The transaction coordinator process runs roughly 30 days from executed contract to recorded deed on a standard residential file. A contract to close coordinator (the more literal name for the TC role) takes on the bulk of that coordination work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, real estate professionals coordinate with lenders, attorneys, inspectors, and other stakeholders throughout each transaction. This guide maps the full transaction coordinator process week by week: what the TC does, when, which parties they coordinate with, and what the agent's involvement looks like at each stage.
Key takeaways
- The TC process runs ~30 days on a standard residential file (14-21 for cash, 45-60 for complicated)
- Week 1: intake, deadline calendar, earnest money, disclosure request
- Weeks 2-3: inspection, repair negotiation, financing tracking, title commitment
- Week 4: closing prep, closing disclosure review, signing coordination, recording
- Agent involvement: 3 touchpoints (intake hand-off, decision-point consultations, closing signing)
- Everything else is the TC's work
| Week | TC activity | Agent involvement |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Receives contract, clock starts | Forwards executed contract + party contacts (5-10 min) |
| Week 1 | Intake, deadline calendar, earnest money, disclosures, inspection scheduled | Reviews calendar (5 min) |
| Weeks 2-3 | Inspection, repair amendment, financing tracking, appraisal, title commitment | Decision points only (repair strategy, price adjustments) |
| Week 4 | Closing-disclosure review, signing coordination, commission demand | Attends signing if desired |
| Close day | Confirms recording, assembles broker file | Reviews final file (5 min) |
What does a contract to close coordinator actually do?
A contract to close coordinator owns the timeline from the executed offer through the recorded deed. The role is concentrated in the 30-day window where most files succeed or fail: tracking every contract-driven deadline, coordinating with the lender, title company, inspector, appraiser, opposing agent, and HOA, and assembling the broker file to state audit standards. The agent stays the decision-maker on negotiation and strategy; the coordinator handles execution. The work below describes that role day by day.
What does a transaction coordinator do on Day 0 (contract execution)?
The agent forwards the executed purchase agreement to the TC. This is the starting gun. Every deadline in the contract counts from this day (specifically from the Contract Acceptance Date, which is the date the last party signed). The agent's hand-off is typically an email with the executed contract attached plus any context (party contacts, known quirks, preferred vendors).
What does a transaction coordinator do in Week 1? (Days 1-7)
Day 1: TC receives the contract, verifies all signatures and dates, confirms the correct form for the deal type, builds the full deadline calendar, opens the broker file, and notifies the lender and title company. Agent gets an acknowledgement and the deadline calendar back the same business day.
Day 2: Earnest money routing confirmed. TC verifies the escrow holder (usually the title company), sends the buyer written delivery instructions, and begins tracking receipt.
Day 3-4: Earnest money receipt confirmed with the title company. Seller disclosure request issued to the listing side if disclosures haven't already been delivered.
Day 5-7: Seller disclosures received (or follow-up cadence escalated if they're late). Inspection scheduled with the buyer's preferred inspector. Title company opens the order and begins prelim title work.
At the end of Week 1: the file is fully opened, earnest money is receipted, disclosures are either delivered or being actively chased, and the inspection is on the calendar. In our TC work at Quill, Week 1 is where the file's tone is set; a clean, fast Week 1 tends to produce a calm Week 4, and a sloppy Week 1 almost always produces closing-week fire drills.
What happens in Weeks 2-3? (Days 8-21)
Inspection window (Days 8-14 typically): Inspection occurs. TC receives the inspection report. If the buyer's agent needs to negotiate repairs, the TC processes the repair amendment on the correct state-specific form (TREC 39 in Texas, standard addendum in Utah, CAR addendum in California) and routes it for countersigning. For Utah-specific deadlines (Due Diligence, Financing & Appraisal, Settlement), see the Utah REPC timeline guide.
Due Diligence / inspection contingency deadline: TC confirms whether the buyer is satisfied, contingency is removed (or negotiated resolution is signed), or the buyer is exercising their right to cancel. 48-hour and 24-hour reminders issued before the deadline.
Financing tracking (ongoing from Day 1): TC checks in with the lender weekly. By Week 2, conditional approval should be in progress. TC tracks underwriting conditions and confirms documentation is flowing from the buyer to the lender.
