The complete transaction coordinator checklist (contract to close)
By Liam O'Reilly · Founder of CloudCoord, licensed Vermont real estate agent · Published July 11, 2026 · Updated September 13, 2026
Every task a residential closing actually requires, in order, from the moment the contract is fully executed to the day after keys change hands. It's the checklist I ran as an agent coordinating my own files, and the task graph CloudCoord's AI coordinator was built from. Print it, save the PDF, or edit the spreadsheet for your next file. There's no email gate and no signup.
Make a working copy for each closing
The spreadsheet opens in Excel and can be imported into Google Sheets. Give each task a named owner, enter its deadline from the signed contract, choose a status, and write the next action. Mark tasks that do not apply as “Not applicable” and record why. An automation label describes CloudCoord's support; it does not assign a human owner or mark the task complete.
Use the actual contract, state requirements, and brokerage process to adapt this template. Confirm event-triggered dates, business-day rules, and time zones before calendaring them. When an addendum arrives, change only the dates it changes and the reminders that depend on them. Review open items daily and record evidence before marking a task done.
One thing this page does that other checklists don't: next to each task, we mark whether it's work a checklist can only remind you about, or work an AI coordinator simply does: reading the contract, auditing signatures, watching deadlines, drafting the party-routed emails. That column is grounded in what CloudCoord actually does today, not what software might do someday. And where the honest answer is "this is the agent's call," we say so.
How to read the "who does it" column
Every row below is tagged one of three ways:
- Automatic: CloudCoord does this on its own, without being asked, the moment the trigger arrives (an executed contract lands in your inbox, an addendum changes a date).
- Drafted for your approval: CloudCoord writes the email and queues it. The drafts are written in your voice: CloudCoord learns from your own past sent emails, so drafts get closer to how you actually write the more you use it. A human, you, reviews and approves every outbound email before it sends. Nothing goes out unsupervised.
- Your call: judgment work: negotiating, advising, deciding. CloudCoord won't guess on money, dates, or legal obligations. When one of those is unclear, it asks you a question instead of acting. No software should claim otherwise.
If you're using this checklist standalone with no software at all, every row is simply yours. That's the point of publishing it complete.
Who actually does the work, phase by phase
21
Automatic
Done without being asked
14
Drafted for approval
Queued for a one-click send
14
Your call
Judgment CloudCoord won't guess on
| Phase | Automatic | Drafted | Your call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intake | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Deposit | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Inspection | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Financing | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Title | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Pre-closing | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Closing day | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Post-close | 2 | 1 | 1 |
35 of the 49 rows come off your plate: 21 fully automatic, 14 drafted for a one-click approval. The 14 that remain are the judgment calls that should be yours.
Phase 1: Executed contract intake
The first 24 hours set up everything else. Most missed deadlines trace back to sloppy intake.
- 1.1Confirm the contract is fully executed: every party signed, every page, every initial lineAutomaticCloudCoord audits signatures and initials page by page and flags gaps (e.g., "buyer initials missing on page 6")
- 1.2Extract the core terms: property address, parties, purchase price, deposit amount and due dateAutomaticExtracted directly from the contract PDF when it arrives by email
- 1.3Match the contract to your listing agreement or buyer agreement on fileAutomatic
- 1.4Calculate your commission from the agreementAutomaticParsed from the matched agreement
- 1.5Enter every contract deadline into a tracked calendar: deposit, inspection, financing, appraisal, title, closingAutomaticA watch is set on each deadline; CloudCoord tracks six deadline types per file
- 1.6Build the contact sheet: buyer's agent, lender, clients, attorneys (names, emails, phones)AutomaticContact cards filed from the contract and your listing file
- 1.7Verify deposit terms in the contract match the offerAutomaticPart of the intake audit
- 1.8Send an introduction to the cooperating agentDrafted for your approvalIncluding any audit flags it caught
- 1.9Send the executed contract to the lender so their file is completeDrafted for your approvalWith the contract attached
- 1.10Tell your clients they're under contract and what happens nextDrafted for your approvalMilestones and dates only (see routing rules below)
- 1.11Decide who handles title/closing if the contract doesn't sayYour callCloudCoord asks the question; you (or your client) answer it
Listing side commission
$10,312.50
Phase 2: Earnest money deposit
- 2.1Confirm the deposit amount, holder, and due date from the contractAutomaticExtracted at intake
- 2.2Track the deposit deadline and chase it as it approachesAutomatic
- 2.3Confirm receipt of the deposit and file the receiptAutomaticAutomatic when the receipt arrives by email: the receipt is classified and filed to the transaction
- 2.4Notify relevant parties the deposit was receivedDrafted for your approval
- 2.5Handle a late or short depositYour callA contract-performance issue: CloudCoord flags it, you decide the response
