Send title within 24 hours of execution
- The fully executed contract with ALL addenda, riders, and counteroffer pages (missing pages are the #1 opening-day delay)
- Every party's full contact info: buyer, seller, both agents, lender contact if financed
- Deposit logistics: who holds it, when it's due — and get the receipt into the file
- Entity/estate/trust intel: if any party is an LLC, trust, or estate, say so NOW (this re-sequences the whole file)
- Prior title policy if the seller has it (reissue credit money)
- Anything odd you already know: FSBO side, foreign party, tenant in place, permit history, pending assessment
Calendar these five dates in red
- Deposit due date(s) — missed deposits create default arguments
- Inspection period end — the buyer's biggest lever expires quietly
- Financing contingency deadline — extensions must be in writing BEFORE it passes
- Title/survey objection window — objections are only leverage while the window is open
- Closing date — and the walkthrough, staged before it
The weekly rhythm of a clean file
Week one: file opened, searches and estoppels ordered, lender introduced, deadlines confirmed. Week two: commitment issued and requirements triaged; municipal results reviewed; inspection negotiated. Week three: curative work runs, payoff letters in, lender conditions clearing, statement drafting. Final week: figures balanced, CD (if financed) delivered, signing staged, wires verified by callback. Your role at each step is mostly information flow — and the portal shows you exactly where the file stands, so status calls become optional.