Transaction Coordinator Checklist: Every Step From Contract to Close

A transaction coordinator checklist is the ordered list of tasks, owners and due dates that carry a deal from a signed contract to a closed file. The version below is built around who owns each step and how the timing is worked out, because the dates come from your contract and your state, not from a generic template.

How should you use a transaction coordinator checklist?

Treat the checklist as a set of triggers, not a to-do list. Each line needs an owner, a due date calculated from a contract date, and a way to show it is done. If any of those three is missing, the step will slip.

Owners in the sections below are TC (coordinator), Agent, Lender and Title. Timing is described as logic, such as “within a set number of days of acceptance”, because the actual number is whatever your purchase contract says. Where we cite a state rule, we name the source, and you should confirm it against your own forms and broker policy.

Phase 1: Contract received

The first day sets the quality of the whole file. Most of this work is data entry done once and done correctly.

1. Open the file in your transaction platform and upload the fully signed contract and addenda (TC).
2. Enter every key date from the contract: deposit, inspection or option period, appraisal, financing, closing, possession (TC, verified by Agent).
3. Send introductions to the other agent, lender, title or escrow officer, and client, with who-does-what and preferred contact method (TC).
4. Confirm disclosures owed by your side and the date they are due (Agent confirms, TC tracks).
5. Move the CRM record to the right stage so marketing and nurture messages stop or change (TC).

Phase 2: Earnest money

The deposit deadline is a contract deadline with a named recipient, so confirm who holds the money before anything else.

1. Send the deposit instructions to the buyer’s side (TC or buyer’s agent).
2. Request written confirmation of receipt from title or the holder (TC).
3. File the receipt and note the date against the contract deadline (TC).

Phase 3: Inspection and due diligence

Inspection windows are short and usually start at acceptance. In Texas, according to a brokerage guide summarising state practice, the buyer’s option period is typically 7 to 10 days with a paid option fee, so the clock starts almost immediately. Other states use different structures, so check your state.

1. Book inspections and send access details to the listing side (Agent or TC).
2. Collect reports and log the date received (TC).
3. Track repair requests, responses and signed amendments as separate documents (Agent negotiates, TC files and tracks).
4. Record the date the contingency is removed or the period expires (TC).

Phase 4: Appraisal

For financed deals, the lender orders the appraisal, so the TC’s job is access and follow-up rather than control.

1. Confirm the appraisal is ordered and the date of the visit (Lender, TC checks).
2. Make sure the appraiser can get in and has any requested documents (Agent, TC).
3. Log the result, and if it comes in low, alert the agent the same day (TC).

Phase 5: Financing

Loan approval is the contingency that most often ends a file. The coordinator watches it weekly, even when everything looks fine.

1. Ask the lender for the outstanding conditions list and keep it in the file (TC).
2. Pass document requests to the client quickly and track who has not replied (TC).
3. Note when the financing contingency is satisfied or an extension is signed (TC, Agent).
4. Confirm the lender issued the Closing Disclosure. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says lenders must provide it three business days before the scheduled closing (Lender, TC verifies).

Phase 6: Title and escrow

Title work runs in parallel with everything above. Ask for a status update in writing at a fixed interval.

1. Confirm title or escrow has the contract and has opened the order (Title).
2. Review the title commitment or preliminary report and flag liens, easements or name mismatches to the agent (Title delivers, Agent reviews).
3. Chase HOA documents, payoff statements and any seller-side items (TC).
4. Check who conducts the closing. New York, per a HomeLight summary, requires a licensed attorney at closing, while California, Florida and Texas typically use title or escrow companies (TC, Agent).

Phase 7: Final walk-through

1. Schedule the walk-through for the window your contract allows, usually shortly before closing (TC).
2. Send the client a short list of what to look for and who to call if repairs were promised (Agent).
3. Record the outcome and file any signed amendment or credit (TC).

Phase 8: Closing day

1. Reconfirm time, place, signers and ID requirements the day before (TC).
2. Confirm the funds and wire instructions are verified by phone using a known number, never from an email alone (Lender, Title, client).
3. Track signing, funding and recording, and tell the agent the moment each happens (TC).
4. Arrange keys and possession (Agent).

Phase 9: Post-close

1. Upload final documents and complete the file for brokerage compliance review (TC).
2. Update the CRM: closing date, price, source, and a client anniversary reminder (TC).
3. Send the thank-you and review request in the agent’s voice (Agent approves, TC sends).
4. Close out commission paperwork according to your brokerage’s process (TC, Agent).

The checklist at a glance

Which documents belong in every file?

Exact lists vary by brokerage and state, but these turn up in almost every residential file:

• Fully executed purchase contract and every addendum or amendment
• Agency and representation agreements
• Seller disclosures and the buyer’s acknowledgement of receipt (state-specific, such as Texas’s Property Code 5.008 seller’s disclosure)
• Earnest money receipt
• Inspection reports, repair requests and responses
• Pre-approval or proof of funds, and loan approval letter
• Title commitment, HOA documents and payoff information
• Closing Disclosure and final settlement statement
• Commission and referral agreements, and the compliance checklist your broker uses

What should you template?

Template anything you send more than twice a month. A short list covers most of the saving:

• The introduction email to the other side, lender and title
• Weekly status updates to the client
• Inspection scheduling and document request messages
• Day-before-closing reminder
• The checklist itself, saved as a template per transaction type (buy side, list side, dual)

Keep the tone of client messages personal. We cover where automation helps and where it hurts in our post on automating transaction coordination without losing the personal touch.

Where do dotloop, SkySlope and zipForm fit?

These platforms hold the file, signatures and checklists, but they do not know your dates are wrong. We work in dotloop and SkySlope for clients, and zipForm is the third tool commonly used for forms. The principle is the same in all of them: one file per deal, one checklist per transaction type, and no parallel spreadsheet that drifts out of sync.

What this looked like for a client

Susanna Castro came to us for full transaction coordination. We ran her deals in dotloop and SkySlope with a single source of truth for each file and a standardised checklist behind every transaction, and we coordinated between agents, lenders and title. We also handled her MLS data entry and listing upkeep. We are not sharing numbers beyond that; the Susanna Castro case study has the full write-up.

When a checklist is not enough

A checklist cannot rescue a contract with unclear dates or a client who stops answering. It also does not replace the licensee’s judgement on negotiation or legal questions. If your volume is low, a good template may be all you need; if you are juggling several files at once, a coordinator earns their place, and our comparison of a transaction coordinator and a virtual assistant explains the options.

Dates are where files fail, so read the deadlines that kill deals and how to track them next. If you would like help running this process, see our transaction coordinator service.