The Challenge: Managing Documents with Email
Real estate transactions are document-intensive. Every deal, be it buying or selling, requires a range of documents, including disclosure forms, inspection reports, purchase agreements, and title deeds. The sheer volume and importance of these documents highlight the need for an effective way to request, track, and manage all the documents and files required by the process.
Today, most realtors, real estate agents, and brokers rely on email to collect documents from their clients and other parties. On the surface, email seems to be reasonably straightforward. Consider a realtor working with a buyer. When the offer is accepted, the realtor sends a checklist to their client listing all the necessary documentation required to complete the transaction. Seems simple right?
In reality, emails make the closing process way more complex than it should be.
Clients often submit documents little by little, leading to chaotic email threads that make it challenging for both the relator and the client to identify what documents are missing. Version control is a nightmare, as documents are updated and modified, it’s hard to ensure everyone involved has the most recent version. It's not entirely rare for parties to review or even sign an outdated document, leading to potential legal issues or unnecessary back and forth. And since realtors often orchestrate the entire transaction, it also means they get to experience the same email issues with everyone else that needs to be involved.
If you think that sounds exhausting, keep in mind that agents, brokers, and real estate professionals often manage multiple clients simultaneously. The busier a realtor gets the greater the risk is for missed communications. With so many emails from so many people across so many transactions, the lack of inbox organization makes it easy for messages to get buried under a pile of other emails, or worse, end up in the spam folder. This can lead to delays in the transaction process if important documents aren't submitted or reviewed in a timely manner.
Finally, for designated brokers there’s the additional risk element. Not only are they trying to manage their own transactions, they’re often having to support the agents under them. With email it’s nearly impossible to understand the context of what’s happening without someone providing you the play by play. And of course as a crucial element of their organizations, they need to be concerned about risks like security, hacking, phishing, and other cybersecurity threats. Even if an email system is encrypted, there’s always that chance of human error, such as sending the email to the wrong recipient or not using a secure password.
The fact is that all this inefficiency drains productivity. And it forces everyone to focus on administrative tasks as opposed to delivering better client service and growing the business.
The Solution: TakeTurns - Collaboration without the Chaos
Realtors can say goodbye to email-induced chaos thanks to TakeTurns. Instead of lengthy email chains that are hard to navigate and harder to manage, each transaction becomes a TakeTurns Collaboration
Here’s an how TakeTurns can simplify your closing process:
Step 1: Invite Parties & create document requests
Instead of relying on an unruly email chain, the realtor invites their clients to a TakeTurns Collaboration. It’s a secure, shared space for the agent and the client to work together. Instead of sending a checklist and receiving the documents in a piecemeal fashion; the realtor creates structured sets of document requests with clear instructions. The visual nature of the requests allows both parties to easily keep track of what documents are still needed throughout the process.
Step 2: The client accepts the invitation and fulfills the requests
Clients fulfill these requests by uploading the necessary documents and sending updates. No more piecemeal submissions or confusing email threads.
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Step 3: Live discussions
If anyone has questions about the requests or documents they use the built-in chat feature for quick communication at any time.
Step 4: Built-in version control and audit trails
TakeTurns automatically manages all the versions of the documents exchanged as part of the collaboration. Anyone, at any time, can see a comprehensive history of each transaction and each document.
Step 5: Closing Time … it’s time to wrap up and go home
Once the clients and agent are finished, the agent “wraps up” the collaboration. This creates a “closing binder” that contains all the final documents and supporting files, messages, and chats. The completed documents are ready for signatures and can be easily exported straight into DocuSign and retained for record-keeping purposes
With TakeTurns, the real estate closing process becomes a collaborative, enjoyable & efficient endeavor. You’ll never need to chase down missing documents, worry about version control, or spend hours coordinating with various parties. Instead, you can focus on what you do best: helping your clients get the keys to their new home.
Get started today
TakeTurns brings structure, security, and transparency to your collaborations, making it perfect for tasks such as real estate closings. With TakeTurns, you and your parties will know whose turn it is to work, track the full history, and maintain confidentiality.
Learn more in our Help Center or follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube. And when you’re ready for chaos-free collaboration: try TakeTurns for free.
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