10 Ways Great Realtors Can Help Lenders Close Faster
Realtors and Lenders Have the Same Goal
Realtors and loan officers are on the same team. We may work for different companies, but we’re both working toward the same objective: getting our mutual client to the closing table as smoothly and on time as possible.
The best transactions don’t happen because everyone gets lucky. They happen because everyone communicates well, understands their role, and stays one step ahead of potential problems.
One thing many Realtors never get to see is what happens after the contract reaches the lender. Behind the scenes, every mortgage goes through dozens of milestones involving disclosures, underwriting, appraisals, title work, insurance, and federal compliance requirements. Small delays on the front end of a transaction can quickly ripple through the lending process and cost valuable days.
The good news is that many of those delays are completely preventable.
None of the suggestions in this article are intended to criticize Realtors. In fact, they’re based on the habits I consistently see from the agents who have the smoothest closings. These are the professionals who understand how the lending process works behind the scenes and proactively help keep everything moving.
Here are 10 ways great Realtors can help lenders close loans faster—and create a better experience for buyers, sellers, and everyone involved.
1. Don't Wait to Send the Signed Purchase Contract
This is one of the easiest—and most preventable—ways to delay a closing.
Once both buyer and seller have signed the purchase agreement, the lender should receive a copy immediately.
I know how busy Realtors are.
You leave one showing and head to another. Then a listing appointment. Then a phone call from another client. Before you know it, you think, “I’ll send the contract when I get back to the office.”
Sometimes that becomes later that evening.
Sometimes the next morning.
Sometimes… it simply gets forgotten until someone asks about it.
It happens far more often than most people realize.
From the lender’s perspective, though, every day we don’t have the contract is a day we can’t begin moving the loan toward the closing table.
Why the Timing Matters
One misconception I occasionally hear is:
“We’re waiting until after the inspection before we involve the lender.”
I actually don’t need the inspection to begin doing my job.
If the inspection uncovers a major issue and the buyer decides to terminate the contract, canceling the loan is simple.
What I can’t do is recover the days lost while everyone waited to send me the contract.
Those lost days never come back.
Every Day Matters
The day I receive the contract is the day my clock starts.
From that point forward I need to:
- Issue required disclosures.
- Review documentation and request updates.
- Begin processing.
- Order Title
- Order the appraisal ASAP in extremely rural areas where appraisals take 2-3 weeks or more. (In urban areas, the appraisal is not ordered until the inspection is cleared and the agent gives the green light.)
- Prepare the file for underwriting.
- Keep everything on schedule for the closing date.
The inspection timeline doesn’t determine my deadline.
The closing date does.
Every day the contract sits in an inbox is one less day I have available to meet that closing date.
Rural Markets Make This Even More Important
In many rural counties, there aren’t as many appraisers, so appraisals often take two to three weeks—or even longer during peak buying season.
If I don’t receive the contract quickly, I may lose valuable time simply getting into the appraiser’s queue.
By the time everyone is ready to move forward after inspections, we’ve already lost the scheduling advantage.
Then, a few weeks later, everyone wonders why the closing feels rushed or why an extension is needed.
In reality, the delay often didn’t happen at the end of the transaction.
It happened at the very beginning.
From the Lender’s Desk: The easiest way to keep a closing on schedule is to let the lender start immediately. You can always cancel a loan if the inspection reveals a deal-breaker—but lost days at the beginning become rushed days at the end.
2. Write the Contract to Match the Buyer's Preapproval
One of the most valuable conversations a Realtor can have is with the buyer’s loan officer before writing the offer.
A good loan officer doesn’t just tell you whether the buyer is approved.
They explain how the deal needs to be structured for the buyer to actually make it to the closing table.
That conversation may include things like:
- How much the buyer can comfortably afford.
- Whether seller concessions are required.
- Which loan program is being used.
- Maximum purchase price.
- Down payment strategy.
- Any financing limitations that could affect negotiations.
