service.
What to ask before you hand over files
Whoever you pick, treat the first few files as a trial. Ask for a sample checklist and look at how it handles dates: earnest money, inspection, appraisal, financing and closing. Ask how they confirm that a document was actually received, not just sent. Ask what happens when you are unreachable and a lender needs an answer the same day.
Then agree on reporting. A short status note on each active file, sent on a set rhythm, keeps you informed without a daily call. It also gives you something to check against when a deal gets tight. A coordinator who cannot show you where every file stands is not saving you time, no matter what the hourly rate is.
Where each option tends to go wrong
A per-file TC can be hard to reach when several clients close in the same week, because their capacity is shared. A VA hired mostly for admin can be stretched thin if you keep adding tasks without removing any. Neither problem is fatal. Both come from fuzzy scope, so write down what is in and out before the first file, and revisit it after a month.
How to choose
- Volume. One or two closings a month may not justify a standing hire. Per-file coordination can cover it.
- Consistency. If your deals vary wildly in how they are handled, a standardized checklist matters more than who does it.
- Everything else. If your CRM, listings and follow-up also need help, a VA covers more ground.
- Risk. If the cost of a missed deadline is high, ask any candidate for a sample checklist and a walk-through of how they track dates.
Whichever you pick, ask which platforms they have worked in. dotloop, SkySlope and zipForm are the common ones, and training someone from zero costs you the first month.
If you want to see how this would work on your files, read about our real estate transaction coordinator service, or ask us for a consult and we will tell you what fits.