QuillTC

States

Transaction coordination, state by state.

Every state writes its own rules for disclosures, earnest money, and closing. We handle each state the way that state requires. All 50 states plus D.C., live today.

Why does state matter for a transaction coordinator?

Real estate is a federally-framed market with state-specific mechanics. Federal rules set the outer edges (RESPA, Fair Housing, Truth-in-Lending), but the contract itself, the disclosure stack, the earnest-money flow, the close mechanism, and the broker-compliance rules all come from state real estate commissions, state-promulgated forms, and local practice.

A coordinator who doesn't know which form to use, which party holds earnest money, and when a disclosure deadline actually fires can turn a routine deal into a cancellation. State specificity isn't a feature; it's the baseline competency for transaction coordination.

The five closing-convention categories.

U.S. closings don't split neatly into "attorney state" and "title state." The real classification is a 5-category spectrum, and every state page on this site is tagged with its category so you know what to expect before you click through.

  • Category A, attorney-mandatory. An attorney must conduct the closing. 15 jurisdictions.
  • Category B, attorney-for-docs. An attorney prepares or certifies deeds and title; title companies run the table. 5 states.
  • Category C, hybrid. Practice varies within the state by region or transaction type. 3 states (IL, LA, NJ).
  • Category D, title-company. Title companies handle the entire closing. 22 states.
  • Category E, escrow. Separate escrow companies handle the closing, a Western U.S. convention. 6 states.

What varies between states?

  • The regulator. Each state commission publishes its own rules for disclosures, deadlines, and the broker-file audit a brokerage can be held to after closing.
  • The primary contract. Utah uses the REPC. California uses the CAR RPA. Texas uses TREC-promulgated forms numbered by deal type. Each has distinct contingency structures and deadline clocks that drive the rest of the transaction.
  • Earnest money. Some states hold earnest money with the title company, some with the buyer's brokerage, some through a dedicated escrow officer, some in attorney trust. Who's holding the check changes who chases it, who receipts it, and how release works if the deal falls apart.
  • Close mechanism. Title-company closings, escrow closings, attorney-state closings. Who runs the table shapes the final-week timeline and the documents that have to be in order before funding.
  • Disclosure regimes. California requires the most extensive seller-disclosure stack in the country. Texas requires TREC's seller's disclosure. Every state is different here, and the consequences of missing a disclosure deadline are real.

How does Quill handle state differences?

Every file starts with a state check: correct form, correct regulator, correct earnest-money path, correct close convention. Our coordinators don't generalize across states; they use the state's actual rules. The coordination service runs in all 50 states plus D.C., with a dedicated guide for each.

All 50 states plus D.C.