The Financing Strategy Matters
One of the most common situations I see involves buyers who have enough money for the down payment—but not enough for both the down payment and their closing costs.
In those cases, I may tell the buyer and Realtor something like:
“The buyer needs $6,000 toward closing costs or they cannot close.”
Or I may explain:
“The buyer can go up to $250,000, but that uses up all of their money for the down payment, so at that price point, the seller HAS to pay “$X.XX” toward closing costs and prepaids or they can’t buy the house.”
Everyone understands.
Everyone agrees.
Then the contract arrives…
…with no seller concessions.
OR the sales price is several thousand dollars higher than we discussed making the DTI too high.
Now everyone is asking the lender to somehow make the numbers work.
Sometimes we can.
Sometimes we can’t.
A Loan Officer Can’t Create Money
One thing I tell Realtors all the time is this:
I can structure financing. I can’t create cash that the buyer doesn’t have. Every preapproval is built on a set of financial assumptions. When those assumptions change, the financing often has to change too.
If the buyer needs seller concessions to close, those concessions have to be negotiated into the purchase contract.
If the seller isn’t willing to agree, don’t write the contract thinking, “We’ll figure it out somehow.” One of the scariest phrases a loan officer hears is, “We’ll come up with the money.” From where? Mortgage lending doesn’t work that way. Every dollar used for closing has to be properly sourced and documented while still meeting underwriting guidelines. Hoping the money appears later isn’t a financing strategy.
One Early Phone Call Can Prevent All of This
Before writing the offer, call the loan officer.
Ask questions like:
- Are seller concessions required?
- Is there a maximum purchase price I should stay under?
- Is there anything I need to know to structure this offer correctly?
A thorough loan officer should have discussed these items during the preapproval process, but another quick phone call before writing the offer is always a good idea. Sometimes circumstances change, and there may even be room to adjust the financing strategy. Communication is the key.
That five-minute conversation can be the difference between a smooth closing and breaking a buyer’s heart when the contract reaches the lender. That’s when we have to deliver the news that they’ve fallen in love with a home they simply can’t afford to purchase because the numbers don’t work.
From the Lender’s Desk: The best loan approvals don’t happen because we work miracles after the contract is signed. They happen because the contract was structured correctly before it was ever written.
3. Handle Earnest Money Correctly
From a Realtor’s perspective, earnest money serves an important purpose.
It tells the seller:
“My buyer is serious about purchasing your home.”
The buyer is simply trying to satisfy the purchase contract.
The Realtor is trying to satisfy the seller.
Everyone is focused on the real estate transaction.
The lender is rarely part of that conversation.
Here’s what many Realtors don’t realize:
The moment the earnest money is paid, the purchase contract also creates a lending requirement.
From that point forward, underwriting must document where those funds came from.
The earnest money didn’t just satisfy the contract.
It became part of the buyer’s financial picture.
Two Different Perspectives
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that Realtors and lenders often view earnest money through completely different lenses.
From the Realtor’s perspective, the job is straightforward.
The contract says earnest money is due.
The buyer provides it.
The seller is satisfied.
The contract requirement has been met.
Mission accomplished.
The lender isn’t even part of that conversation.
And honestly, I understand why.
You don’t see underwriting.
You don’t see asset conditions.
You don’t see processors asking for documentation.
You don’t see underwriters trying to prove where every dollar came from.
Those things all happen behind the curtain.
Then the Loan Gets to Underwriting…
Suddenly, the lender starts asking questions.
Can I have a copy of the earnest money check?
When was it deposited?
Can you show it clearing the buyer’s account?
Was it cash?
Where did the buyer get the cash?
From the Realtor’s perspective…
“We already handled the earnest money.”
From the lender’s perspective…
No, you’ve only satisfied the real estate contract. We still have to satisfy the mortgage guidelines.
Those are two completely different requirements.
The Hidden Requirement
The purchase contract doesn’t just create obligations between the buyer and seller.
It also creates obligations for the lender.
