Background

The List2Close Team co-op was formed in 2003 when three Certified Real Estate Support Specialists^TM collaborated for a common client and realized the benefits of a COMPLETE virtual team concept ... from list to close. 

Thanks to today's worldwide technical advances in communication and data sharing, Virtual Assistants are able to fill the gap for agents not able to, or desiring, to hire several full-time assistants to complete the many tasks required in today's Real Estate market.  Depending on your needs, we can work as your complete virtual support team or work in conjunction with your current support staff to complement your team with specialized talents and industry experience.

By using an Online Transaction Management Platform (TMP), List2Close Team specialists are able to streamline the list to close process and coordinate, manage and oversee numerous listings and transactions simultaneously and provide all parties up-to-the minute status. 

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Transaction Management Platform (TMP)

A Transaction Management Platform is an Internet-based management tool that acts as a virtual 'meeting place' for Coordinators, Assistants, Brokers, Realtors, Agents, Title and Escrow Providers, Lenders, Vendors, Sellers, and Buyers. TMPs offer a private, secure, password-protected depository for communications, documents, task lists, orders, virtual tours, messages and much more ... "when a Transaction Coordinator uses a modern, web-based Transaction Management Platform, great synergies are created. A Transaction Management Platform that includes Settlement Service Ordering and Vendor Management technologies can further streamline this process for the Transaction Coordinator. All relevant parties to the transaction communicate and collaborate via a singular platform. These systems provide the ability to order services online, receive status updates on the service and receive documents electronically that are associated with the service." ¹

In an average real estate transaction, there are typically up to 10 different parties and 20-50 different steps that must take place before a transaction can be finalized. There are also more than 50 forms to be faxed or reviewed, and often more than 150 phone calls. By using transaction management software, each party sends their documents to one central website, posts their messages on one electronic bulletin board, and posts the transaction action plan and public tasks where everyone can "click in" to see them. Transaction management means that your customers have a 24x7 place to communicate with you and to do business with you. They get a better appreciation for the importance and complexity of your role in the transaction, they are better informed and hence more comfortable with you and the process, and they use your cell phone less!²

As you, your clients, vendors, and associates use your TMP for a closing, you are building an electronic record of your transaction. This electronic record contains every message, all contact information, every document, the virtual tour link, every task completion date, and every event that was posted on your website.

Depending on the TMP choice, you may elect to have all of your closings every month transferred and indexed to compact disk and mailed to you. There is a small additional charge for this service.
View a Short SettlementRoom Multimedia Tour Now

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How the List to Close Process Works

Here's a sample scenario.  Alexander Agent faxes L2CT his listing package which includes MLS information, disclosures, listing agreement, addendums, and property highlights.  The Listing Coordinator starts the file in the Transaction Management Platform (Settlement Room or GuruNet) and distributes email invitations to the various parties inviting them to the "transaction".  As an added feature, with SettlementRoom, we can design and upload your custom banner with your logo, at no additional charge, for a complete branding experience. 

The listing marketing process begins!

Your Listing Coordinator (LC) immediately begins on your task list. Depending on the amount of notification you choose, your LC is able to notify you when tasks complete ... no more wondering or worrying whether your tasks are completing on-time. At any time, you or the Seller may visit the online transaction to view status and discover how quickly tasks are being marked "Complete"!

Documents are converted to PDF files and uploaded to the website. All documents can be designated with individual access levels . . . don't want the Seller to see the Flyer Proof before approval? No problem . . . this is completely customizable! 

Then, when a contract is accepted and we move into escrow, while the LC is completing "pending" marketing tasks (such as updating the MLS, preparing "Just Sold" postcards, and ordering your "Sale Pending" sign rider), your Transaction Coordinator (TC) is simultaneously preparing Intro Letters to the Buyer and Buyer's Agent, and starting the Closing Tasks according to your personalized Task List.

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Saving YOU Time and Money

Online Transaction Coordination saves you time and money. Here are some statistics to think about related to the Transaction Coordination portion of your listing . . . "While the TC spends an average of 12.5 hours on a typical transaction, the average agents spend approximately 19 hours managing a transaction . . . assuming the average full-time, experienced Real Estate agent earns $75,000 a year (equal to $37.50 an hour), the agent will spend in excess of $700 in his/her time managing a transaction."¹  When List2CloseTeam transaction coordination averages $275/transaction, utilizing a professional coordinator can save the Agent over $400 in time per transaction.

And it gets even better . . .

"The average Transaction Coordinator approximately spends between 10-14 hours per transaction from beginning to end in an off-line environment. By utilizing a transaction management platform . . . the average time spent by a coordinator will be reduced by half to approximately 6 hours per transaction."¹ This means your Transaction Coordinator can manage multiple transactions in one third the time the average full-time, experienced Real Estate agent would spend.

And the benefits don't end there . . . learn more about our Online Transaction Management Solution.

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¹  Clareity Consulting & Communications, Inc., "The Transaction Coordinator, An Underutilized Asset to Residential Real Estate", June 2003. All rights reserved. Information reprinted with the permission of Clareity. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication without written permission from the copyright holder.

² "How to Choose Web-Based Real Estate Software" by Jonathan Cutler, President, SettlementRoom Systems, Inc., June 12, 2003.