Phase 3: Inspection
- 3.1Track the inspection contingency deadlineAutomatic
- 3.2Confirm the inspection is scheduledDrafted for your approvalA check-in to the appropriate party
- 3.3File the inspection report when it arrivesAutomaticClassified and attached to the file
- 3.4Track any repair addendum and its response deadlinesAutomaticOnce the addendum is in the file
- 3.5Negotiate repairs or creditsYour callThis is the agent's job, full stop
- 3.6Advise your client on waiving or extending the contingencyYour call
- 3.7Circulate the signed repair addendum to the parties who need itDrafted for your approvalThe lender never receives inspection or repair addendums (see routing rules below)
Phase 4: Financing and appraisal
- 4.1Track the financing contingency deadlineAutomatic
- 4.2Check in with the lender on loan progress before the deadlineDrafted for your approval
- 4.3Track the appraisal: ordered, completed, any value issuesAutomaticFor dates and documents in the file; a low appraisal is escalated to you
- 4.4Respond to a low appraisal: renegotiate, appeal, or walkYour call
- 4.5Confirm loan commitment / clear-to-close and update the file statusAutomaticWhen the lender's clear-to-close email arrives, the financing contingency is marked satisfied and logged; you confirm the status change
- 4.6Tell your clients financing is on trackDrafted for your approvalMilestone confirmation only
Phase 5: Title and attorney
- 5.1Confirm who is performing the title workYour callCloudCoord asks if it doesn't know, then takes over
- 5.2Send the title company or closing attorney everything they need: contract, addenda, contact sheetDrafted for your approvalThe document-package email is drafted the moment you name the firm
- 5.3Track title commitment receipt and review deadlinesAutomatic
- 5.4Chase unresolved title issuesYour callFlagged automatically; resolution is your call: title defects are legal questions
- 5.5Confirm the closing attorney has current payoff and commission figuresDrafted for your approvalOn listing-side files, CloudCoord drafts the commission disbursement statement to the closing attorney about a week before closing
A note on attorney states. In attorney-closing states (Vermont, where I practice, is one), the "title company" column of most published checklists is wrong for you: an attorney conducts the closing, holds funds, and often does the title search. The tasks above don't change, but the recipient does, and the attorney typically wants the full document package earlier than a title company would. The PDF includes both labels.
Phase 6: Pre-closing (final two weeks)
- 6.1Confirm the closing date, time, and location with all partiesDrafted for your approval
- 6.2Remind your clients to set up utility transfersDrafted for your approvalSent to your represented client
- 6.3Schedule the final walkthroughYour callYour call to schedule; CloudCoord reminds
- 6.4Review the settlement statement / Closing Disclosure against the contract: price, deposit credit, commissions, prorationsAutomaticCloudCoord cross-references the CD against the transaction data and flags mismatches
- 6.5Resolve settlement-statement discrepanciesYour callMoney questions are never guessed at
- 6.6Confirm every contingency is released or resolvedAutomaticCloudCoord tracks open contingencies; verify completion against the supporting documents
- 6.7Send clients the what-to-bring / logistics emailDrafted for your approval
Phase 7: Closing day
- 7.1Confirm walkthrough completed with no new issuesYour callYou're the one in the house
- 7.2Attend closing (or confirm remote signing logistics)Your call
- 7.3Confirm recording and disbursementYour callYour call to confirm; CloudCoord logs it
- 7.4Mark the file closedYour callEverything downstream (the post-close thank-you draft, the archive, your production log) then runs automatically
Phase 8: Post-close
- 8.1Send a thank-you and ask for a reviewDrafted for your approvalCloudCoord drafts this about a day after closing, with your review link
- 8.2Verify your commission was disbursed correctlyYour callCheck the number yourself
- 8.3Archive the complete file: every document, every email, every audit findingAutomaticEvery step was logged as it happened, so the compliance file already exists
- 8.4Log the closed deal for your production recordsAutomatic
Watch the CloudCoord walkthrough
Liam's product walkthrough covers contract intake, deadlines, documents, and draft emails. Use the checklist above to compare the workflow with your own files. You remain responsible for reviewing dates, decisions, recipients, and every email before sending.
When an addendum changes a date, review the related tasks
Here's where a printed checklist genuinely breaks down. Say the parties sign an addendum extending closing by two weeks. On paper, review the walkthrough, disclosure review, utility reminders, and attorney logistics that depend on closing. Unrelated contractual contingency deadlines stay in place unless the signed terms change them.
CloudCoord reads supported addenda, extracts changed dates, and updates the related reminders. Check those changes against the signed addendum and resolve any uncertainty before relying on the new timeline.
More on how this works: Live file updates.
Who gets which email (routing rules)
The communications rows above aren't interchangeable: the fastest way to blow up a deal is sending the right email to the wrong person. Two rules are hard-coded into CloudCoord and worth adopting even if you coordinate by hand:
- Clients receive logistics and milestone confirmations only, never problem emails. "Inspection is scheduled for the 5th" goes to your sellers. "The buyer's initials are missing on page 6" goes to the cooperating agent. Problem-solving is agent-to-agent.
