Transaction coordinator vs real estate assistant: the choice comes down to where your week goes. A transaction coordinator runs each deal from contract to close. A real estate assistant runs most of the work around the deals.
Clients and agents want to work with you, and every new deal brings its own paperwork, deadlines and updates. When half your week starts going to admin, you have to decide who takes the first piece of it.
Here is what each role does, which one to hire first, how Even Baklid's real estate team split the work, and what each costs.
Transaction coordinator vs real estate assistant: what is the difference?
A transaction coordinator owns the file once a deal is under contract: documents, deadlines and the people involved until closing. A real estate assistant supports the whole business, from new leads to the CRM to the weekly seller update.
| Transaction coordinator | Real estate assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| When they work | From the accepted offer to closing | Every day, before, during and after deals |
| What they own | Documents, deadlines, inspection and appraisal dates, the closing | Leads, the CRM, the calendar, the inbox, listings, client updates |
| Who they talk to | The lender, title or escrow, the other side on dates and documents, your client about deal steps | Your clients, your agents, vendors and your team |
| How they are usually paid | Often a flat fee per transaction | By the hour or a salary, for set hours each week |
| What they give you back | The evenings you spend on paperwork | The days you spend on everything else |
What does a transaction coordinator do?
A real estate transaction coordinator keeps a deal on track from the signed contract to the closing table. The Close's guide to the role describes the job as starting once a property is under contract and running until closing.
The work usually covers:
- Collecting and organizing every document in the file.
- Tracking inspection, contingency and closing deadlines.
- Scheduling inspections and appraisals.
- Keeping the lender, title or escrow and the other side informed.
- Updating your client at each step of the deal.
It is precise, repeatable work that follows the contract. That is why it delegates so well.
Should you hire a transaction coordinator or an assistant first?
Hire for the bigger pile first. If contract paperwork fills your evenings, start with transaction coordination; if your days go to leads, agents, the CRM and client updates, start with an assistant.
Even's rule for any first hire is simple:
"The first hire I always recommend is the one that gets you out of the things you should not be doing, but are doing right now."
A quick way to find your bigger pile:
- List last week's work. Every task, every email, every call you made about a file.
- Mark each task. Was it for a deal under contract, or everything else?
- Add up the hours. The longer list tells you who to hire first.
For a real estate team leader, Even's answer is the assistant. When he was asked whether a team leader should hire an admin, an inside sales agent (ISA, the person who calls and qualifies leads) or a transaction coordinator first, he chose the admin. His reason: a team leader gets questions all day, about onboarding, the CRM, agents' calls and the client experience, and an assistant can take the first answer on all of them.
How did Even's real estate team split the work?
On Even's team, both roles were held by virtual assistants, but never by the same person. The transaction coordinator owned contract to close. A separate assistant owned the client experience.
"On our team, we always encouraged our agents to bring on transaction coordinators, separate from themselves and separate from the virtual assistant. They handled the paperwork, the deadlines and the client communication once we went under contract."
Even's own assistant took over the client communication that did not need Even's experience. Together they built a full buyer experience and a seller experience: the email introducing the team, who would communicate on what, what Even would do as the agent, and answers to the questions clients ask up front. The assistant ran the updates from there.
"The client always knew I was the one running the show. Our virtual assistant was integral to creating the best client experience we could ever imagine, way better than I could do myself."
That took Even a while to accept. He used to send every client email and take every meeting himself.
"I needed that control. I needed to know my clients were being taken care of the way I wanted."
What changed his mind was seeing that clients wanted the best experience, and that he could build it into a system and put the right person behind it.
"My clients always know I am involved, even when they are not talking to me in every single communication."
Can a virtual assistant be your transaction coordinator?
Yes. A virtual transaction coordinator can track deadlines, chase documents and keep everyone on the next step from anywhere, because the work runs on the contract, the calendar and email. Your assistant runs the process and your agent makes the calls: advice on contract terms and negotiation stay with your agent, as the free Buyer Process playbook sets out.
The real estate assistants Skale Bak recruits support transaction coordination from contract to close as part of the role, alongside the CRM, listings, the calendar and client communication. Every assistant is in the Philippines, and every finalist is qualified on being comfortable working US hours when you need them.
Whether you need 1 person or 2 depends on volume. The free Buyer Process playbook, built from the system Even's team ran, sets it out like this:
| Transactions a month | Who does what |
|---|---|
| Under about 2 | 1 assistant handles the home search, client updates and transaction coordination, comfortably part time |
| 2 to 5 | 1 full time assistant can hold both, though the home search starts to fill the day |
| 5 or more | 2 assistants: 1 owns the search and the client experience, 1 owns contract to close |
How much does a transaction coordinator cost compared with an assistant?
An assistant through Skale Bak is $13 an hour: $260 a week for 20 hours or $520 for 40, whatever your deal count. A transaction coordinator is commonly paid a flat fee for each file, so that cost rises with every deal; The Close lists the flat fee as a standard structure, alongside salaried and hourly setups.
What a coordinator charges depends on your market, your volume and what the fee covers, so ask for the fee per file and what happens if a deal does not close.
| Skale Bak package | Hours a week | Per week | About per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part time | 20 | $260 | $1,127 |
| Full time | 40 | $520 | $2,253 |
There is no placement fee. The 7 day guarantee means you feel the difference in your first week or that week is refunded, and after that it is 30 days notice, any time. The search takes 2 to 3 weeks from agreement to finalists, and you choose from 3 to 4 finalists. The details are on the pricing page, and how it works walks through each step. To compare an assistant with a local hire, read how much a virtual assistant costs.
Where should you start this week?
Sort last week's tasks into 2 lists: deals under contract, and everything else. The longer list is your first hire's job.
If buyers and sellers fill your week, take the free Buyer Process and Seller Process playbooks. They map every phase, client email and contract deadline, and the buyer playbook shows where a transaction coordinator and a client experience assistant each fit. If you lead a team, read hiring a virtual assistant for a real estate team for what to hand over first.
Questions people ask
How much should you pay a transaction coordinator?
It depends on how they work. A flat fee per transaction is a common structure, and some coordinators are paid a salary or by the hour. Ask what the fee covers and what happens if a deal does not close.
Can one person be my transaction coordinator and my assistant?
Yes, at lower volume. The free Buyer Process playbook suggests 1 assistant for both under about 2 transactions a month, and 2 people once you reach 5 or more a month.
What is the difference between an ISA and an admin in real estate?
An inside sales agent (ISA) calls and qualifies leads to set appointments. An admin or assistant runs the operations: the CRM, the calendar, onboarding and client updates.
Can a virtual assistant in the Philippines handle transaction coordination for a US team?
Yes. The real estate assistants Skale Bak recruits support transaction coordination from contract to close, and every finalist is qualified on being comfortable working US hours when you need them.