You’ve seen the posting. “Seeking a detail-oriented rockstar to join our fast-paced team!” Then 22 bullet points, half of them marketing tasks, no pay range, and a closing line about being a self-starter. It gets 90 applicants, and none of them have opened a title commitment.
A good transaction coordinator job description does the opposite. It says exactly what the job is, what it pays, and what you need someone to already know. The right candidates recognize themselves in it. The wrong ones move on, which saves you both a week.
This post gives you the template, the interview questions to run after it, and what to do in the first 30 days once you’ve hired. If you’re still deciding between a TC and an assistant, read what a transaction coordinator does first, or compare a transaction coordinator vs. a real estate assistant side by side.
What you’re actually hiring for
A TC owns one block of your business: the stretch between executed contract and closing. They collect and check every document, calculate and track every deadline, keep the lender and title moving, and make sure the buyer, seller, and both agents know what’s happening before they ask. When the file closes, they audit it, archive it, and set up the follow-up that brings the client back.
They don’t do anything that requires a license. No negotiating, no advising clients, no interpreting the inspection report. That’s still you. The best way to think about it: your agents get the deal, and the TC lands it. If your posting blurs that line, you’ll attract assistants who want to be TCs and TCs who’ll leave when they realize they’re assistants.
The transaction coordinator job description template
Copy everything between the lines. Fill in the brackets. Cut the bullets you don’t need, and don’t add ones you don’t.
Job title: Transaction Coordinator (Alternatives: Real Estate Transaction Coordinator, Closing Coordinator. “Transaction Coordinator” is what candidates search for.)
About the role
[Team or brokerage name] is hiring a transaction coordinator to manage our files from executed contract to closing. You’ll own the paperwork, the deadlines, and the communication on [X to Y] active transactions at a time, so our agents can stay focused on clients. You’ll work directly with [agent names or “a team of X agents”], our preferred lenders, and title. This is a [full-time / part-time / contract] role, [remote / hybrid / in our X office].
What you’ll do
- Review every executed contract for completeness and confirm all signatures and initials
- Open escrow or title and send introduction emails to all parties within 24 hours
- Calculate every contract deadline and maintain the transaction calendar
- Track inspection, appraisal, financing, and HOA contingencies and their deadlines
- Coordinate with lenders weekly and escalate any delay to the agent immediately
- Deliver disclosures and collect signed receipts
- Review the title commitment and closing disclosure against the contract
- Send the wire fraud warning to every buyer before wire instructions go out
- Schedule inspections, walkthroughs, and signing appointments
- Update MLS status at each stage of the transaction
- Audit and archive each file for brokerage compliance after closing
- Send closing packets and schedule post-closing follow-up
What you’ll need
- [1 / 2 / 3]+ years coordinating residential real estate transactions in [state]
- Working knowledge of [state] purchase contracts, disclosures, and deadline rules
- Experience with transaction management software and e-signature tools
- Clear, fast written communication. You’ll send 20+ emails a day and every one needs the date, the amount, and the next step.
- Comfort managing [X] active files without dropping a deadline
- [Active real estate license in [state], if your brokerage requires it for this role]
Nice to have
- Experience on [buyer side / listing side / dual-sided files]
- Familiarity with [your brokerage’s compliance system]
- Experience training or supervising a second coordinator
Compensation
[$X–$Y per hour / $X–$Y per year / $X per closed file], paid [biweekly / monthly / at closing]. [Benefits, if any.]
Location
[Remote within [state] / Hybrid, X days in our [city] office / On-site]. [Note any closing attendance expectation.]
To apply
Send a resume and a short note describing the most complicated file you’ve closed and what you did to keep it on track. [Contact or link.]
A note on the compensation line, because most postings leave it out and lose good candidates to the ones that don’t. State the range and the structure. Hourly for part-time in-house roles typically runs $20 to $30 for entry-level and $35 to $45 with experience. Salaried in-house TCs usually land between $40,000 and $65,000, higher in expensive markets. Contractors charge per closed file, most often $300 to $500. The cost and earnings section of our TC guide has the current ranges with sources.
Variations on the role
The template above is for a full-time in-house TC on a team. Three common variations change a few lines.
Contractor instead of employee. Swap the compensation line to per-file, drop the benefits, and add a line about the contractor’s own software and E&O coverage. Note whether you expect exclusivity. Most independent TCs serve several agents and will say no.
Buyer side or listing side only. High-volume teams sometimes split the role. A buyer-side TC lives in inspection, appraisal, financing, and the wire warning. A listing-side TC owns disclosures, MLS, payoff, and the key handoff. Trim the responsibilities list to the half that applies.
