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Transaction coordinator checklist
The 37 items a transaction coordinator checks on a purchase file, in six phases from intake to post-closing, each with the TREC 20-19 or C.A.R. RPA paragraph that sets its clock.
Transaction coordinator checklist
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For transaction coordinators and the agents who work with them. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
What's in it
Each row names the item, who owns it, what triggers it, the contract basis for its due date, what counts as evidence it is done, what to do if it fails, and whether it varies by state or brokerage policy. Three blank columns at the end are for the date done, who did it and where the proof is filed.
The checklist was written for our article Transaction coordinator checklist: the 37 items from executed contract to closed file, which explains each item and where its clock comes from.
Every row
The full checklist, as it is in the file. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
| Id | Phase | Item | Owner | Trigger | Due date basis | Evidence | If it fails | Varies by state or policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Intake and file setup | Receive the complete executed contract: every page, every addendum listed in ¶22, all counteroffers, all signatures and initials. | TC | Agent forwards the executed contract | Same business day (Eff + 0) | Page count matches the form (TREC 20-19 runs 12 pages); the ¶22 addenda boxes are reconciled against the attachments; initials present on every page | Return it to the agent the same day and log an intake defect; calculate no deadline from an incomplete contract | |
| 0.2 | Intake and file setup | Confirm and record the Effective Date (TREC) or Acceptance (C.A.R.) in the file header, with the page it came from. | TC; agent confirms | Executed contract received | Eff + 0 | TREC's execution block reads “EXECUTED the ___ day of ___, 20__ (Effective Date). (BROKER: FILL IN THE DATE OF FINAL ACCEPTANCE.)” — record what is written there. C.A.R. defines Acceptance in ¶30A | Blank or disputed date → the agent confirms it with the other side in writing before any deadline is published | Definition differs by form |
| 0.3 | Intake and file setup | Record the governing form ID and revision, and copy the day-counting rule that applies. | TC | Executed contract received | Eff + 0 | Form ID and revision (for example “TREC 20-19, 05-04-2026”) and the counting-rule text (TREC ¶5A(2); C.A.R. ¶30F–H) in the file notes | Attorney-drafted, builder or out-of-state form → flag for specialist review; do not infer defaults | Varies by form and revision |
| 0.4 | Intake and file setup | Create the file in the brokerage system of record and apply the correct checklist type. | TC | File header confirmed | Eff + 1 business day is our default; brokerage policy governs. eXp Commercial's public knowledge base, for example, says “within two business days of execution” | File created with required fields complete. SkySlope's help says a file “will have an Incomplete status if all of the required tabs haven't been filled out,” and lists Acceptance Date and Closing Date among the fields a company can require | Incomplete status → finish the required tabs; wrong checklist type → change it before any document is submitted | Brokerage policy |
| 0.5 | Intake and file setup | Build the deadline calendar from the contract and get the agent's written approval. | TC drafts; agent approves | File created | Eff + 1 business day (practice) | Dated timeline in the file; the agent's approval message kept with it | Disagreement over a date → resolve it against the contract text, not memory; broker if the two sides disagree | |
| 0.6 | Intake and file setup | Send the introduction email with the deadline timeline to the client, co-op agent, lender and title/escrow. | TC | Calendar approved | Eff + 1 business day (practice; a Texas TC business lists it as steps 2 and 4 of its contract-to-close sequence) | Sent email in the file; recipients confirmed | Bounce or wrong contact → correct contact from the agent the same day | |
| 0.7 | Intake and file setup | Deliver the executed contract to title/escrow and confirm receipt — in Texas this starts the title-commitment clock. | TC | File created | Eff + 1 business day. TREC ¶6B: “Within 20 days after the Title Company receives a copy of this contract” — the clock runs from title's receipt, not from the Effective Date | Title's contract-receipt acknowledgment (the TREC form carries a Contract Receipt block) or the escrow file number | No acknowledgment within one business day → call title; until they have it, the 20-day clock has not started | Texas clock; other states vary |
