Transaction Orchestration
By Jim Palmer Jr.

When I think of what happens between the time a real estate agreement gets signed and its closing, my mind conjures the image of an orchestra conductor who directs with movements of the hands and arms and baton. Sometimes the conductor’s movements are subtle and at times vigorous. The conductor’s role is to bring every musician together at the right time to create a pleasing result. That is much like the role of a Realtor® in a real estate transaction. Some skeptics of our profession think our ranks are laced with part-time hobbyists because “It is so easy anyone can do it.” That is only partially true! There are mundane tasks completed in every transaction that anyone could do, but knowing when and how takes expertise. When you dig deeper into my analogy you might realize that some people just see the ridiculous hand movements of the conductor and may not realize how much expertise it takes to wave that baton around. He needs to know enough about each instrument to know their role in the general composition. He needs to know enough about the musicians and their skill level to know how best to stimulate their participation. In addition, he needs to be an expert in reading music and proficient in math to keep the beat.  

In a recent real estate example, I spent time orchestrating well and septic tests for a property that had just sold. It took expertise to understand the nature of the task but the calls and scheduling were truly mundane tasks. The problem was to find a well tester who had a spool rig with a generator because there was no pump in the well and no electricity. Most well testers are not geared up for that type of a scenario. In addition to that difficulty, I had to coordinate the well tester’s schedule to coincide with the septic professional who needed to certify the septic to be functional. The never-used-twenty-year-old-septic system must be filled with water and purged in order to be sure it was working. That meant we would use the water from the 4 hour drawn down of the well to fill the septic tank and purge the drain field, which would be done simultaneously. The pump in the pressurized septic system would also have to be powered up in order to make this work.

When you choose someone to wave the real estate baton, be sure you are working with a seasoned professional!