The buyer’s agent transaction checklist, from offer to the one-year check-in

Why a checklist, and why counted from the contract

Most missed deadlines on a buyer deal are not hard tasks. They are ordinary ones that slipped: the inspection that was booked a day too late, the commitment letter nobody forwarded to the listing agent, the walkthrough that was never confirmed. A written checklist fixes the forgetting. Counting each task from a contract date fixes the timing.

That is why every task below is tied to an anchor: the offer acceptance date, the inspection, the mortgage commitment date or the closing date. When the anchor moves, the task moves with it. If you keep your checklist on paper or in a spreadsheet, recount every dependent task whenever an amendment changes a date.

The list is the HomeAxis default, written by a working Realtor. Local practice varies: some states use attorneys, some use title companies, and the order of Purchase and Sale and inspection differs. Treat it as the starting point and edit it to match your market and your brokerage.

Stage 1: Offer setup

Before the offer goes in, three things protect your buyer: a lender who has confirmed the pre-approval, an offer that follows the listing’s instructions, and complete paperwork. A strong offer that ignores the listing agent’s submission rules can lose to a weaker one that followed them.

1. Contact Lender On the day the deal was added

   Confirm pre-approval details, contingencies, and dates.

2. Review MLS for Offer Instructions On the day the deal was added

   Ensure all offer submission guidelines are followed.

3. Prepare Offer Documents On the day the deal was added

   Include Contract to Purchase, Disclosure Documents, Deposit, and Down Payment details.

Stage 2: Under contract

The offer acceptance date starts the clock on almost everything that follows. The first day matters most: congratulate the buyer, send the fully executed contract, introduce yourself to every professional on the deal, and book the inspection. The inspection contingency is usually the shortest window in the contract, so it gets scheduled on day one, not when you get around to it.

The introductory email is the task agents skip most often and regret most. One email to the listing agent, the lender and the attorney or title company, with the executed contract attached, means everyone knows who is handling what before the first question comes up.

1. Congratulate Buyer on Accepted Offer On the offer acceptance date

   Email congratulations to the buyer with a copy of the fully executed offer documents and next steps.

2. Send Introductory Email to All Parties On the offer acceptance date

   Notify the listing agent, buyer’s lender, and title co/attorneys about the transaction. Introduce yourself and connect all relevant professional parties for a smooth transaction. Include the fully executed contract. HomeAxis drafts the email; attach the contract in your email app before you send it.

3. Schedule Home Inspection On the offer acceptance date

   Call your buyers and coordinate their home inspection date and time with the buyer, home inspector (and other professionals needed) and the listing agent.

4. Prepare Information for Your Client's Upcoming Inspection On the offer acceptance date

   Your state may have a guide to home inspections; you may want to bring information about the community, or a measuring tape, pad and pencil as a value add.

5. Review Inspection Report & Contact Client 1 day after the home inspection

   Review the inspection report. Call your clients and discuss any concerns they have about the home inspection. Determine the next steps.

6. Prepare Repair Request Addendum (If necessary) 1 day after the home inspection

   Prepare any repair request addendums (or changes to contract) your clients would like to ask for post inspection. Call the listing agent, explain your clients’ perspective, and send the listing agent the addendum.

7. Prepare Commission Statement 2 days after the home inspection

   Prepare commission statements and any other documents required for compliance, and for you to get paid!

Stage 3: Pending, the financing and closing run-up

Once inspection is behind you, the deal runs on the lender’s timeline. The appraisal and the mortgage commitment are the two dates that decide whether you close on time. Confirm the appraisal about a week before closing, and forward the commitment letter to the listing agent the day it arrives: it is the listing side’s proof that the deal is real.

The last five days are about removing surprises for the buyer: the final steps email, what to bring to closing, utilities moved into their name, and the final walkthrough booked with the listing agent.

1. Confirm Appraisal Details 8 days before the closing date

   Confirm the appraisal has been scheduled or completed.

2. Order Closing Gift 7 days before the closing date
3. Send Mortgage Commitment Letter to Listing Agent On the mortgage commitment date

   Confirm financing approval with the lender.

4. Send Commission Statement to Closing Attorney 5 days before the closing date

   Send commission documentation to the closing attorney, or whoever needs it based on your state.

5. Send Buyer ‘Final Steps’ Email Template 4 days before the closing date

   Email your clients the final documents, tasks and to-dos they need before closing. HomeAxis drafts it; add anything specific to this deal before you send it.

6. Confirm Closing Date and Clear to Close 5 days before the closing date

   Confirm with the lender and coordinate with all parties for closing arrangements. Ask the lender and closing attorney what your client needs to have ready for closing: personal/bank checks, documents, etc.

7. Coordinate Final Walkthrough 3 days before the closing date

   Contact your clients and the listing agent to coordinate the final walkthrough prior to closing.

8. Confirm Final Walkthrough & Closing Dates and Times 1 day before the closing date

   Contact your clients and the listing agent to confirm the final walkthrough and the date, time and location of closing.

Stage 4: Closing preparation and closing day

Closing day is the moment your client remembers. A gift, a congratulations message that thanks them and mentions referrals, and a check-in a few days after the move turn a closed file into a relationship.

1. Bring Closing Gift for your Homebuyer On the closing date

   Don’t forget your gift! Make this experience positive and memorable for your clients, and hopefully get more referrals.

2. Send Congratulations Message to the Buyer On the closing date

   Congratulate your buyers on their closing day and thank them.

3. Change Transaction Status to Closed in your Systems On the closing date

   Update your database systems and anything on your MLS that needs updating post-closing. This can vary state to state.

4. Send Follow-up Contact Information Email (Post Move) 5 days after the closing date

   Send your clients a check-in email (from your template). See how they are settling in, ask for referrals and reviews.

Stage 5: Post-closing follow-up

The review request two weeks after closing and the one-year anniversary message are where referrals come from. They are also the easiest tasks to forget, because by then the deal is off your desk. Put them on the checklist with real dates so they happen.

1. Request Google/Zillow Review from Buyer 14 days after the closing date

   Request and encourage the client to leave a review.

2. Post Review to Accounts 15 days after the closing date

   Share your positive reviews with your social media networks and on your other profiles! Finish the post with: “If you or someone you know is thinking about buying or selling a house, don’t hesitate to connect with us!” and add your phone number.

3. Move Closed Client to Appropriate Pipeline 16 days after the closing date

   Reclassify your closed client to the next pipeline classification: “closed”, “sphere” or “past clients”. Add any tags you use for organizing your database.

4. Annual Anniversary Outreach 365 days after the closing date

   Reach out to your client to check in. Wish them a happy one year (or more) anniversary. How are they loving the house? Make “the ask”: who do you know that might be looking to buy or sell soon?

How to run this checklist on every deal

The checklist only works if it is dated for this deal. Three ways to do that:

• By hand: copy the list, count each date from your contract, and recount when a date changes. The free closing timeline calculator does the counting from two dates.
• Printable: the buyer transaction checklist is the same list on one page.
• In HomeAxis: snap the contract and the list is dated in about 20 seconds, with the client texts drafted on the tasks that need one. An amendment re-dates every task that depends on it.

Whichever you use, check every date against the contract itself. The contract is the authority; the checklist is how you keep its promises.