Buyer Due Diligence Coordination Checklist

Pull the ratified contract and enter every dated milestone into the TC calendar: inspection period, financing contingency, appraisal contingency, title objection window, HOA rescission, and closing. Add 2-day buffer reminders before each. Missed inspection-objection deadlines are one of the most common reasons buyers lose negotiating leverage.

Most states require earnest money deposited to broker trust or escrow within 3 business days of contract acceptance. Late deposit is a license violation. Attach the receipt or wire confirmation to the file.

Review the disclosure line-by-line with the buyer, not just forward the PDF. Flag blank items the seller may actually know about — foundation, prior flooding, roof history — for follow-up questions before the inspection-objection deadline.

Pre-1978 homes trigger federal lead-based paint disclosure requirements, the EPA pamphlet, and a 10-day inspection opportunity (waivable). Pull the build year from tax records, not the MLS — MLS data is often wrong.

Confirm the buyer received the LBP disclosure form, the EPA "Protect Your Family from Lead" pamphlet, and signed acknowledgment. Missing LBP disclosure on a pre-1978 home gives the buyer rescission rights and exposes the brokerage to EPA fines.

Book the inspector early — popular inspectors fill up in active markets and the inspection period is short (typically 7-10 days). Confirm buyer attendance and access instructions with the listing agent.

Coordinate radon, sewer scope, termite/WDO, mold, well, septic, or pool inspections as applicable. Many of these have separate scheduling lead times and can't all be done in one visit. Sewer scope is often the highest-value specialty inspection on older homes.

Distinguish material defects (safety, structural, mechanical end-of-life) from cosmetic items. Help the buyer prioritize a short list of repair-or-credit asks rather than a 30-item line-by-line that the seller will reject wholesale.

Submit in writing before the inspection-objection deadline expires — verbal asks don't preserve the buyer's rights. Track the seller's response and resolution. If the parties can't reach agreement, the buyer's termination right runs from the contractual deadline, not from the day negotiations end.

Title officer should issue the commitment within the contractual window. Forward to the buyer's attorney (in attorney states) and to the lender. Don't wait until the title-objection deadline to chase a missing commitment.

Review Schedule B for liens, easements, encroachments, and recorded restrictions. Common cleanup items: prior-owner mortgage payoff, unreleased mechanic's liens, HOA dues, and old judgments. Document the resolution path before the title-objection deadline.

Required by most lenders and by the title commitment in many states. Confirm whether the buyer or seller is paying per the contract. Order early — surveyors are a bottleneck in many markets.

Verify with the loan officer that the appraisal is ordered, fee collected, and access scheduled with the listing agent. Appraisal turn time has been the single largest source of closing delays in tight markets — chase weekly.

A pre-approval letter is not a mortgage commitment — appraisal value is one of the gates between conditional approval and clear-to-close. Capture the value vs. contract price so the team can move quickly if there's a gap.

Three paths: buyer brings additional cash, seller reduces price, or parties split the gap. Confirm whether the buyer has appraisal-gap coverage in the offer terms before opening negotiations. The financing contingency expiration is the hard backstop — don't let negotiations push past it without a written extension.

Pull the conditions list from the loan officer weekly. Common late-stage conditions: updated bank statements, gift letter sourcing, employment verification, HOA certification. Buyer should not change jobs, open new credit, or move large sums during this window.

Some states (CA, FL, VA, others) require HOA documents to be delivered within a defined window and give the buyer rescission rights if late. Order the estoppel as soon as the contract is ratified — management companies routinely take 7-14 days. Walk the buyer through the CC&Rs, budget, reserve study, and any pending special assessments.

Buyer selects a carrier and provides the binder plus paid-receipt to the lender. Flood, wind, and earthquake coverage may be separately required depending on flood zone and region. In coastal markets, getting bound at all has become a bottleneck — start early.

Walkthrough should occur 24-48 hours before closing — not earlier — so the buyer can confirm seller has vacated, agreed repairs are complete, and included fixtures remain. Bring the inspection objection list and the contract's inclusions/exclusions.

Wire fraud is the single largest fraud loss vector at closing. Buyer must call the escrow officer at a known phone number — not a number from the email — to verbally confirm wiring instructions. Train the buyer to ignore any last-minute emailed change to wire info; those are almost always fraudulent.

CTC means underwriting is complete and the loan is ready to fund. Confirm the Closing Disclosure was delivered at least 3 business days prior per TRID — any last-minute fee changes can re-trigger the 3-day window and push the closing date.