Buyer Consultation Checklist

Steps a buyer's agent runs from initial consultation through closing and post-closing follow-up. Covers buyer rep agreement signing, agency disclosure, lender coordination, MLS search, offer negotiation, and contract-to-close milestones.

Use this workflow
1

Pre-Consultation Preparation

  1. Review the buyer intake questionnaire

    • Pull the questionnaire from the CRM (Follow Up Boss, kvCORE, or BoomTown). Note timeline, target price band, financing status, and any prior agent relationships — buyers already under a signed buyer rep agreement with another agent are a procuring-cause hazard.

  2. Pull a fresh CMA for the target area

    • Use Cloud CMA or RPR with comps from the last 90 days — older comps mislead in moving markets. Include median days on market, list-to-sale ratio, and active inventory count so the buyer sees the velocity, not just the price.

  3. Assemble the consultation packet

    • Include the state agency disclosure form, buyer rep agreement, wire-fraud advisory, lender referral sheet, and a one-page CTC timeline. Per the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer agent compensation is now negotiated directly with the buyer — bring the signed-comp form, not the MLS field.

  4. Confirm the meeting and send the agenda
2

Consultation Meeting

  1. Present the agency disclosure at first substantive contact

    • Most state license laws require agency disclosure before discussing buying preferences in detail. Skipping this is a common file-review citation. Walk through the agency types available in your state (buyer's agent, transaction broker, designated agent) before the buyer signs anything.

  2. Execute the buyer representation agreement

    • Post-NAR-settlement, a signed buyer rep agreement is required before showing MLS-listed homes in most jurisdictions. Sign via DocuSign or Dotloop; include term length, geographic scope, and the buyer-paid compensation amount. Save the executed copy to the transaction file.

    Collects file
  3. Confirm financing status

    • Pre-qualified, pre-approved with full underwriting, and cash buyers each move differently in multiple-offer situations. A pre-qual letter is a soft signal; a fully-underwritten conditional approval is what wins. Cash buyers should provide proof of funds dated within 30 days.

    Collects list
  4. Capture must-haves, nice-to-haves, and dealbreakers

    • Stick to objective property attributes — bedrooms, lot size, school district info upon request, commute. Avoid fair-housing landmines: do not frame neighborhoods as good/bad, safe/unsafe, family-friendly, or by demographic. Steering complaints often start here.

    Collects paragraph
  5. Deliver the wire-fraud advisory

    • Train the buyer now, not the day before closing. Wire instructions must be verified verbally to a known phone number — never trust an emailed PDF or a last-minute change-of-instructions email. FBI IC3 reports place real estate wire fraud losses in the hundreds of millions annually.

3

Lender Referral and Pre-Approval

  1. Refer to two or three lenders

    • RESPA Section 8 prohibits referral fees from lenders. Provide at least two unaffiliated options so the recommendation is informational, not steering. If your brokerage has an affiliated business arrangement (ABA) with a lender, deliver the ABA disclosure form.

  2. Collect the pre-approval letter
    Collects file
4

Property Search and Showings

  1. Set up the MLS auto-search

    • Configure the search in Bright MLS, Stellar MLS, or your regional MLS with criteria from the consultation. Pipe results into the CRM (Follow Up Boss, kvCORE) so engagement is tracked, not just emailed and forgotten.

  2. Schedule showings via ShowingTime
  3. Capture written showing feedback after each tour

    • Notes go in the CRM, not the agent's head. Document property condition, buyer reactions, and any disclosed issues observed on-site. This becomes the basis for offer-price discussion and any later inspection focus areas.

5

Offer and Negotiation

  1. Confirm the co-broke compensation in writing

    • Post-NAR-settlement, buyer-agent compensation is no longer published in the MLS. Before drafting the offer, confirm in writing with the listing agent or seller what compensation the seller is offering, and reconcile against the buyer rep agreement so the buyer is not surprised at closing.

  2. Draft the offer with appropriate contingencies

    • Standard contingencies: financing, appraisal, inspection, title, and (if applicable) sale of buyer's home. In competitive markets buyers often waive — explain the risk per contingency before they sign. Include the EMD amount and option fee where applicable (TX) or attorney review (NJ, NY).

  3. Submit the offer and track response
    Collects list
  4. Negotiate the counter and ratify the contract

    • Walk the buyer through each counter term — price, closing date, inclusions, repair credits — before responding. Once ratified, capture the contract effective date; every contingency deadline calendars from this date.

6

Under Contract Milestones

  1. Deposit earnest money to the trust account

    • Most states require EMD deposit within 3 business days of receipt; late deposit is a license-law violation. Verify funds clear the broker trust account and never park EMD in operating, even briefly — commingling is a separate violation.

  2. Order and attend the home inspection
  3. Submit inspection objections before deadline

    • Calendar the inspection objection deadline at contract acceptance with a 2-day buffer reminder. Submit objections one day late and the buyer waives the right — seller can refuse all repairs or credits. Keep the request scoped to material defects, not cosmetic punch-list items.

    Collects list
  4. Track appraisal and financing milestones

    • Pre-approval is conditional, not committed. Track three milestones separately: appraisal back, conditional commitment, and clear-to-close. If the appraisal comes in low, the buyer must decide quickly between an appraisal-gap contribution, renegotiation, or termination.

      Confirm the lender will deliver the Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before consummation per TRID — late CD delivery resets the clock.

  5. Review the title commitment with the buyer

    • Walk through Schedule B exceptions — easements, restrictions, encroachments. Flag any objection items to the title officer before the contractual title-objection deadline. Confirm both owner's and lender's policies are ordered.

7

Closing and Possession

  1. Conduct the final walk-through

    • Verify agreed repairs are completed, all included fixtures and appliances remain, and the property is in the contracted condition. Photograph any issues and address with the listing agent before the closing table — fixing them at closing is significantly harder.

  2. Reconfirm wire instructions verbally

    • Buyer calls the title or escrow company at a phone number from the company website — not a number in any email — to verbally confirm wire instructions. Any last-minute change to wire info is presumed fraud until verbally verified.

  3. Review the Closing Disclosure with the buyer

    • Reconcile the CD against the Loan Estimate; flag any tolerance violations to the lender. Verify pro-rations for taxes, HOA, and utilities, and confirm the cash-to-close figure matches what the buyer is wiring.

  4. Attend closing and confirm recording
    Collects list Collects file Collects paragraph
8

Post-Closing Follow-Up

  1. Submit the closed transaction file for compliance review

    • Upload the complete file to Dotloop, SkySlope, or Brokermint: ratified contract, all addenda, agency and wire-fraud disclosures, lead-based-paint addendum if pre-1978, EMD receipt, CD, and ALTA. Broker-in-charge file review typically within 7 days.

  2. Send the preferred-vendor list
  3. Schedule the 30-day client check-in

    • Move the client into the long-term sphere drip in Follow Up Boss or kvCORE. Ask for a Google or Zillow review and any referral introductions while the closing experience is fresh.