What Is a Real Estate Transaction Checklist?
A real estate transaction checklist makes the real estate sale process simple. It provides both the seller and the buyer access to critical information. This important feature makes it easy for both parties to meet their obligations and contractual deadlines.
Simple real estate transaction checklist templates contain the contact details of the buyer and seller or the real estate agent, the escrow officer, and the title company. It could also include a calendar of important dates, including property inspections and the date of closing. Additional details in the checklist might contain the deadlines for essential documents the buyer or the seller needs to sign.
This article covers the following topics:
1. Why you need a real estate transaction checklist
2. How you make transaction smooth using a checklist
3. Better business with digital real estate transaction checklist templates
Why Do You Need a Real Estate Transaction Checklist?
A real estate transaction checklist benefits all parties involved. For instance, it provides a list of tasks for real estate agents and a timeline for completion. With this checklist, the agent can focus on other essential details than memorizing what needs their attention. It does not replace a transaction coordinator, but it means check-ins are less necessary. The real estate transaction checklist allows agents to be more organized and therefore bring higher ROI.
With a real estate transaction coordinator checklist, agents can delegate tedious tasks to the transaction coordinator. It gives the real estate agent more time to work, making transactions faster. Being disorganized means losing time searching for misplaced or neglected items. When this happens, you spend more money, and deals take longer to close.
For the seller, the real estate transaction checklist is helpful, especially during the closing. It is the final step in the transaction where the seller transfers the property ownership to the buyer. It’s a complicated process and takes about thirty to sixty days. The checklist helps sellers through the process, which often includes:
- Accepting the offer
- Providing disclosures
- Preparing for the home inspection
- Preparing for the appraisal
- Ordering of title insurance
- Preparing the Deed of Sale
- Moving out
The real estate transaction checklist is essential to the buyer too. There are steps to take before the buyer can move into their new home. They can avoid any delays or legal issues if they complete the requirements on time.
Buying a property is often the most expensive purchase and the most significant decision a person makes in their life. Resolving contingencies, like home inspection and appraisal, is a vital part of the closing process. A real estate transaction checklist can help ensure the buyer doesn’t miss any of these requirements.
How to Make Transactions Smooth Using a Real Estate Transaction Checklist
Some real estate transaction checklists have only the basics. Some, however, can be more thorough and detailed. But one thing is for sure. A transaction coordinator checklist for real estate helps make the process smoother.
There are three vital factors to a smooth real estate transaction.
1. Deadline Management
All parties must meet deadlines. Without clear deadlines, there’s always the possibility of never closing a real estate deal. Setting deadlines allows all parties involved to work on the same schedule. Doing so makes sure that the critical matters and events in the transaction occur in sequence.
Keeping track of milestones and important dates are two of the most vital parts of a real estate transaction. You risk missing a milestone if an important date comes up and you don’t have all the items needed. It will cause a significant delay and frustration among the parties involved. The worst-case scenario is the deal comes to nothing.
The purchase contract and the real estate transaction checklist must reflect this schedule. Often, buyers need ample time to secure financing. Sellers may want a specific closing date. The different needs of all parties might cause conflict if not addressed at the onset.
Make sure everyone is tracking all relevant dates and milestones. Send emails reminding everyone of critical due dates. Introduction emails, milestone notifications, and progress updates keep everyone aware of all vital information.
2. Client Engagement
All parties must maintain professional and regular communication. The real estate agent or the transaction coordinator acts the same way as a symphony conductor would. It is their job to get everyone coordinated to achieve a smooth and successful real estate transaction.
Sometimes, communication problems are inevitable in a real estate deal. More so if there are numerous parties involved. One of them might forget to pass along a message or misplace a document. Communication must be clear and consistent to avoid problems and difficulties.
We live in a fast-paced world. A real estate agent can only be successful if they prioritize timeliness and client satisfaction. For this reason, communication is vital in every real estate transaction. Take advantage of text messaging, emails, or phone calls to help you stay on schedule.
Embracing PropTech means you have access to tools that can do the heavy lifting for you. Social media and other online resources can help you find and keep clients. Being proactive and well-versed with social media makes an enormous contribution to a real estate agent’s success.
Are you serious about making it big in the real estate world? Make use of big data, AI and machine learning, drones, VR, and augmented reality to improve client engagement.
3. Task Management
A real estate transaction has numerous moving parts. Working in real estate means your schedule will vary. That’s the reason why effective task management makes the difference between a successful deal and one that’s muddled with issues and complications.
Among other things, a real estate agent must ensure the buyers are pre-qualified so that they will only be looking at properties they can afford. Agents must also see to it that all contracts are accurate and realistic.
Closing deals and finding new clients aren’t the only tasks realtors handle every day. Some other administrative tasks you’ll need to take care of include:
- Data entry
- Managing client databases
- Setting up open houses, appraisals, and meetings with clients
- Filing of documents such as lease records and agreements
- Building budgets
- Compiling market analysis report
Better Business With Digital Real Estate Transaction Checklist Templates
Each real estate transaction is, of course, complex and unique. Maybe it’s your first time to create a transaction coordinator checklist for real estate or probably modifying an existing one. The sure thing is your real estate transaction coordinator checklist must help you and your customer go through the real estate transaction without huge setbacks.
Lumiform is a powerful checklist app that helps real estate professionals to do their work in the buying and selling of real estates in a structured and efficient manner. A paper based workflow can be tedious and time-consuming. With Lumiform, you can use real estate transaction checklists to simplify transactions and achieve the best outcome for both buyer and seller. Depending on the type of real estate transaction checklist you use and your goals, the following options are available:
- Use ready-made templates for real estate transactions to get start easy with digital checklists.
- Update your checklists at any time with the flexible form builder.
- Attach photos of supporting documents as evidence of compliance with requirements.
- Assign key tasks to responsible parties and track the status of actions.
- Automate workflows to trigger push notifications for contractual deadlines.
- Strengthen record keeping compliance with secure cloud-based storage of all real estate transaction documents.
- Complete real estate transactions with electronic signatures.
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