Free resource · Guide
What a transaction coordinator intake form should ask
An intake form is how an agent hands you a file. A good one gets you everything you need to open it in one go, without a week of follow-up emails. Here’s what to ask, what to leave out, and where the form should live on your site.
I built my mom’s start-a-file form (she’s been a TC since 2013), and I build intake software for TCs.
The short version
Ask for the executed contract as an upload, plus the details you need to route the file that the contract doesn’t make obvious: which service the agent wants, which side you’re on, who everyone is, and how the agent wants to hear from you.
Keep it short, use choices instead of text boxes where you can, and never ask for bank or wiring details.
The six groups of questions
Adjust the details for your state and the services you offer.
The service and how you get paid
Which service (listing coordination, contract to close, compliance only) · buyer side, seller side, or both · who pays your fee and when · agreement to your deposit or cancellation policy, if you have one.
Why: It sets your fee and your checklist before you open anything.
The property and the deal
Property address · purchase price · financing type (cash, conventional, FHA, VA, other) · earnest money amount and who holds it.
Why: Enough to set up the file and see what kind of transaction it is at a glance.
Key dates
Contract acceptance date · inspection deadline · financing and appraisal deadlines · closing date.
Why: They’re in the contract too, but having the agent enter them gives you a second source to check your timeline against.
The people
Agent name, phone, email, and brokerage · buyer or seller names and contact details · the other agent · lender · title, escrow, or closing attorney.
Why: On most files, the first thing you do is introduce yourself to everyone.
Documents
The fully executed contract with all addenda · the listing agreement for listing files · anything your state or brokerage requires at file start.
Why: An upload field beats chasing attachments across three email threads.
Communication and access
How the agent wants updates (text, call, email) · anyone to copy, like an assistant or team lead · the client’s preferred language · lockbox or showing details for listings · anything unusual about the file.
Why: It saves the “how do you want to handle this?” conversation on every file.
What to leave out
Every extra question is a reason for an agent to stop halfway.
- Bank account numbers, wiring instructions, or Social Security numbers. You don’t need them to open a file, and a web form is the wrong place for them.
- Questions you never act on. If an answer doesn’t change what you do, cut the question.
- Free-text boxes where a choice would do. Side, service, and financing type work better as buttons or a dropdown, so every entry comes back in the same format.
- Required fields the agent may not know yet, like the lender on a cash deal or the closing attorney. Make them optional, or add a “Not known yet” choice.
Which tool to use
Google Forms
Free and quick to set up. The catch: file upload questions require the person filling it in to sign in with a Google account, and some agents won’t.
Jotform or Cognito Forms
Both handle file uploads, conditional questions (listing questions only appear on listing files), and email notifications, and both have free plans with submission limits. Structured Closings uses Cognito Forms for its Submit a File page.
A form built into your website
A simple form on your own site that emails each submission to you. It works well for a basic file start and keeps agents on your site.
Norma Intake
I build this one, so weigh that. Agents use one link to send contract details and documents, and you get a coordinator-ready cover sheet. There’s a free tier of five intakes a month.
Where the form goes on your site
Give it its own page, called something like Start a File or Submit a File, and put a button for it in your navigation so agents can reach it from anywhere. That’s how my mom’s site works: Start Transaction is in the menu on every page, and her agents fill it out whenever a file goes under contract.
If you publish prices, consider showing them inside the form, at the moment the agent picks a service. Structured Closings does this.
See both sites in the TC website examples →Want it on paper?
The free TC intake checklist covers these questions as a printable PDF. Use it as-is, or as the blueprint for your form.
Get the intake checklist →FAQ
Common questions
Should the intake form be on my website or a separate link?
Either works, and many TCs use both. A Start a File page on your site looks more established and keeps agents on your site. A direct link from your form tool is easy to text to an agent. It can be the same form in both places.
How long should a TC intake form be?
As short as it can be while still letting you open the file without follow-up questions. Conditional questions help: listing-side questions only appear when the agent picks a listing file.
Should agents fill it out, or should I?
Agents, ideally. They have the details in front of them when the file goes under contract. If an agent won’t, fill it in yourself from the contract so every file starts in the same format.
More for TC websites
What every TC website needs
Nine must-haves and ten common mistakes, from positioning to the intake form.
Read the guide →TC website examples
Three real TC sites, with screenshots and what each one does well.
Read the guide →What a TC website costs
Doing it yourself versus hiring someone, and the ongoing costs either way.
Read the guide →Tell me about your business.
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