- Lenders never receive inspection or repair addendums. The lender gets the executed contract and financing-relevant updates; repair negotiations are not their file.
What a checklist can't do (and what software honestly can't either)
Use this checklist on its own to track responsibilities and open items. It is free and ungated for agents, coordinators, and anyone learning the role.
A checklist does not read signed documents or decide whether a contingency has been satisfied. Software can help with intake, reminders, and drafting; compare the workflow and the human review that remains.
CloudCoord supports the tasks marked above, prepares drafts for approval, and asks questions when information is unclear. Review its output against your documents. For more context, see What is a transaction coordinator? And if you're weighing a human hire against software, that comparison is here. For how a tool actually runs the rows above, see transaction coordinator software.
Compare the work, review time, and invoice at your volume in our transaction coordinator cost guide. The figures below are modeled annual base costs at constant monthly volume, before taxes, optional add-ons, extra seats, and AI top-ups. They are not measured savings. ListedKit uses buyer-side single-credit pricing here, before bulk discounts. Transactly uses its Elite Monthly rate with every included monthly credit used.
| Annual cost | 1 side/mo | 4 sides/mo | 10 sides/mo | 20 sides/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human TC, per file ($400 assumption) | $4,800 | $19,200 | $48,000 | $96,000 |
| Transactly Elite Monthly ($379/file) | $4,548 | $18,192 | $45,480 | $90,960 |
| ListedKit, buyer-side ($14.99/credit) | $180 | $720 | $1,799 | $3,598 |
| CloudCoord Solo (flat $149/mo) | $1,788 | $1,788 | $1,788 | $1,788 |
| CloudCoord Team (flat $499/mo) | $5,988 | $5,988 | $5,988 | $5,988 |
Flat lines stay flat. Per-file lines don't.
Human TC and Transactly figures assume every additional file bills at the same per-file rate; ListedKit assumes buyer-side files at $14.99/credit before bulk discounts. Vendor prices checked September 13, 2026; the human fee is a planning assumption. See the cost guide for source links.
One honest limitation: CloudCoord is a newer product, and its independent-review footprint is thinner than incumbents like Open to Close or Transactly: you'll find fewer third-party writeups to cross-check us against. That's exactly what the trial is for: every plan starts with a two-week free trial, so you can watch it run one of your own files before paying anything. Onboarding is high-touch (I personally onboard early customers) and it's free; there is no onboarding fee.
Frequently asked questions
What should a transaction coordinator checklist include?
Every dated obligation in the contract plus the communications each one triggers: contract intake and signature verification, the earnest money deposit, inspection, financing and appraisal, title work, pre-closing logistics, closing day, and post-close follow-up. A checklist that only lists deadlines is half a checklist: most TC work is the emails around the deadlines, routed to the right party.
Is the checklist different for the listing side vs. the buyer side?
The phases are identical; the ownership shifts. On the listing side you're confirming the deposit was received, circulating repair responses, and getting the closing attorney your commission figures. On the buyer side you're the one chasing the deposit out the door, tracking the loan file, and scheduling the inspection. The PDF marks side-specific rows so you can run either version.
How do deadlines change after an addendum?
Read the signed addendum, identify the dates it changes, and update the related reminders. A closing extension does not automatically extend unrelated contractual contingencies. CloudCoord reads supported addenda and updates extracted dates; you verify the changes against the signed documents.
Which checklist items should never be automated?
Anything involving money, dates, or legal obligations where the answer isn't already in the documents: negotiating repairs, advising on contingency waivers, responding to a low appraisal, resolving title defects, verifying your own commission. CloudCoord's rule is that it won't guess on the things that matter: it asks you a question instead. Any tool claiming to automate those decisions is overclaiming.
Do I still need this checklist if I use CloudCoord?
As a reference, yes, it's useful to know what your coordinator is doing and why. As a daily working document, no: the "Automatic" rows happen on their own, the "Drafted" rows arrive in your review queue, and the "Your call" rows come to you as questions. You review and approve every email before it sends either way. The point isn't that the checklist gets easier to remember: it's that nobody has to remember it.
Does CloudCoord work for teams?
Yes: the team plan is $499/month for up to ten agents, with a team coordinator view across every agent's files. At $5,988 a year, that's about a tenth of a full-time in-house coordinator's $50,000–$70,000 salary, and a fraction of per-file human TC fees at team volume: 15 sides a month at $300–$500 per file is $54,000–$90,000 a year. Teams start with the same two-week free trial.
Can I try CloudCoord before paying anything?
Yes: every plan starts with a two-week free trial, and there's no onboarding fee. Onboarding is still high-touch (I personally onboard early customers); it's just included, not billed. And the checklist itself is free either way: no email gate, no signup.
Want the checklist run for you instead of by you? See how CloudCoord reads a contract and start a free two-week trial, or just download the PDF and keep it. Both are the point of this page.
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