| 0.8 | Intake and file setup | Make the first brokerage compliance submission. | TC, or the agent where the system requires it | Contract uploaded | Per brokerage policy | The system's submission status. dotloop: a TC added to a loop as “On my team” “cannot submit on behalf of the agent”; SkySlope: the Limited TC role can “Submit documents for review to the Checklist” | TC lacks permission → the agent submits; log who submitted and when | Brokerage system and policy |
| 1.1 | Money and the option or investigation period | Confirm earnest money (and the option fee, where the form has one) reached the escrow agent named in the contract. | TC confirms; buyer and agent deliver | Eff | TREC ¶5A: “Within 3 days after the Effective Date”; ¶5A(2) extends a last day that “falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Legal Holiday” to “the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or Legal Holiday.” C.A.R. ¶3A: 3 business days after Acceptance. Other states: read the contract | The escrow agent's receipt saved in the file (TREC has Earnest Money and Option Fee receipt blocks) | Not delivered on time → tell the agent immediately. TREC ¶5C: “Seller may terminate this contract … by providing notice to Buyer before Buyer delivers the earnest money” | Varies by state and form |
| 1.2 | Money and the option or investigation period | Calendar the Option Period or investigation-contingency end and the notice cut-off time. | TC | Eff | TREC ¶5B: the blank number of days after the Effective Date; “Notices under this paragraph must be given by 5:00 p.m. (local time where the Property is located) by the date specified.” C.A.R. ¶14B(1): “17 (or ___) Days After Acceptance” | Calendar entry with the cut-off time and two reminders set (practice: a two-day warning and a same-day call) | Blank number of days → treat as no option period and confirm with the agent | Varies by state and form |
| 1.3 | Money and the option or investigation period | Confirm inspections are booked early enough to negotiate repairs inside the period. | TC confirms; agent and buyer book | Option Period set | Practice: booked at least five days before the period ends. dotloop's TC email templates ask the buyer to “schedule your inspection no later than 2 days before” the inspection date | Inspection appointment confirmation in the file | Inspector unavailable → the agent decides whether to request a written extension before the deadline | |
| 1.4 | Money and the option or investigation period | Track the repair request or amendment to full signature; deliver the executed amendment to title and lender. | TC | Buyer's decision inside the period | Before the Option Period cut-off | Fully executed amendment in the file; delivery confirmations from title and lender | Not signed by the deadline → the agent decides. This list keeps advice on terms with the agent; in Texas, TREC's guidance reads “An unlicensed assistant cannot review a contract or facilitate a transaction” | Texas rule quoted; check your state |
| 1.5 | Money and the option or investigation period | Recompute every downstream date after any amendment that changes a date. | TC | Executed amendment received | Same day | Updated timeline re-sent to all parties; file note “dates recomputed from Amendment [n]” | Dates kept in more than one place (calendar, task list, email) drift silently — update every copy or retire the extra copies | |
| 1.6 | Money and the option or investigation period | Confirm the Seller's Disclosure Notice was received and record the receipt date. | TC tracks | Eff | TREC ¶7B(2): “Buyer may terminate this contract for any reason within 7 days after Buyer receives the Seller's Disclosure Notice or prior to the closing, whichever first occurs.” C.A.R. ¶14A: “SELLER HAS: 7 (or ___) Days After Acceptance” | Signed disclosure in the file with its receipt date | Not delivered → inform the agent and record the date you asked for it | Varies by state and form |
| 1.7 | Money and the option or investigation period | Confirm the lead-based paint disclosure is on file for a pre-1978 dwelling. | TC confirms | Intake | EPA: “Before a homebuyer signs a contract for a housing sale” the seller and agents must disclose; and “Provide homebuyers a 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment … Parties may mutually agree, in writing, to lengthen or shorten the time period for inspection” | Signed lead disclosure or addendum in the file; EPA: “Keep a signed copy of the disclosures for three years after the sale is completed” | Missing on a pre-1978 home → broker and agent the same day; the legal effect is a specialist question | Federal rule; most pre-1978 housing |
