Understanding transaction stages

Every transaction sits in exactly one stage at a time. The stage drives what shows up on your Board, and moving a transaction into Pre-Closing is what triggers closing-related compliance tasks. This article covers what each stage means and how transactions move between them.

The stages

Stage	Seller-side label	Buyer-side label
pre_listing	Pre-Listing	Buyer agency
active_listing	Active Listing	Active Search
awaiting_signature	Offer / Needs Signature	Offer / Needs Signature
under_contract	Under Contract	Under Contract
pre_closing	Pre-Closing	Pre-Closing
closed	Closed	Closed
terminated	Terminated	Terminated

The labels change depending on which side (buyer or seller) you're viewing on the Board, but the underlying stage is the same. A buyer deal that has no contract yet reads Buyer agency everywhere else too: the transaction page, the Tasks page, the Transactions list and the stage buttons. Seller deals read Pre-Listing. A deal where you represent both sides goes by the side it was created on. There's also an archived stage for transactions you've deleted from the detail page — it doesn't appear as a column anywhere; see Editing and managing a transaction.

Moving a transaction between stages

The way to change a transaction's stage is dragging its card between columns on the Board. The edit form on the transaction detail page doesn't include a stage field. The Board is where you move a transaction forward. A listing can also go live from its deal page (see below).

Note: Moving a transaction into Pre-Closing automatically adds closing-related compliance actions to your Feed.

Not every move is allowed. For example, you can't drag a card straight to Closed — it has to pass through Pre-Closing first. If you try an invalid move, Done-Deal reverts the card and shows you why.

When a listing becomes an Active Listing

When you create a listing, the New Deal page asks Is this listing live in the MLS yet?

• Yes, it is live starts the deal in Active Listing.
• Not yet starts it in Pre-Listing. It stays there when you add the signed listing agreement, upload it again later, or get it e-signed. A signed agreement means the seller signed. It does not mean the listing is in the MLS.

A listing you add by dropping its listing agreement PDF on the Deals page also starts in Pre-Listing. The agreement does not say whether the listing is in the MLS yet.

A Pre-Listing listing moves to Active Listing in one of three ways:

1. Open the deal and click Listing is live on the Go-live date card. Today becomes the go-live date, and the listing tasks counted from it are re-dated.
2. Set a Go-live date on that card. The deal moves to Active Listing on that date at the 9:00 AM check, once the signed listing agreement is on the deal.
3. Move the card on the Board.

FAQ

I added the signed listing agreement. Why is my listing still in Pre-Listing?

You answered Not yet when you created it, or you added it by dropping the listing agreement PDF. Click Listing is live on the deal's Go-live date card when it is in the MLS.

What's the difference between "Offer / Needs Signature" and "Under Contract"?

Offer / Needs Signature means an offer exists but hasn't been fully executed yet. Once all parties have signed and the contract reaches mutual execution of contract (MEC), move it to Under Contract.

What happens if a transaction falls through?

Move it to Terminated. It stays visible on the Board and in your Transactions list with that status, rather than being archived or deleted.

Does changing the stage change any dates?

No. Stage and dates (MEC, closing) are tracked separately. Update dates from the edit page if the timeline changes.