One folder per deal,
filed by address

A transaction is a single property changing hands, so the property address is the natural name for the folder. Open it the day the offer is written, not at closing, because the paperwork that matters most arrives while the deal is still moving.

Inside, keep one flat set of files rather than layers of subfolders. If you work both sides, add a short prefix such as Buyer-side or Listing-side in the name, so your own showing feedback never sits beside the other agent’s documents. Once the deal closes or falls through, move the folder to a yearly archive; the closing-documents guide covers that last step.

Put the date first, then the document type, so the folder reads as a timeline from offer to closing. Use the date written on the document, such as the signing date, not the day it reached your inbox.

E-signature tools often hand back names like Complete_with_DocuSign.pdf, which carry no address and no type. Rename them on arrival, and add a label to each addendum so Repair and Closing-Date are never confused.

A live deal can have an offer, a counter, a counter to the counter and several addenda, and each goes through drafts before it is signed. The question a client asks is always the same: which one is the executed version?

Keep drafts and the fully signed copy as separate dated files, and put Executed in the name of the signed one. Late arrivals such as a lead-based-paint disclosure or HOA documents then slot in by date, and nothing earlier gets replaced.

Many coordinators start each deal from a folder template, or rely on their brokerage’s transaction system. Signed envelopes tend to arrive through the e-signature tool, but the inspector’s PDF, the lender’s email attachment and photos taken on a walkthrough still need someone to save and rename them.

Some add a mailbox rule or a small script that moves attachments into the newest deal folder, which breaks when two deals are open at once. The alternative is to describe the rule in plain words and let Filex read the address on each file, alongside whatever system you already use.

It files and names documents and reminds you of dates it can read on the page. It does not tell you whether a contract is correct, decide which version is executed, give legal advice, send or sign documents, or contact the other parties. Check any reminder against the contract itself.

The property address has to be readable on the page, so a photo with no address may need a quick look from you. It files documents from the day you turn it on; sorting past deals is a separate job.