DealTC / Guides / Transaction coordinator checklist

The Transaction Coordinator Checklist

Contract to close · Updated 2026 · ~7 min read

Every deal that falls apart after going under contract falls apart on a date. A missed earnest-money deposit, an expired inspection window, a financing contingency that lapsed while everyone assumed someone else was watching. This is the checklist a good transaction coordinator runs on every file — the full contract-to-close timeline, in the order the deadlines actually hit.

Exact dates come from the purchase agreement; the windows below are common defaults. Always read the specific contract.

The deadline timeline

Days 1–3
Earnest money deliveryDeposit the buyer's earnest money with the escrow/title holder by the contract deadline. Get the receipt. This is the most commonly missed deadline because it hits before the file feels urgent.
Days 1–5
Open escrow & deliver disclosuresOpen the file with title/escrow, confirm the order number, and get required disclosures and addenda out and acknowledged.
Days 7–17
Inspection / due-diligence periodBuyer completes inspections and submits any repair requests or notice to proceed before the contingency expires. Miss it and the buyer may lose the right to walk or renegotiate.
Days 14–21
Appraisal ordered & receivedLender orders the appraisal; track that it's completed and review the value against the contract price for any gap that needs handling.
Days 21–30
Loan / financing approvalConfirm the buyer's financing or loan contingency is cleared by its deadline. Stay in touch with the lender — this is where timelines quietly slip.
Ongoing
Title review & conditionsReview the title commitment, clear any liens or conditions, and confirm the file is on track for a clean transfer.
Days −3 to −1
Final walkthroughBuyer confirms the property's condition and that agreed repairs were completed, just before closing.
Close
Close of escrow & fundingSigning, funding, recording, and key handoff. Confirm the commission disbursement and that the compliance file is complete.

The document checklist

Alongside the dates, the file itself has to be complete for compliance. The usual set:

Notice how much of this is just reading the contract and counting days. The judgment — negotiating a repair, handling an appraisal gap — needs a human. The tracking doesn't. That split is exactly why AI coordination caught on.

Why this is the part AI took first

Every deadline above is written into the contract as a number of days from acceptance. Reading those out by hand, transcribing them onto a calendar, and remembering to send reminders is the most error-prone, least creative part of the whole job — which is why it's the first part software replaced. Forward the executed contract to DealTC and the entire timeline above builds itself, with a reminder before each date. For where a human TC still earns their fee, see do you need a transaction coordinator?

Let the timeline build itself

Forward the contract — every deadline on this checklist, pulled and tracked automatically.

Try DealTC free →

Frequently asked questions

What deadlines does a transaction coordinator track?

The core deadlines are earnest money delivery, inspection/due-diligence, appraisal, loan or financing approval, title and disclosure review, the final walkthrough, and close of escrow. Each is set by the contract and counted in days from acceptance.

What is the most commonly missed transaction deadline?

Earnest money delivery and the inspection contingency are the two most commonly missed, because they hit early and fast — often within days of acceptance, before the file feels urgent.

How are transaction deadlines calculated?

Most are counted as a number of days from the contract's effective or acceptance date, as defined in the purchase agreement. Whether weekends and holidays count depends on the contract and state, which is why reading the specific document matters.

Every deadline on this list, tracked for you.

Forward the contract to DealTC and the full timeline builds itself — with a reminder before each date.

Try it free →