The moment earnest money is paid, it becomes part of the buyer’s assets.
That means underwriting has to verify it just like every other dollar used to purchase the home.
If we can’t document where those funds came from…
it’s almost as though the earnest money never existed.
We may have to remove it from the buyer’s available funds entirely. We call this “backing it out” of the buyer’s assets. I would estimate this happens on about 50% of the files or more because the EMD was not handled properly.
Now the buyer has to prove they have additional money available.
If they don’t…
Now we’re requesting contract amendments that nobody expected.
All because something that looked complete from the real estate side wasn’t complete from the lending side.
From the Lender’s Desk: Every purchase contract creates two transactions: the real estate transaction and the mortgage transaction. Realtors see earnest money as a contract requirement. Underwriters see it as an asset that must be documented. Both matter—but because Realtors rarely see the underwriting process, the lending requirements are often overlooked until they delay the loan.
4. Get FHA and VA Documents Signed Early
Government loans require a few additional forms that conventional loans don’t.
The forms themselves aren’t difficult.
Getting everyone to sign them can be.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is waiting until underwriting requests the documents before trying to collect signatures.
By that point:
- The seller is traveling.
- The buyer is working.
- Someone doesn’t respond to emails.
- Everyone assumes someone else is handling it.
What should have taken ten minutes suddenly takes three or four days.
Know Which Documents You’ll Need
Depending on the loan type, you may be asked for documents such as:
- FHA Amendatory Clause
- FHA Real Estate Certification
- VA Escape Clause
- VA Pest Inspection Report
If you know you’re working with an FHA or VA buyer, don’t wait for the lender to remind you these documents exist.
Prepare the Seller Early
If you’re representing the seller and you’ve accepted an FHA or VA offer, let your client know there will likely be a few additional forms requiring signatures.
Setting that expectation on day one prevents the common response of:
“What’s this form? I’ll look at it later.”
Those “later” conversations have a way of becoming closing delays.
VA Pest Inspections
This one deserves special attention.
If the property requires a VA pest inspection, schedule it at ASAP after the home inspection is clear.
There’s no reason to wait for the lender to ask.
Just as importantly, remember that the VA pest inspection report generally requires signatures from both the buyer and the seller.
And a reminder – there are TWO pages to the VA pest inspection form. Page one AND page 2 should be sent to the loan officer… after it is signed.
One of the easiest ways to avoid delays is to send the completed report through Dotloop (or your preferred signing platform) to both parties at the same time before sending it to the loan officer.
If the report mentions any termite damage, notify the loan officer immediately. Pest reports often sound much worse than the actual condition of the home. An early heads-up gives the lender time to review the report, determine whether additional documentation is actually needed, and potentially avoid unnecessary underwriting conditions such as a structural engineer’s report.
These simple steps can eliminate several days of back-and-forth later.
From the Lender’s Desk: Government loan paperwork isn’t difficult—it just takes coordination. The sooner everyone knows what’s coming, the less likely those last-minute signatures become the reason your closing is delayed.
5. Send Amendments to the Lender Immediately
A surprisingly common misconception I see is that amendments only matter once the entire transaction has been negotiated.
In reality, every signed amendment changes the mortgage file the moment it’s executed.
That means the lender should receive it immediately—not three days later, and not after you’ve accumulated several amendments to send all at once.
Examples include:
- Purchase price changes
- Seller concession changes
- Repair agreements
- Closing date extensions
- Personal property being added or removed
- Any change affecting the financing terms
Every Amendment Has a Ripple Effect
To a Realtor, an amendment may feel like a simple contract update.
To the lender, it can change:
- The buyer’s loan approval.
- The amount of cash needed to close.
- The Loan Estimate.
- The Closing Disclosure.
- The appraisal.
- Underwriting approval.
That’s why timing matters.
The sooner the lender knows about the change, the sooner we can determine whether it affects the loan.
Don’t Batch Amendments Together
I occasionally receive several signed amendments all at once.