| 1.8 | Money and the option or investigation period | Order and track HOA or subdivision information; calendar the buyer's termination window. | TC | Eff | TREC 36-11 ¶A: “Buyer may terminate the contract within 3 days after Buyer receives the Subdivision Information or prior to closing, whichever occurs first.” C.A.R. ¶7F(1): “SELLER HAS: 7 (or ___) Days After Acceptance to disclose to Buyer if the Property is a condominium, or is located in a planned development”; ¶7F(2): if it is, “Seller has 3 (or ___) Days After Acceptance to request from the HOA” the documents | HOA package delivery date and documents in the file | Not delivered → agent informed, with the date it was requested | Varies by state and form |
| 2.1 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Confirm the buyer applied for the loan and the lender holds the executed contract. | TC confirms | Eff | TREC 40-11 ¶1: apply promptly. C.A.R. ¶3J(1): prequalification or pre-approval letter within 3 Days After Acceptance. CFPB: the Loan Estimate is due “no later than the third business day after receipt of the consumer's ‘application’” | Lender confirmation email; Loan Estimate date noted | No Loan Estimate within three business days of a complete application → the buyer asks the lender; the TC notes the dates | Federal rule for the Loan Estimate; contract terms vary |
| 2.2 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Calendar the Buyer Approval or loan-contingency deadline, and log a lender status check three days before it. | TC | Eff | TREC 40-11 ¶2A: “within ___ days after the Effective Date” — no default. C.A.R. 12/18 sample ¶3J(3): “Within 21 (or ___) Days After Acceptance”; a practitioner blog reports 17 in the current revision, which we could not view | Deadline on the timeline; lender status logged | Approval not obtained → the agent handles any termination; 40-11 ¶2A requires “(i) notice of termination; and (ii) a copy of a written statement from the lender” | Varies by state, form and revision |
| 2.3 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Track the appraisal order and receipt, and the appraisal contingency. | TC | Loan application | TREC 40-11 ¶2B (Property Approval): buyer “may terminate this contract on or before the 3rd day before the Closing Date.” C.A.R. ¶3I: “within 17 (or ___) Days After Acceptance” | Appraisal receipt date; appraised value against price noted for the agent | Low appraisal → agent and lender decide; the TC records which clause governs | Varies by state and form |
| 2.4 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Confirm homeowners (and flood, if required) insurance is bound and proof sent to the lender. | TC tracks; buyer binds | Conditional approval | Lender practice. One lender's public checklist asks for insurance “at least 7 days prior to closing” | Binder or declarations page in the file; lender acknowledgment | Not bound → no clear-to-close; escalate to the agent at COE − 10 | Lender policy |
| 2.5 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Track conditional approval, conditions cleared and clear to close. | TC | Underwriting | Lender milestone dates logged as they land (practice) | Clear-to-close confirmation from the lender | No clear-to-close by COE − 5 → agent and lender call; extension amendment considered | |
| 2.6 | Financing, appraisal and insurance | Lender-required repairs: get the written agreement on who pays. | TC tracks | Appraisal or underwriting | Before the Closing Date | Written agreement in the file | TREC ¶7E: “If the parties do not agree to pay for the lender required repairs or treatments, this contract will terminate”; above 5% of the Sales Price, “Buyer may terminate” | Texas form quoted |
| 3.1 | Title, survey and curative work | Confirm the title commitment and exception documents reached the buyer, and log the delivery date. | TC tracks; title delivers | Title receives the contract (item 0.7) | TREC ¶6B: 20 days after receipt; if late, “the time for delivery will be automatically extended up to 15 days or 3 days before the Closing Date, whichever is earlier” | Commitment PDF with its delivery date in the file | Not delivered in time → alert the agent the same day | Texas clock; other states vary |
| 3.2 | Title, survey and curative work | Survey: existing survey plus the T-47 or T-47.1 furnished, or a new survey ordered. | TC tracks | Eff | TREC ¶6C: the blank number of days after the Effective Date under the box checked; if the seller fails to furnish both, “Buyer shall obtain a new survey at Seller's expense no later than 3 days prior to Closing Date” | Survey and affidavit or declaration in the file; title and lender acceptance | Title or lender rejects the existing survey → new survey at the expense of the party ¶6C(1) names | Texas form |
| 3.3 | Title, survey and curative work | Calendar the buyer's title and survey objection deadline. | TC calendars; agent advises the buyer | Receipt of the Commitment, Exception Documents and survey | TREC ¶6D: “Buyer must object the earlier of (i) the Closing Date or (ii) ___ days after Buyer receives the Commitment, Exception Documents, and the survey”; the seller cures “within 15 days after Seller receives the objections (Cure Period)”; if not cured, the buyer acts “within 5 days after the end of the Cure Period” | Objection letter and delivery proof, or a note that the deadline passed with no objection | Objections not cured → the agent handles the buyer's terminate-or-waive decision inside the ¶6D window | Texas form |
