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	Pre-Offer
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. 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 the only place to move a deal forward.

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.

FAQ

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 (MEC), move it to Under Contract.

What happens if a deal 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.