What is transaction coordinator software?
Transaction coordinator software is what a transaction coordinator (TC) uses to run many real estate deals at once, from accepted contract to closing. It shows every file’s deadlines in one place, tracks a checklist of required documents for each file, reminds agents and clients about what is missing, prepares forms for signature, and hands the finished file to the broker for compliance review.
In SkySlope, TCs work in the brokerage’s transaction management software with their own role. SkySlope Forms Broker Edition adds TC Access, which lets a TC create and manage Forms files for agents and send them for signature.
Key takeaways
- A TC’s work is deadlines and documents across many files. The software has to show every file and every date in one list.
- What an unlicensed TC may do is set by the state. Texas bars an unlicensed person from reviewing a contract; California allows a completeness review with a licensee deciding.
- New Mexico requires transaction coordinators to hold a broker’s license, including TCs based in other states.
- Independent TCs working for several brokerages need an account in each brokerage’s system, or a way to work across them.
- There is no reliable public figure for how many files a TC can handle. Plan by deadlines per week.
What a transaction coordinator does, contract to close
A transaction coordinator manages the paperwork and the calendar from accepted offer to closing, so the agent can spend time with clients. On a typical purchase file, the work runs like this:
- Contract accepted
Open the file
Collect the signed contract, open the file, enter the key dates and introduce the parties: escrow or title, lender and the other agent.
- First days
Deposit and disclosures
Confirm the earnest money reached escrow or title, and send the required disclosures for signature.
- Contingency period
Inspections and contingencies
Schedule inspections, track each contingency deadline, and prepare removal or extension forms for the agent to approve.
- Before closing
Loan and appraisal
Follow up on the loan commitment and the appraisal, and update the file when dates move.
- Final week
Closing preparation
Confirm the final walk-through, collect missing signatures, and make sure every required document is in the file.
- Closing and after
Close and file
Confirm the closing, submit the file for the broker’s review, and pass the commission details to accounting.
Several of these steps must be done by a licensee or under a licensee’s direction, depending on the state. See the next section.
What an unlicensed TC may and may not do
Does a transaction coordinator need a real estate license?
In five of the six states below, no, as long as the TC sticks to clerical work under a licensee’s direction; New Mexico requires a license. What counts as clerical differs, and the software should be set up to match. A TC who is also licensed can usually do more, within their broker’s policies.
| State | Unlicensed TC may | Unlicensed TC may not |
|---|---|---|
| California | Prepare and complete documents that a licensee reviews or approves; get documents signed; order reports such as pest, roof and title; review files for completeness or compliance, with a licensee making the final decision | Discuss what a document means or why it matters; show the property or discuss terms at an open houseDRE guidelines, 2018 |
| Texas | Enter data or type contracts only as a license holder specifically directs; arrange showing appointments | Review a contract or facilitate a transaction; unlock a property for a buyer or tenant; host an open house; withdraw from a trust accountTREC, 2024 |
| Florida | Submit listings and changes to the MLS; assemble documents for closing; follow up on loan commitments; receive, record and deposit earnest money; type contract forms for approval | Give subjective answers about a listing; do more than security or hand out materials at an open houseFlorida Realtors, relaying FREC (archived copy) |
| Arizona | File, copy, mail, scan and answer phones | Originate documents; give advice, pricing or opinions of value; negotiate about a property or transactionADRE policy statement 2025.02 |
| New York | Assemble documents for closing; type contract forms for approval by the broker; schedule showings; follow up on loan commitments | Anything that requires a license; an assistant paid per completed transaction must be licensedNY Department of State |
| New Mexico | Clerical work as an unlicensed assistant | Work as a transaction coordinator without a New Mexico broker’s license, including TCs based in other states16.61.20.8 NMAC |
California’s guidelines say they are “guidelines, and nothing more,” and every task needs the broker’s knowledge and consent. Arizona’s policy statement is advisory, and its page was read from an archived copy. The Florida list is the state REALTOR® association’s summary of FREC guidance, read from an archived copy. Treat your regulator as the final word.
The same task can be allowed in one state and not in the next. California lets an unlicensed assistant review a file for completeness if a licensee decides; Texas says an unlicensed person may not review a contract.DRE Guidelines for Unlicensed Assistants; TREC, “Can you use unlicensed individuals…”, 2024.
For a broker, this has a software consequence: permissions should let a TC prepare and assemble documents while the review decision stays with a licensee. How small brokerages divide that work is covered in our guide to real estate compliance software.
The features TC software needs
What features should transaction coordinator software have?
| Capability | Why a TC needs it |
|---|---|
| One view across agents | A TC works for several agents at once and needs every file, deadline and missing item in one list |
| Deadlines from the contract | Contingency, loan and closing dates entered once and turned into reminders |
| Checklists by file type | The same required documents on every purchase, listing and lease, so nothing depends on memory |
| Automatic reminders | Agents and clients are chased for missing documents without a manual email for each one |
| Document intake | Signed packets split into individual documents and filed against the checklist |
| Forms and e-signature | Forms prepared for the agent’s approval and sent for signature from the same file |
| Handoff to review | Completed files go to the broker’s compliance reviewer, and rejections come back with comments |
| Permissions | Access to the files a TC supports and nothing else, with every action logged |
Test these with your own files. Upload a real signed packet, change a closing date and see which reminders move, and reject a document to see what comes back to you and the agent.