| 3.4 | Title, survey and curative work | Confirm Schedule C requirements and the seller's payoff are ordered. | TC confirms with title | Commitment received | Before COE − 7 (practice) | Title's confirmation that curative items are in progress | Unreleased lien, probate or power of attorney → agent and title the same day | |
| 4.1 | Pre-closing | Request the commission disbursement authorization (CDA/DA), get brokerage approval, and deliver it to title. | TC requests; brokerage approves | File passes compliance review | Practice: COE − 7 to COE − 10. eXp Commercial sends the CDA “7 to 10 days prior to closing”; Texas TC Services orders it “within 7-10 days of closing” | Approved CDA in the file; title acknowledgment | Brokerage holds the CDA until the file is approved → clear the returned items first | Brokerage policy |
| 4.2 | Pre-closing | Collect repair receipts and transferable warranties. | TC collects | Repair amendment executed | TREC ¶7F: before the Closing Date; if incomplete, Buyer may “extend the Closing Date up to 5 days” | Invoices showing scope and payment; warranty documents | Not complete → the agent decides between the ¶15 remedies and the 5-day extension | Texas form quoted |
| 4.3 | Pre-closing | Confirm the buyer received the Closing Disclosure and record the date. | TC confirms; lender issues | Clear to close | CFPB: “A creditor must ensure that a consumer receives an initial Closing Disclosure no later than three business days before consummation.” The same FAQ says three kinds of change — the APR becoming inaccurate, the loan product information becoming inaccurate, or a prepayment penalty being added — each “triggers a new three business-day waiting period” | Buyer's confirmation of the receipt date | Not received three business days before the scheduled signing → tell the agent and lender the same day; re-send the timeline once the lender confirms the signing date | Federal rule for most closed-end mortgages |
| 4.4 | Pre-closing | Review the settlement statement against the contract and the CDA with the agent. | TC prepares; agent approves | Draft statement from title | COE − 2 (practice) | Agent's sign-off; corrections sent to title | Figures do not match → title corrects before signing | |
| 4.5 | Pre-closing | Schedule the final walk-through. | TC | COE − 5 | C.A.R. ¶15: “within 5 (or ___) Days Prior to Close Of Escrow, NOT AS A CONTINGENCY OF THE SALE.” TREC 20-19 has no walk-through paragraph; in Texas this item is practice | Appointment confirmation | Access denied → the agent escalates to the listing agent | Varies by state and form |
| 4.6 | Pre-closing | Send the wire-verification protocol to the buyer: call a known number before sending funds. | TC | COE − 5 | Before any funds move | Buyer acknowledges in writing that they will verify by phone | Changed instructions arrive → stop; verify by phone with a number you already had; report it | |
| 4.7 | Pre-closing | Set the closing appointment and send the what-to-expect email (ID, funds, keys, utilities). | TC | Clear to close | COE − 3 (practice) | Email in the file; appointment confirmed with title | Party unavailable → mobile notary or mail-away arranged with title | |
| 5.1 | Closing, funding and file close-out | Confirm funding and recording; confirm possession under the contract. | TC | Signing complete | COE | Funding and recording confirmations; key-release note | Funding delayed → the agent informs the parties; check the contract's possession paragraph (TREC ¶10) before any keys are released | Varies by form |
| 5.2 | Closing, funding and file close-out | Upload the final closing documents and submit the file for final brokerage review. | TC | Funding | COE + 1 business day | Brokerage status shows approved or closed in the system of record | Returned items → fix and resubmit | Brokerage policy |
| 5.3 | Closing, funding and file close-out | Deliver the client's file copy; remind the agent of post-closing tasks. | TC | File approved | COE + 2 (practice) | Delivery email | None — this item closes the client-facing work | |
| 5.4 | Closing, funding and file close-out | Confirm the brokerage record is complete for the retention period. | TC confirms; broker owns | File approved | Retention periods by state, each with its own trigger date in the statute: Texas 22 TAC §535.2(h) four years; California B&P §10148 three years; Florida §475.5015 five years; Colorado Rule 6.20 four years | Archived status in the system of record | Documents that exist only in email → upload them before archiving | Varies by state |
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