Transaction coordinator in Ohio: contracts, disclosure rules and costs

What does a transaction coordinator do in Ohio?

An Ohio coordinator keeps a signed purchase contract moving to closing: earnest money to the holder, inspection and loan dates on the calendar, the title agent and lender supplied with what they need, and every signature collected. The tricky part in Ohio is that there is no single contract. The Ohio Land Title Association counts more than 30 separate multiple listing services in the state, and the larger markets have long had their own forms. The Columbus and Cincinnati-Dayton REALTOR forms are the examples it names.

In 2023 Ohio REALTORS introduced a statewide Residential Real Estate Purchase Contract, and OLTA reported it being adopted by a growing number of MLSs and brokers. A coordinator taking on files across the state should therefore start every file by asking which form was signed, because paragraph numbers and default periods will not carry over from one to another.

Does a transaction coordinator need a license in Ohio?

Ohio has no transaction coordinator license. The Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing addressed personal assistants in a Fall 2012 newsletter. An unlicensed assistant "may provide only clerical support services", such as filing, taking messages and scheduling appointments, and "may not provide property-related information or services." They may deliver documents but should not discuss or interpret them, and should not sign documents for the licensee or the client.

A licensed assistant can do anything a licensed agent can, but only in the name of and on behalf of the broker, and any commission or fee must be paid by the broker. The Division adds that a salesperson can pay an assistant directly only when the assistant is a regular W-2 employee doing work that needs no license. Acting as an agent without a license is a first-degree misdemeanor under ORC 4735.99, so the line matters.

What does the Ohio REALTORS contract ask a TC to track?

We could not read the members-only form itself, so the summary below comes from OLTA's published walk-through of the contract by a title company general counsel. Several of its paragraphs are choices the parties make rather than fixed dates, which is exactly what a coordinator needs to record at the start.

Paragraphs 20 and 21 together decide what closing day looks like. If the parties chose disbursement of the sale proceeds as the moment the deal is closed, a file funded at noon is not finished until the seller is paid, and the coordinator should keep the title agent on the thread until that happens. If the seller is staying on after closing, the move-out date becomes its own deadline, with keys, utilities and the final walk-through to arrange around it. Neither date comes from a default, so both have to be read off the signed contract and confirmed with each agent in the first week.

Dower deserves a line on every Ohio checklist. If the seller is married and the spouse is not on title, the closing may need that spouse to release dower, and a coordinator who learns this at the closing table has a problem. Use the contract deadline calculator once you know the form's counting rule, and see our guide to day counting by contract form for why the rule differs between forms.

When can an Ohio buyer rescind over the disclosure form?

Ohio sellers of most homes owe the buyer the state's Residential Property Disclosure Form. Under ORC 5302.30(K) a buyer who did not get it before entering the contract may rescind. The written rescission must arrive within three business days after the buyer or the buyer's agent receives the form, and no later than the earlier of closing or 30 days after the seller accepted the offer. A buyer who received the form before making the offer has no rescission right. For a coordinator, the fix is simple: get the signed disclosure into the buyer's hands before the offer goes in.

Who holds the money and closes an Ohio sale?

Under ORC 4735.24, in the version effective March 2, 2026, a broker holding earnest money keeps it in the trust account until the deal closes, both parties sign written instructions, or a court orders a release. A purchase agreement may also provide that in a dispute the broker returns the deposit to the buyer unless, within two years, it receives signed instructions or notice of a lawsuit. OLTA notes that any holder under the Ohio REALTORS contract, title agents included, holds on those same terms.

The seller pays the conveyance fee. The County Commissioners Association of Ohio explains that the state's mandatory fee is $1 per $1,000 of value and that counties may add a permissive fee of up to $3 per $1,000. In the calendar 2024 data, 62 counties charged the full permissive $3. Franklin County charges $3 per $1,000 in total, made up of the state's $1 and the county's $2, and drops to $1 when the seller receives the homestead exemption. The fee is paid to the county auditor before the deed goes to the recorder.

Which associations and MLSs will an Ohio TC meet?

Ohio REALTORS is the state association and publishes statewide sales figures compiled by RPR from MLS data. Below it sit the local boards and the 30-plus MLSs OLTA counted, which is why forms, addenda and showing rules change as you cross the state.

How many homes sell in Ohio?

According to Ohio REALTORS, 126,015 homes sold in 2025, up 1% on 2024. The average sale price for the year was $256,775, 6% higher than the year before. In December 2025 alone 10,075 homes sold, up 6.9% on December 2024, at a statewide median of $250,000.

What is different around Cleveland and elsewhere in Ohio?

Some Cuyahoga County suburbs, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights among them, require a point-of-sale inspection before a home can even be put under contract, and that changes when a coordinator's work begins.

• Cleveland Heights. Owners must obtain a Certificate of Inspection before entering into an agreement to sell and give the buyer a copy before the contract is signed. The inspection costs $200 for the first unit. A buyer may assume violations, but if Class A violations remain, money must be escrowed before title transfers.
• Shaker Heights. A certificate is required before any agreement to sell and is valid for 24 months. Under the city's escrow requirements, uncorrected violations mean the buyer escrows 150% of the estimated repair cost, at least $100, and the check is due to the city within three days after transfer.
• Dayton and Toledo areas. OLTA notes the short proration method is customary in Montgomery and Lucas counties and nearby areas, which changes the tax figures on the settlement statement.

What does a transaction coordinator cost in Ohio?

Expect a flat per-file quote from most independent TCs. When we gathered 21 published price cards from around the country in October 2026, one side cost from $300 to $550, and most of those firms dropped the fee if the sale fell through. In Ohio, remember that a licensed assistant's fee has to be paid by the broker. Run your numbers through the per-file fee calculator before you compare quotes.

How do you hire a transaction coordinator in Ohio?

Ask which contract forms the coordinator works with day to day, and whether they know your MLS's form or only the statewide one. Confirm whether they are licensed, and if so that their fee will be paid through your broker as the Division requires. An unlicensed TC should be doing clerical work only, which rules out explaining the contract to your client.

Then check the Ohio specifics: do they put dower on the checklist, get the disclosure form signed before the offer and know which suburbs need a point-of-sale certificate? Our coordinator checklist template covers the rest of a full file.

Freelance TC, TC company or DeedSpring: which fits a Ohio agent?

The table sets the usual options side by side. A good freelance TC is worth every dollar on a messy file. What most agents are really paying for, though, is someone who never misses a date and always chases the lender. Software does that on every file at once.

To see what the gap means across a year of files, put your numbers into the TC fee per file calculator.

Compare plans on the DeedSpring pricing page.