Closing Communication

Closing is where transactions die from silence, not from problems. A deal under contract at 60 days to close is not "done" — it is a 30-stakeholder project with a fixed deadline, three to five conditional approvals stacked in sequence, and roughly 12 documents that must be accurate or the wire does not leave the title company. This skill is the operating system you run between mutual acceptance and key handoff.

Phase 1: Intake — Know Every Moving Part Before You Draft a Single Email

Before you send "congrats, we're under contract" emails, spend 45 minutes auditing the deal. Surprises in week 3 are almost always details you skipped in week 0.

1.1 Transaction Fundamentals

• [ ] Contract ratification date: [DATE]
• [ ] Closing date (from contract): [DATE]
• [ ] Possession date (may differ from closing): [DATE]
• [ ] Total days to close: [NUMBER]
• [ ] Contract price: $[AMOUNT]
• [ ] Earnest money amount and due date: $[AMOUNT] / [DATE]
• [ ] Financing type (conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, cash, portfolio, hard money): [TYPE]
• [ ] Appraisal required? [Y/N] — Appraisal deadline: [DATE]
• [ ] Inspection period length and deadline: [DAYS] / [DATE]
• [ ] Financing contingency deadline: [DATE]
• [ ] Title contingency deadline: [DATE]

1.2 Stakeholder Directory (Confirm everyone's preferred channel before week 1)

• [ ] Buyer(s): name, email, cell, preferred channel, best time to call
• [ ] Seller(s): same fields
• [ ] Listing agent / buyer's agent (the other side): cell, email, assistant/TC
• [ ] Buyer's lender: loan officer, processor, and underwriter contact if known
• [ ] Title/escrow company: escrow officer, assistant, direct line, wire instructions verification protocol
• [ ] Attorney(s) (if attorney state): who represents whom
• [ ] Home inspector (once booked)
• [ ] Appraiser (once ordered, via lender)
• [ ] Insurance agent (buyer's — required for CTC)
• [ ] HOA management company (if applicable): resale certificate turnaround time