Brokerage compliance coordinator. Some brokerages hire a TC who never talks to a client. They audit every agent’s file for completeness and chase missing documents. Cut the communication bullets, add “review files for compliance across [X] agents,” and expect to pay more for someone who reads contracts for a living.
Ten interview questions and what a good answer sounds like
Skip “tell me about yourself.” Ask about files.
- Walk me through what you do the day a contract is executed. A good answer is a sequence, not a list. “First I read the whole contract, not just the dates. Then I calculate the deadlines, open title, and get intro emails out. By the end of the day, every date is on the calendar.” If they start with “I send an email,” keep listening for whether the calendar shows up.
- How do you track contingency deadlines across 15 files? Listen for a system, and listen for where the reminder fires. “Everything’s in my transaction software with a reminder two days out” is the answer. “I check my spreadsheet every morning” is a candidate who will miss one eventually.
- Tell me about a deadline you nearly missed. What happened? Everyone has one. You want the candidate who owns it and then tells you what changed in their process afterward. A candidate who’s never come close either hasn’t done enough files or won’t tell you when they do.
- What’s on a title commitment that would make you call the agent? Liens, name discrepancies, easements, anything in Schedule B that isn’t standard. A TC who says “I forward it to the agent” isn’t reading it.
- A buyer emails you asking whether they should waive the inspection contingency. What do you say? The only good answer routes that to the agent. Anything else is unlicensed advice and a liability.
- How do you handle a lender who’s gone quiet for a week? “I don’t let it get to a week.” Then a cadence: check-in day, escalation to the agent, and a paper trail.
- What does your closing disclosure review look like? Line by line against the contract. Price, credits, prorations, commission. Bonus points if they mention the three-business-day rule without prompting.
- What’s the most files you’ve carried at once, and where did quality start to slip? You’re not looking for the biggest number. You’re looking for whether they know their own ceiling.
- How do you communicate with an agent who never reads email? Text, portal, a standing Friday call. The point is that they’ve solved it before and didn’t just complain.
- What would you want set up on day one so you can hit the ground running? A good TC asks for a system: templates, a checklist, access to the file storage, contract dates in a calendar. A candidate who says “just show me where things are” hasn’t worked at volume.
Red flags and green flags
| Red flag | Green flag |
| Describes their process as “staying on top of things” | Describes their process as steps, in order |
| Has never worked in transaction management software | Asks which platform you use before you ask them |
| Can’t name a deadline they nearly missed | Names one, then names the fix |
| Would answer the buyer’s contingency question | Routes it to the agent without being prompted |
| Resume lists marketing, showings, and social media alongside TC work | Resume is files, closings, and volume |
| Asks about hours before asking about file count | Asks about file count before asking about hours |
The first 30 days
Most TC hires fail in onboarding, not in interviews. You hired someone competent and then handed them a folder of PDFs and a “let me know if you have questions.”
Week 1: they shadow. They sit on your current files, read your contracts, and learn your preferred lenders and title reps. Give them the checklist you use, or the one you should. If you don’t have one, ours is here.
Week 2: they co-run. Two new files, worked side by side. They do the work; you check it before it goes out.
Week 3: they own two files. You review at milestones only. They open, run, and report.
Week 4: they own the pipeline. You’re a client now. Set your service standards in writing: how often you want an update, how fast you expect a reply, and what “escalate” means.
Through all four weeks, give them a system to work in, not a shared drive. A TC who inherits a transaction management system built for TCs with your templates, checklists, and date rules already in it is productive in week two. One who inherits a folder tree is still asking where things are in week six.
FAQ
Does a transaction coordinator need a real estate license?
For administrative work, usually not. No state issues a TC license, and tracking deadlines, collecting documents, and coordinating with title aren’t licensed activities in most states. Negotiating, advising clients, and, in many states, showing property are. If your TC will do any of those, they need a license. Check your state’s rules on unlicensed assistants.
How much should I pay a transaction coordinator?
Hourly in-house roles run about $20 to $45 depending on experience. Salaried TCs typically earn $40,000 to $65,000, more in high-cost markets. Contractors charge $300 to $500 per closed file. Post the range. Candidates skip listings that don’t, and the good ones skip fastest.
Should I hire an employee or a contractor?
Under 6 to 8 closings a month, a per-file contractor is cheaper because you only pay when there’s a file. Above that, a salaried employee usually costs less and knows your team’s quirks. Many agents start with a contractor and convert to in-house when the volume proves out.
Once you’ve hired
The template gets you a candidate. The interview gets you the right one. What keeps them is a system that’s ready on day one. AFrame gives your new TC action plans, date templates, and attachment checklists they can work from immediately, so onboarding is about your process, not your folder structure. See pricing or start a free 30-day trial.
