Transaction Coordination Playbook
Contract-to-Close Transaction Coordination Checklist
The Contract-to-Close Transaction Coordination Checklist is the deadline-by-deadline runbook a transaction coordinator or broker-owner uses to move a residential deal from mutual acceptance to a funded, recorded closing without a single dropped date. It's built for the person managing 15 to 40 files at once — the one who lives by earnest-money receipts, inspection deadlines, appraisal windows, loan contingency removals, and the clear-to-close. Deals die the same two ways every time: a missed date or a missing signature. This checklist maps the full critical path — intake, escrow, disclosures, inspections, financing, title, settlement, and post-close compliance — so nothing slips between the agent, lender, title company, and client. Copy it into your TC workflow, adapt the deadlines to your state's contract, and run every file the same way. Use it as your compliance backbone so your closing files pass a brokerage audit the first time.
1. Contract Intake & File Setup (Day 0–1)
- Confirm the contract is fully executed — every page, initial, signature, and addendum present and legible
- Calculate and log all critical dates from the effective date: earnest money due, inspection, appraisal, loan approval/commitment, title, walk-through, and closing (COE)
- Open the transaction file and save the executed purchase agreement plus the MLS sheet
- Send an intro email with a contact roster to the agent, co-op agent, lender, title/escrow, and client
- Confirm commission split and any referral agreement are on file
- Verify which state and brokerage forms are required (agency disclosure, seller's property disclosure, lead-based paint for pre-1978 homes)
2. Earnest Money & Escrow Opening
- Confirm the earnest money deposit (EMD) was delivered by the contract deadline and obtain a receipt
- Deposit the EMD per brokerage trust-account rules, or confirm delivery to the title/escrow holder
- Open escrow with the title company and record the escrow/file number
- Send the fully executed contract and all addenda to title/escrow and the lender
- Confirm the title company has ordered the preliminary title commitment
- Diary the EMD receipt in the file for the audit trail
3. Disclosures & Contingencies
- Deliver the seller's property disclosure to the buyer and obtain a signed acknowledgment
- Deliver the lead-based paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet for any home built before 1978
- Send HOA/condo docs, CC&Rs, and the resale certificate; track the buyer's review period
- Track the inspection contingency: schedule window, report receipt, and repair-request deadline
- Track the appraisal and financing contingency removal deadlines and note any appraisal-gap terms
- Confirm every amendment or addendum is signed by all parties and filed
4. Inspections & Repairs
- Confirm the buyer scheduled the home inspection and any specialty inspections (sewer/septic, roof, radon, termite/WDO, pool)
- Collect all inspection reports and the repair request before the contingency deadline
- Route repair negotiation between agents and document agreed repairs or credits in writing
- Confirm completed repairs with paid invoices and/or a reinspection
- Update the file with the signed repair addendum
5. Financing & Appraisal
- Confirm the buyer's loan application is submitted and capture the lender contact
- Track the appraisal ordered, completed, and value versus contract price
- If the appraisal comes in low, route a reconsideration or renegotiation and document the resolution
- Confirm loan approval / conditional approval and the clear-to-close (CTC) date
- Remind the buyer: no new credit, large deposits, or job changes until closing (protect the loan)
- Confirm homeowner's/hazard insurance is bound and the binder is delivered to the lender
6. Title, Survey & HOA
- Review the title commitment for liens, easements, and exceptions
- Order or confirm the survey if required and resolve any encroachments
- Order payoff figures on the seller's existing mortgage(s) and any liens
- Order the HOA estoppel/dues certificate and confirm transfer fees
- Clear title exceptions and confirm the file is clean-to-close from title
7. Closing Prep, Walk-Through & Settlement
- Confirm closing date, time, and location (or e-closing/RON details) with all parties
- Review the draft Closing Disclosure / ALTA settlement statement for accuracy — commission, credits, and prorations
- Verify the buyer's cash-to-close and wire instructions by phone to a known number (wire-fraud prevention)
- Order the home warranty if it is called for in the contract
- Schedule the final walk-through 24–48 hours before closing and confirm repairs and condition
- Confirm signing/notarization is complete, loan funded, and the deed recorded per your state's process
8. Post-Close File Closeout
- Send the fully executed closing package and Closing Disclosure to the client for their tax records
- Confirm commission received and disbursed to the agent
- Complete the brokerage compliance review — every required document signed, dated, and present
- Archive the file per your record-retention policy
- Trigger client follow-up: review request, referral ask, and CRM close-out
This checklist is a customizable operational template, not legal, tax, or compliance advice. Contract deadlines, required disclosures, agency and trust-account rules, and closing procedures vary by state, association, and brokerage. Have your managing broker and qualified counsel review and adapt it to your jurisdiction, contract forms, and MLS rules before relying on it.
Put it to work.
Within 24 hours of mutual acceptance, work Section 1 top to bottom and load every deadline from the executed contract into your calendar or CRM.
Assign an owner (TC or agent) to each section and work the checklist in order — each phase gates the next.
Check off items with a date and initials so the file doubles as your brokerage compliance audit trail.
At closing, complete the post-close section before archiving so no compliance document or client follow-up is missed.
Questions, answered.
What's the difference between the effective date and the closing date?
The effective date is the day the contract becomes binding (last signature/mutual acceptance), and every contingency deadline counts from it. The closing date (COE) is when the deed records and funds disburse. Your entire timeline is built off the effective date, so confirm it first.
When should earnest money be deposited?
By the deadline stated in your purchase contract — often one to three business days after the effective date. Confirm delivery, get a receipt, and diary it. A late or missing EMD is one of the most common early breaches and it's the TC's job to catch it.
Who tracks contingency deadlines — the agent or the coordinator?
In most shops the transaction coordinator owns the calendar and sends the reminders, but the licensed agent remains responsible for the client. This checklist keeps both aligned so no inspection, appraisal, or financing deadline passes unnoticed.
How do I protect a closing against wire fraud?
Never rely on wire instructions sent by email alone. Verify the title/escrow account details by calling a known, independent phone number before the buyer wires cash-to-close, and warn clients that legitimate instructions almost never change at the last minute.
Can I use this checklist in any state?
Yes, as a framework — but contract forms, disclosure requirements, and whether closings happen at a table or through escrow vary by state. Adjust the deadlines and required forms to match your state's contract and your brokerage's compliance list.
Stop re-typing it every time.
The Brokerage OS auto-calculates every one of these deadlines the moment a contract is uploaded and pings the agent, lender, and title company — so nothing on this checklist has to be tracked by hand.
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