Free Real Estate Transaction Checklist (Printable)
One sheet, both sides of the deal. This free printable transaction checklist puts 12 buyer-side and 12 seller-side steps with checkboxes on the first page, then an 8-row client pipeline, a 6-row open house sign-in sheet, and a 5-row commission and expense log behind it. Print it, work a file top to bottom, and nothing from contract to close rides on memory. When one page stops being enough, the full 24-page Prospecting & Transaction Tracker is linked at the bottom.
Buyer side: 12 steps
Working order, not a script. Skip what does not apply to the file; write the date next to each box you tick.
☐ 01. Confirm budget in writing: pre-approval or proof of funds
☐ 02. List needs, wants, and deal-breakers with the client
☐ 03. Set the search area and the price ceiling
☐ 04. Tour and log impressions the same day, while they're fresh
☐ 05. Pull recent sold prices before writing the offer
☐ 06. Set offer price, deposit, and timeline positions
☐ 07. Submit, then plan the response: accept, counter, or walk
☐ 08. Under contract: calendar every deadline before anything else
☐ 09. Book the inspection; read the full report, not the summary
☐ 10. Request repairs or credits where the evidence supports it
☐ 11. Track the appraisal and the rate lock to the finish
☐ 12. Walk-through, closing figures line by line, sign
Seller side: 12 steps
Same rules. Steps 6 through 8 are where most listing files stall, so give those dates first.
☐ 01. Walk the property and list fixable issues
☐ 02. Finish agreed pre-list repairs
☐ 03. Gather the documents buyers will ask for
☐ 04. Set the price strategy and the go-live date
☐ 05. Prep the property for photos and showings
☐ 06. Go live; log every showing request and feedback note
☐ 07. Review traffic weekly against the plan
☐ 08. Adjust price or presentation on evidence, not mood
☐ 09. Compare every offer, including financing strength
☐ 10. Under contract: calendar deadlines, send disclosures
☐ 11. Coordinate inspection and appraisal access
☐ 12. Walk-through ready, agreed items out, keys handed over
Client pipeline (8 rows)
One row per active client. The stage label moves as the file moves; the next action always carries a date, because an action without one slips. The filled row is a made-up example.
Client
Stage
Next action
Dana Whitfield
Under contract
Confirm repair credit on settlement statement by 09-12
Open house sign-in (6 rows)
Guests write their own line. Copy each row into the pipeline within a day or the sheet becomes a pile of strangers.
#
Name
Contact
Interested in
Agent?
1
2
3
4
5
6
Commission & expense log (5 rows)
Gross first, then what comes out of it, then what's left. The first three rows are made-up examples so you can see the arithmetic; the last two are blank.
Property / client
Closing
Gross $
Splits & expenses $
Net $
14 Alder St (W.)
08-28
8,400
-2,940
5,460
Maple Ave rental (L.)
09-05
6,150
-1,225
4,925
9 Birch Ct (T.)
09-19
9,800
-3,920
5,880
The numbers are invented and rounded; they show what the columns are for, not what any deal pays. Your own split math belongs to your agreement with your brokerage.
Four opinions on running the pipeline
Update the row the day something happens. A pipeline with last week's stages is worse than none, because you'll trust it and call the wrong person first. Two minutes at day's end beats an hour of reconstructing on Friday.
Next action gets a date or it doesn't go in. "Send comps" without a date is a wish. "Send comps by 09-11" is a row you can be late on, which is at least visible.
Dead files move back, they don't get erased. A buyer who lost a bid comes back in the spring. Move the stage back to searching and keep the history; deleted rows delete your own context.
The sign-in sheet has a 24-hour shelf life. Warm leads from an open house go stale faster than any other source. Transcribe the sheet into the pipeline the same evening while the faces still match the names.
What the full tracker adds
This page is the transaction skeleton. The Real Estate Agent Prospecting & Transaction Tracker is the 24-page version: a 60-lead prospecting tracker, a 30-lead follow-up log with a tick box for every touch, buyer and seller pipelines, the full 24-step buyer and seller checklists with a date line on every step, open house sign-in sheets, a 13-week goal grid, and a two-page commission and expense log. If you came here for the lead-chasing side instead, the prospecting tracker page covers that angle, and the new home checklist is the client-facing handout for buyers.