In-house, independent or outsourced
How a TC is employed decides how the software must be set up:
| Setup | How the software is arranged | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| In-house TC | The TC has a role in the brokerage’s own transaction management system | Permissions that limit the TC to the agents they support |
| Independent TC | The TC works for agents at several brokerages, each with its own system | Whether each brokerage will give the TC an account; in New Mexico, a TC working for several brokerages needs a qualifying broker’s license |
| Outsourced service | A company provides the coordinator, who works inside the brokerage’s system | Who is licensed, who the agent’s client talks to, and the price per deal |
How many files can one TC handle?
How many transactions can one TC handle?
No reliable public figure exists, and numbers quoted online are usually vendor estimates. What public data does show is the scale of the work around a TC. In the National Association of REALTORS® 2026 Member Profile, the typical agent had 9 transaction sides in 2025, 17% of REALTORS® had a personal assistant, and 21% worked on a team, with a median of four members. NAR’s 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms found that 36% of firms provide or encourage transaction management software.
For planning, count deadlines rather than files. A file in its contingency period generates far more work than one waiting for closing. Software that turns contract dates into reminders and splits incoming packets automatically is what lets one person carry more files.
Transaction coordinators in SkySlope
SkySlope’s transaction management is built for brokers, agents, auditors and transaction coordinators, with role-based permissions for each.
- Checklists and reminders: custom checklists by transaction type. A flagged item sends the agent a daily reminder until it is uploaded, and company-wide settings email agents a summary of missing documents before closing.
- Auto-Split and Assign: scans uploaded packets, splits them into documents and routes each one to the right checklist item.
- TC Access: part of SkySlope Forms Broker Edition. TCs can create, complete and manage Forms files for agents without their own association credentials, and send envelopes for signature through DigiSign.
- Review handoff: Smart Assist detects completed signatures and initials for auditors, and Quick Audit File Review handles the broker’s accept or reject decision.
- Mobile: the SkySlope app for uploads and checklists away from the desk.
A TC needs a SkySlope account under the same brokerage as the agents they support.
SkyTC: coordination as a service
Brokerages and agents that would rather not hire a TC can use SkyTC, SkySlope’s transaction coordination service. A SkySlope coordinator handles the paperwork on the deal inside SkySlope, and SkyTC pricing starts at $299 per deal.
FAQ
What is transaction coordinator software?
Software a transaction coordinator uses to run many real estate deals from contract to close: one view of every file’s deadlines, a checklist of required documents for each file, reminders to agents and clients, forms and e-signature, and a handoff to the broker’s compliance review.
Does a transaction coordinator need a real estate license?
It depends on the state and the tasks. In California, Texas, Florida, Arizona and New York, an unlicensed TC may do clerical work under a licensee’s direction but may not negotiate or give advice. New Mexico requires transaction coordinators, including those from other states, to hold a New Mexico broker’s license. In New York, an assistant paid per completed transaction must be licensed.
Can an unlicensed transaction coordinator review contracts?
Not in Texas, where TREC says an unlicensed person may not review a contract or facilitate a transaction. California’s DRE guidelines allow an unlicensed assistant to review files for completeness or compliance if a licensee makes the final decision. Check your own state’s rules.
What is the difference between transaction coordinator software and transaction management software?
They are often the same product used from a different seat. Transaction management software is set up by the brokerage for its agents and reviewers. A TC needs the same file, plus a view across every agent they support and faster tools for deadlines, reminders and document intake.
How many transactions can a transaction coordinator handle?
There is no reliable public figure. Capacity depends on how many deadlines fall in a week, how complete agents’ paperwork is when it arrives, and how much the software automates. Measure your own files: deadlines per week is a better planning unit than files per month.
What is SkyTC?
SkyTC is SkySlope’s transaction coordination service, in which a SkySlope coordinator handles the paperwork on a deal. Pricing starts at $299 per deal.
See how a TC works across every file in SkySlope, from checklist to review.
Request a demo →Sources
- California DRE, Guidelines for Unlicensed Assistants. www.dre.ca.gov/files/pdf/faqs/guide_unlic_asst.pdf
- TREC, Can you use unlicensed individuals to help with your Texas real estate transactions?. www.trec.texas.gov/article/can-you-use-unlicensed-individuals-help-your-texas-real-estate-transactions-it-depends
- Florida Realtors, Unlicensed assistants (archived copy, December 2025; the live page requires a member login). web.archive.org/web/20251209115501/www.floridarealtors.org/law-ethics/library/unlicensed-assistants
- Arizona Department of Real Estate, Substantive Policy Statement 2025.02. azre.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/S.P.S.%202025.02.pdf
- New York Department of State, Unlicensed real estate assistants. dos.ny.gov/unlicensed-real-estate-assistants
- New Mexico Administrative Code 16.61.20.8. www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title16/16.061.0020.html
- NAR, 2026 Member Profile press release. www.nar.realtor/newsroom/experienced-realtors-anchor-the-industry-as-housing-affordability-remains-top-hurdle-new-nar-report
- NAR, 2026 Member Profile, full report (hosted by the Buffalo Niagara Association of REALTORS). www.bnar.org/downloads/NARmemberprofile2026.pdf
- NAR, 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms. cms.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-11/2025-profile-of-real-estate-firms-11-19-2025.pdf
- SkySlope, TC Access announcement. skyslope.com/product/skyslope-tc-accesss/
- SkySlope SkyTC pricing. skyslope.com/pricing-skytc/