Appraisal (Days 10-18 typically): Appraisal ordered by the lender. TC tracks appraisal scheduling and completion. If the appraisal comes in under the contract price, TC alerts the buyer's agent immediately so the agent can negotiate with the seller before the Financing & Appraisal Deadline.
Title commitment (Days 7-14 typically): Title company issues the prelim title report. TC reviews for exceptions (liens, easements, encroachments) that need cure or buyer waiver. Flags anything unusual to the agent.
HOA documents (if applicable): TC requests HOA resale packet. Tracks delivery and buyer review before contingency expiration.
At the end of Week 3: most contingencies are either removed or approaching their deadlines. Financing is in conditional approval. Title commitment is reviewed.
What happens in Week 4? (Days 22-30)
Financing & Appraisal Deadline: TC confirms financing is approved and appraisal is satisfactory. If not, manages the contingency-extension or cancellation process.
Closing disclosure review: TC receives the draft closing disclosure from the title or escrow company and reviews it against the contract terms. Checks commission amounts, earnest money credit, prorations, and any negotiated concessions. Flags discrepancies to the agent and title before signing.
Signing schedule coordination: TC works with the title company's closing coordinator to schedule the buyer and seller signing. In escrow states, this is the Settlement date; Closing (recording) follows 1-3 business days later.
Final walkthrough: TC reminds the buyer's agent to schedule the final walkthrough before signing.
Commission demand: TC confirms the brokerage's commission demand letter is sent to escrow/title before disbursement.
What happens on closing day?
On signing day: buyer and seller sign closing documents at the title company (or via mobile notary). TC confirms the signing occurred and documents are with the closing coordinator.
On recording day (same day or 1-3 business days later): TC confirms the deed records with the county recorder. This is the contractual close. The file isn't done until recording is confirmed. On most files we run, recording happens the same day as signing in escrow states and 1-2 business days later in dry-funding states; the TC shouldn't mark the file closed until that confirmation is in hand.
Post-recording: TC assembles the final broker file to state compliance standards. Delivers the complete, organized file to the agent for archival.
At the end of Day 30 (approximately): the file is closed, recorded, and the broker file is ready for audit. For the closing-day checklist every TC should run through, see the real estate closing process step by step.
When does the agent step into the transaction coordinator process?
Three moments:
-
File hand-off at intake (Day 0). 30-60 minutes of context transfer on your first file with a TC; 5-10 minutes on subsequent files.
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Decision points (as they arise). Repair-amendment strategy (agent decides, TC executes). Price-adjustment negotiations. Contingency-waiver decisions. These are agent-judgment calls; the TC presents the options and executes whichever the agent chooses.
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Closing signing (if you attend). Some agents attend; some don't. The closing coordinator runs the signing regardless.
Everything between those three moments is the TC's work. NAR research shows the median REALTOR works 30 hours per week. A TC-managed process keeps the agent's involvement on each file to a few focused touchpoints rather than spreading coordination tasks across every working hour.
How does Quill run this process?
Quill follows the exact week-by-week structure described above. Day 1 acknowledgement with deadline calendar, weekly lender check-ins, 48-hour and 24-hour reminders on every contractual deadline, closing-disclosure review before signing, recording confirmation before declaring the file closed. State-specific coordinators handle state-specific form requirements.
$350 per file billed at close. First file free. For the scope details: what does a transaction coordinator do. For the cost analysis: how much does a transaction coordinator cost. For the ROI: is a transaction coordinator worth it.
What does this process cost across major TC services?
The full offer-to-close process described above is standard scope at most reputable TC services. Pricing varies by provider and billing model. Transactly publishes their per-file pricing starting at their base tier. AgentUp breaks down TC service pricing by scope and volume. Quill covers this full process at $350/file billed at close, with the first file free.
The process is largely the same across providers. What varies is execution quality: how fast the Day 1 acknowledgment comes, how proactive the weekly lender check-ins are, how thoroughly the closing disclosure gets reviewed. The timeline above gives you a benchmark to evaluate any TC service against. If your TC isn't hitting these milestones on schedule, the process is underperforming regardless of the provider.
The 30 days that matter most
The contract-to-close window is where deals succeed or fail, and where client experience is won or lost. A well-run contract to close coordinator process makes those 30 days feel effortless for the agent and client. A poorly-run or absent process makes them the most stressful part of the business.
Try Quill free on your first file to see what a managed 30-day process looks like.