By then, several days may have passed.
Instead, send each amendment as soon as it’s fully executed.
Even if another amendment is likely tomorrow.
The lender can always update the file again.
We can’t recover the time lost waiting to find out something changed.
The Appraiser Needs to Know Too
This is one of the most overlooked parts of the mortgage process.
Many Realtors don’t realize the lender serves as the communication bridge between the purchase contract and the appraiser.
If an amendment changes:
- The purchase price
- Seller concessions
- Personal property
- Financing terms
…the lender may need to provide that amendment to the Appraisal Management Company (AMC) before the appraiser completes the report.
Once an appraisal has been submitted, making changes becomes much more difficult.
Depending on the circumstances, the lender may need to:
- Request an appraisal revision.
- Ask the appraiser to reconsider the updated contract terms.
- Wait for the AMC to coordinate the revision.
- Delay underwriting until the revised appraisal is received.
Simply sending the amendment when it’s signed often avoids all of that.
From the Lender’s Desk: An amendment sitting in an inbox helps no one. The moment it’s signed, it becomes part of the mortgage file—not just the real estate file.
6. Catch FHA and VA Repair Issues Before the Appraisal
One of the easiest ways to keep an FHA or VA loan on schedule is to identify obvious property condition issues before the appraiser arrives.
You don’t have to be an appraiser.
You don’t have to know every FHA or VA guideline.
But you should recognize the most common items that repeatedly delay government-backed loans. (See FHA Appraisal Checklist)
Examples include:
- Missing handrails
- Peeling paint
- Broken windows
- Missing or unsafe flooring
- Missing GFCI outlets where required
- Exposed wiring
- Safety hazards
- Obvious structural concerns
Many of these repairs cost very little to fix.
What costs time AND money is discovering them after the appraisal has already been completed.
Don’t Pay for Two Trips
When an appraiser identifies a required repair, the process usually looks something like this:
- The appraisal is completed subject to repairs.
- The seller schedules the repair.
- The repair is completed.
- The appraiser returns for a final inspection.
- The report is updated.
- Underwriting reviews everything again.
A missing $40 handrail can easily add a week—or more—to the transaction.
And it costs the buyer $175-$200 for the completion report! This can impact cash to close and is an unnecessary cost if known issues go unaddressed prior to the appraiser’s arrival.
Think Like a Transaction Manager
Great Realtors don’t just market homes.
They anticipate obstacles before they become closing delays.
If you notice peeling paint or a missing handrail during your listing appointment, recommend fixing it before the property ever goes under contract if they plan on accepting FHA, VA, or USDA.
If you’re representing the buyer with an FHA, VA or USDA offer, great real estate agents mention the concern early to the selling agent and include it in the contract negotiation. Why wait for the appraiser to make the appraisal Subject to Completion? BOTH realtors already know it is going to be an issue. It comes as no surprise. So why make the buyer pay more money for a completion report and delay the closing?
A little preparation on the front end almost always beats a repair condition on the back end.
Not Every Loan Is FHA or VA
It’s also important to remember that conventional financing has property condition requirements too.
Many Realtors assume only FHA and VA loans generate repair conditions.
That’s simply not true.
Conventional appraisers also evaluate the property’s condition and can require repairs when health, safety, security, or marketability are affected.
The difference is usually what they’re looking for—not whether they look at all.
From the Lender’s Desk: Appraisers don’t create repair conditions—they document property conditions that already existed. The easiest repair condition to clear is the one that never makes it into the appraisal report.
7. Make Sure the Utilities Are on for FHA, VA, and USDA Appraisals
This sounds like common sense, but it happens far more often than you’d think.
The appraisal is scheduled.
The appraiser arrives.
The utilities are off.
Now the appraiser can’t properly test the home’s major systems.
That means the appraisal often can’t be completed.
Instead, the appraiser leaves, a return trip must be scheduled, and everyone waits…again. And it costs the buyer $175-$200!!
