THE REVIEW MAY BE WRITTEN AT THE END, THE RESULT IS BUILT IN THE BEGINNING
THE REVIEW MAY BE WRITTEN AT THE END, THE RESULT IS BUILT IN THE BEGINNING
A Transaction Coordinator, often called a TC, helps with the administrative side of a real estate transaction from contract to close.
Depending on the TC’s licensing status, responsibilities, and brokerage policies, that may include helping organize documents, tracking administrative tasks, communicating information, following up on outstanding items, and helping keep the transaction organized. But great transaction coordination is about more than checking boxes.
It is about understanding what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, and why it matters.
There isn’t just one path to becoming a Transaction Coordinator.
Some TCs begin as real estate assistants. Others are licensed real estate professionals who decide to specialize in transaction management. Some work directly for an agent, team, or brokerage, while others are interested in building a transaction coordination business.
Before deciding how you want to work, it is important to understand Texas licensing requirements, which activities require a real estate license, and the policies of the brokerage involved.
Training is also important. Knowing how to complete a checklist is very different from understanding the transaction you are helping support.
It depends on the activities you perform.
Texas law and TREC rules distinguish between administrative activities that may be performed by an unlicensed individual and activities that require an active real estate license.
The title “Transaction Coordinator” by itself does not determine what someone is permitted to do. The person’s license status and the activities being performed matter.
Transaction Coordinators should understand the boundaries of their role, and agents should always verify their broker’s policies before engaging a TC. A brokerage may also establish policies or requirements regarding the use of Transaction Coordinators.
For current information regarding unlicensed assistants and Transaction Coordinators, visit the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) guidance:
TREC: Can You Use Unlicensed Individuals to Help with Your Texas Real Estate Transactions? It Depends.
The Transaction Coordinator industry continues to evolve.
TREC and its advisory committees have been discussing Transaction Coordinator oversight, including the growing use of licensed and unlicensed TCs and issues involving supervision, accountability, permitted activities, and consumer disclosure.
That does not mean Texas has announced that all Transaction Coordinators will be required to obtain a real estate license or a specific TC certification.
However, laws, rules, forms, education requirements, licensing requirements, disclosures, and brokerage policies can change over time.
Because this is an evolving area of the real estate industry, Transaction Coordinators and the agents who use their services should stay informed and regularly verify current requirements with TREC and their broker.
MLS-Girl offers Transaction Coordinator and contract-to-close education designed around the realities of a Texas real estate transaction.
My training focuses on helping students understand the rhythm of the transaction, not simply memorizing a checklist.
Students learn what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, why it matters, and how strong communication and organization can help keep a transaction moving forward.
Yes. MLS-Girl offers virtual training opportunities so students can participate from wherever they are.
Depending on the class, training may include live instruction, real-world examples, worksheets, transaction workflows, and resources students can use after class.
I want students to leave understanding the process...not just leave with another stack of notes.
Some MLS-Girl classes are offered for Texas real estate Continuing Education (CE) credit.
Not every MLS-Girl training program or resource is necessarily a CE course, so always check the individual class description for current CE information, eligibility, and requirements.
Absolutely! Please do!
MLS-Girl training isn’t only for Transaction Coordinators.
I love having REALTORS® in my classes because understanding the transaction at a deeper level can change the way you represent your clients from the very beginning.
When you’re preparing an offer for a buyer, I teach you to think strategically about the terms you’re putting together, not simply how to get an offer accepted, but how those terms may affect and protect your buyer throughout the transaction.
When you’re representing a seller and an offer comes in, we talk about how to step back and look objectively at the entire offer, not just the sales price. What do the terms actually mean for your seller? Where could there be risk? What deserves a closer look?
And then there’s the relationship between the REALTOR® and the Transaction Coordinator.
“Transaction Coordinator” is a loosely used title, and not everyone defines the role the same way.
I teach agents how to work effectively with a TC and how I believe that relationship should function. A great Transaction Coordinator should become an important part of your support system, your right hand in the administrative process, helping you create a higher level of organization, communication, attention to detail, and customer service while the agent remains responsible for the activities and duties that belong to the agent.
Because transaction management isn’t only about getting a file to closing.
It’s part of your marketing.
The experience you create during the transaction can influence what your client says about you afterward, whether they leave a great review, and whether they feel confident referring you to someone else.
I often tell my students:
The review starts in the beginning.
It’s built all the way to the end.
Even when you have a Transaction Coordinator, understanding the contract-to-close process helps you know what should be happening, what questions you should be asking, and where your responsibilities remain.
The goal isn’t for your TC to replace you. It’s for the two of you to work together to create a better client experience.
The roles can overlap, but they are not necessarily the same.
A real estate assistant may help with many areas of an agent’s business - marketing, scheduling, database management, listings, administrative work, and transaction-related tasks.
A Transaction Coordinator generally has a more specific focus on the administrative side of the transaction.
The exact responsibilities of either role will depend on the individual’s licensing status, brokerage policies, the agent or team, and how the position is structured.
According to current TREC guidance, an unlicensed assistant cannot review a contract or facilitate a transaction.
An unlicensed assistant may perform certain administrative activities permitted under Texas law and TREC rules. For example, TREC states that an unlicensed assistant may input data or type a contract when specifically directed by a license holder.
Because the distinction between administrative work and activities requiring a license is important, both Transaction Coordinators and agents should understand the current rules and their broker’s policies.
Always verify current requirements directly with TREC and your broker.
The goal is not to teach you to simply follow a checklist.
I teach you to understand the transaction.
We talk about important contract dates, documents, communication, follow-up, transaction partners, common problems, and the many moving pieces that happen between an executed contract and closing.
Most importantly, I teach students to start thinking proactively instead of reactively.
When you understand what is supposed to happen next, you are much better prepared to recognize when something isn’t happening.
Yes, but understanding transaction management comes first.
Before worrying about a business name, logo, pricing, or finding clients, you need to understand the service you are going to provide, and what your licensing status legally permits you to provide.
That means understanding transactions, timelines, communication, systems, boundaries, licensing requirements, and brokerage policies.
A successful TC business needs more than a checklist.
You need to understand the work.
No. Learning contract management benefits anyone involved in getting a real estate transaction from contract to close.
That includes Transaction Coordinators, REALTORS®, assistants, team members, and agents who manage their own transactions.
The seat may be different, but whoever manages the contract needs to do it the best way possible to achieve strong outcomes, referrals, and great reviews. Your work is your marketing.
After more than 20 years working in real estate and managing transactions from different seats in the industry, I saw the same problem over and over:
People were being taught tasks without always being taught the transaction.
MLS-Girl was created to change that.
My goal is to teach the why behind the work, so students aren’t simply reacting to whatever shows up in their inbox that day.
When you understand the transaction, you can anticipate what comes next.
And that helps Make Life Simple.
The real estate industry, and the role of the Transaction Coordinator, continues to evolve.
MLS-Girl educational materials are based on information available at the time they are created or updated and are provided for educational purposes only. They are not legal advice.
Texas laws, TREC rules, forms, licensing requirements, education requirements, and brokerage policies may change.
Always verify current requirements with the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), your broker, and, when appropriate, qualified legal counsel.
Current TREC guidance regarding unlicensed assistants and Transaction Coordinators:
https://www.trec.texas.gov/node/2743