Transaction coordinator in Oregon: OREF 001 deadlines, licensing and escrow

What does a transaction coordinator do on an Oregon deal?

Oregon residential sales are commonly written on forms from Oregon Real Estate Forms, whose Residential Real Estate Sale Agreement is OREF 001. Its deadlines are mostly counted in business days and end at 5:00 p.m., unlike the California and Washington forms, which count mostly in calendar days. A coordinator turns the signed agreement into a dated task list, then keeps the lender, escrow and the other agent on track through closing.

Closings run through a licensed escrow agent, often a title company with an escrow license. Outside Washington County there is no transfer tax to calculate.

Does a transaction coordinator need a license in Oregon?

Oregon's regulator has said the role is undefined. In a Commissioner's Column from June 2026, edited in August, the Oregon Real Estate Agency wrote: "As the TC does not exist in statute or rule, from a regulatory perspective we need to evaluate it as any other self-ascribed job title not defined in Oregon real estate law, such as sales associate, advisor, consultant, etc. — by the nature of activity being performed."

The activity that matters most for coordinators is in the list of licensed functions the column quotes. It covers anyone who "assists or directs in the negotiation or closing of any transaction calculated or intended to result in the sale, exchange, leasing or rental of real estate". An unlicensed coordinator has to stay on the administrative side of that line. The column raises three more points for agents:

• A licensed broker who coordinates on the side cannot do it under a second business name. OAR 863-014-0095(10) says no broker "may engage in professional real estate activities under more than one registered business name."
• Paying another firm's licensee goes through their principal broker. ORS 696.290(3) says a "managing principal broker may not make payment to the real estate broker of another managing principal broker except through the managing principal broker with whom the real estate broker is associated."
• Confidentiality travels with the file. The column says an agent hiring a coordinator "needs to ensure that confidentiality requirements are understood by all parties and addressed appropriately in writing."

The subject is still moving. The column said the Agency had been asked to put coordinators on a future Real Estate Board agenda, and the Board's August 3, 2026 meeting listed "Transaction Coordinators" under new business, along with the results of a coordinator survey. Check the Agency's site for anything newer before you rely on this section.

What are the default deadlines in OREF 001?

The figures below come from the public sample of OREF 001, released 01/2026. Each applies only if the blank is left empty.

The form defines a Business Day as Monday through Friday, except Oregon and federal official holidays. Counting starts on the first full day after the Effective Date or the triggering event, and unless the agreement says otherwise, every deadline ends at 5:00 p.m. on its last day in the property's time zone. A buyer who misses the deposit deadline by 5:00 p.m. is in breach under section 31.3.

The inspection clause has its own notice. If buyer and seller have not agreed on repairs, a buyer who wants out sends OREF 064, the notice of unconditional disapproval, by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the Inspection Period. The form spells out what happens when that notice does not arrive in time, so the date belongs on the task list. Our guide to counting contract days by form and the contract deadline calculator are useful when a business-day period runs across a holiday.

How long does a buyer have to revoke after the seller's disclosure?

Five business days. ORS 105.475 gives a buyer who has not waived the right "five business days after delivery of the seller's property disclosure statement to revoke the buyer's offer by delivering to the seller a separate signed written statement of revocation disapproving the seller's disclosure." If the seller never provides the statement, the revocation right stays open until it is terminated under subsection (3) of the statute.

OREF 001 adds one timing detail. When the seller delivers the disclosure before the Effective Date, the five-day period begins on the Effective Date.

Who handles closing in Oregon?

A licensed escrow agent. ORS 696.511(1) says a person may not act as an escrow agent in Oregon "unless the person holds an active license as an escrow agent", and the Real Estate Agency licenses them. The Agency describes an escrow agent as a neutral party who holds the money, instructions and documents until every condition is met. Some escrow agents also sell title insurance, though title insurers are regulated separately.

Section 30 of OREF 001 names the escrow on the contract and requires "a neutral escrow company licensed and located in the State of Oregon." It splits escrow costs and any transfer tax equally between buyer and seller, and has the seller pay for the owner's title policy. A national title insurer's chart of closing customs shows the same pattern, with buyers usually paying for extended coverage and endorsements.

Does Oregon have a real estate transfer tax?

Only in Washington County. In 2012 Oregon voters passed Measure 79, with 58.89% voting yes, adding a constitutional ban on new taxes on real property transfers. The ban exempted any such tax in effect on December 31, 2009, and the measure's explanatory statement pointed to the real estate transfer tax in Washington County.

Washington County charges $1 per $1,000 of the selling price. The county says liability for the tax is between buyer and seller, and the tax must be paid, or an exemption filed, within 15 days of recording. On a $545,000 home that comes to $545, split equally under the OREF 001 default.

Which MLS serves Oregon?

Mostly RMLS, based in Portland. It describes itself as the primary MLS in 21 of Oregon's 36 counties, including Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Lane, plus five counties across the Columbia in Washington. It serves about 14,000 subscribers, and its shareholders are the Portland Metro, East Metro and Clark County associations of REALTORS. The Willamette Valley MLS, based in Salem, has about 3,500 subscribers on RESO's list.

A file in Clark County, Washington, can sit in RMLS while Washington law governs the sale. Coordinators who work both sides of the river should confirm the state on every new file.

How is the Portland market moving?

Portland is the state's main market, and RMLS publishes a monthly Market Action report for the metro. Homes took longer to sell in September 2026, and fewer offers were accepted than a year earlier.

Over the first nine months of 2026, closed sales were up 2.3% on 2025, at 16,973, so the year as a whole is still ahead.

What does a transaction coordinator cost in Oregon?

We found no Oregon TC firm publishing prices. Two national companies list $350 and $400 a file for states other than California, and the 20 public price cards we read in October 2026 ran from $300 to $550 for one side. The Real Estate Board's August 2026 survey summary listed "paid at closing" 32 times and flat-fee or invoice payment 14 times. The TC fee per file calculator compares those prices with a salaried hire.

What should you ask before hiring an Oregon TC?

Ask whether they hold a license, and if so, how they are paid through their principal broker. Ask what they do and do not say to the other side, given the Agency's focus on negotiation, and put the confidentiality terms in writing. Then run their process against our transaction coordinator checklist and note any gaps.

Freelance TC, TC company or DeedSpring: which fits a Oregon 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.