Why It Matters
Government-backed loans generally require the appraiser to observe that the home’s major systems appear to be functioning.
That includes things like:
- Heating and cooling
- Electrical systems
- Plumbing
- Water supply
- Water heater
- Built-in appliances (when applicable)
If the utilities are disconnected, the appraiser can’t verify whether these systems operate as intended.
The issue isn’t that the systems are necessarily defective.
It’s that no one can prove they work.
Prepare the Seller Early
If you’re representing the seller, let them know upfront that the utilities should remain on until the appraisal has been completed.
Many sellers disconnect utilities as soon as they move out because they assume they’re saving a few dollars.
Unfortunately, the cost of reconnecting utilities, rescheduling the appraisal, and delaying closing is almost always much greater than leaving them on for another week or two.
A Return Trip Costs Everyone
When utilities aren’t available, the process usually looks like this:
- The appraisal appointment is incomplete.
- Utilities are restored.
- A second appointment is scheduled.
- The appraiser returns.
- The report is completed.
- Underwriting waits for the revised appraisal.
A simple oversight at the beginning can easily delay closing by several days—or longer if the appraiser’s schedule is already full.
In rural markets, where appraisers may already be booked two or three weeks out, missing one appointment can have an even greater impact on the closing timeline.
From the Lender’s Desk: An appraiser can only report what they can observe. If the utilities are off, they can’t verify the home’s systems—and the mortgage process can’t move forward until they do.
8. Send Completed contracts (all pages, signatures, initials, and dates)
I routinely receive contracts that are:
- Missing pages
- Missing signatures
- Missing initials
- Missing dates
- Missing agreed upon seller concessions
- Signed in the wrong location
- Missing addenda referenced in the contract
- Missing exhibits or disclosures
- Wrong address
- Incomplete address
- The wrong contract entirely
The contract may look complete at first glance, but if even one required signature or initial is missing, it isn’t fully executed.
That means the lender often has to stop what they’re doing, notify the agents, wait for corrections, and then review the documents all over again.
It Doesn’t Just Delay the Lender
Missing signatures don’t just affect underwriting.
They can delay:
- Loan disclosures
- Appraisal orders
- Title work
- Underwriting approval
- Closing documents
Every missing signature creates another round of emails, phone calls, and document requests that simply didn’t have to happen.
Slow Down for Thirty Seconds
Before sending a contract to the lender, take one final look. Realtors are often running from one appointment to another and just “sling” the contract at the loan officer without checking it.
Ask yourself:
✅ Are all pages included?
✅ Are all required addenda attached?
✅ Did both parties sign everywhere they’re supposed to?
✅ Are all initials completed?
✅ Are all dates filled in?
Is this even the RIGHT contract?
That thirty-second review often saves everyone several hours of unnecessary back-and-forth later.
Technology Doesn’t Catch Everything
Electronic signature platforms make contracts much easier to complete, but they don’t prevent every mistake.
People still:
- Skip optional signature fields that were actually required.
- Upload the wrong version of an addendum.
- Forget to include an attachment referenced in the contract.
- Save a partially executed version instead of the fully signed copy.
A quick manual review before sending the file to the lender is still one of the simplest ways to keep the transaction moving.
From the Lender’s Desk: A contract isn’t complete because it’s signed. It’s complete when every required page, signature, initial, date, and addendum is present. Spending thirty seconds verifying that can prevent days of unnecessary delays.
9. Confirm the property address using USPS and PVA before writing the contract
One of the strangest—and most preventable—closing delays happens when the same property has multiple addresses.
This occurs more often than many people realize, especially in rural areas.
The seller may use one address.
The county Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) may show another.
USPS may recognize something different.
The homeowner’s insurance policy may list yet another address.
Then the appraisal comes back with a different address than the title commitment.
Now everyone is trying to determine…
“Which address is actually correct?”
Don’t Assume They’re All the Same
Address discrepancies can happen because:
- 911 addressing changed several years ago.
- A road was renamed.
- A driveway address was reassigned.
- USPS recognizes one address while the county records show another.
- The property spans multiple parcels or road frontages.
None of these situations are impossible to solve.
They simply take time.
Time that usually isn’t available a few days before closing.
Tell the Loan Officer Early
If you know there’s an address discrepancy, tell the lender immediately.
Don’t assume someone else already knows.
The earlier we know about it, the sooner we can coordinate with:
- The title company
- The appraiser
- The homeowner’s insurance company
- The county
- USPS (when necessary)
It’s much easier to keep everyone using the same address from the beginning than to correct multiple documents after they’ve already been issued.
Rural Markets Are Especially Susceptible
In many rural communities, properties have gone through multiple address changes over the years.
The local residents may still refer to the “old” address even though the county or 911 system officially changed it years ago.
That doesn’t necessarily create a problem…
Unless everyone involved in the transaction is using a different address.
A two-minute conversation at the beginning can prevent hours of confusion later.
From the Lender’s Desk: If you know a property has more than one address, don’t surprise the lender halfway through the transaction. Address discrepancies are easy to manage when we know about them early—and surprisingly difficult to untangle when we discover them just before closing.
10. All Addendums Involving The Sales Price Must Be Sent To The Appraiser BEFORE the Property is Appraised
One of the most overlooked delays in the mortgage process happens when the purchase contract changes—but the appraiser never sees the updated information.
If an amendment changes the:
- Purchase price
- Seller concessions
- Personal property affecting value
- Financing terms that impact the contract
…the lender may need to provide that amendment to the Appraisal Management Company (AMC) before the appraiser completes the report.
Timing Is Everything
Many Realtors assume the appraiser automatically receives contract changes.
Unfortunately, that’s usually not how the process works.
The appraiser works from the documents they were given when the assignment was ordered.
If the contract changes afterward, someone has to make sure those changes get to the AMC and then to the appraiser before the appraisal is finalized.
That’s why sending amendments to the lender immediately is so important.
Once the Appraisal Is Finished…
Life becomes much harder.
The lender may have to:
- Request an appraisal revision.
- Ask the AMC to reopen the assignment.
- Wait for the appraiser to review the updated contract.
- Delay underwriting while everyone waits for the revised report.
Sometimes the appraiser can simply update the report.
Sometimes they can’t.
Either way, it’s a process that can usually be avoided by getting the amendment to the lender as soon as it’s is signed.
Don’t Assume “Someone Else” Is Handling It
One of the easiest mistakes to make is assuming the amendment has already made its way to the appraiser.
The title company doesn’t send it.
The appraiser doesn’t magically receive it.
The lender can’t send it if we don’t have it.
The faster the lender receives the amendment, the faster we can determine whether the appraiser needs to see it before the report is completed.
From the Lender’s Desk: Once an appraisal is finalized, changing it becomes significantly more difficult than changing the contract. A thirty-second email with the signed amendment can save days of unnecessary delays later.
Great Partnerships Create Great Closings
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably noticed a common theme.
Very few mortgage delays happen because someone isn’t working hard.
Most happen because information doesn’t reach the right people at the right time.
The best Realtors I’ve worked with over the years aren’t necessarily the ones with the most experience—they’re the ones who understand that real estate and lending aren’t separate jobs. They’re two parts of the same transaction.
When we communicate early, solve problems proactively, and keep each other informed, buyers have smoother closings, sellers experience fewer surprises, and everyone spends less time putting out fires at the last minute.
That’s the kind of partnership I enjoy building.
If you’re a Realtor who values communication, proactive problem-solving, and getting buyers to the closing table on time, I’d love the opportunity to work with you.
Whether you have a financing question before writing an offer, want a second opinion on a challenging deal, or simply want a lender who answers the phone, I’m always happy to help.
Let’s make your next closing the easiest one yet.
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Why Is My Mortgage Taking So Long? 10 Delays Borrowers Can Prevent
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