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Oregon: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Oregon, what needs a license, and why the Agency judges the activity, not the job title.

Yes, you can work as a TC in Oregon without a real estate license.Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them. Here's where the line is.

Oregon infographic for unlicensed transaction coordinators. Administrative tasks under brokerage supervision: answer phones, schedule showings, inspections and appraisals, check financing progress, track escrow file status, share property facts already in advertising, assist at an open house with a licensee present. Not permitted: negotiate terms, explain provisions in transaction documents, hold an open house without a licensee, other professional real estate activity.

What you can do without a license

A licensee who employs an unlicensed assistant must make sure the assistant does not engage in professional real estate activity, and the managing principal broker sets company policy.

You can do (no license needed)

Answer the phone, take messages and forward calls
Schedule appointments for showings, inspectors or appraisers
Check on the progress of required financing in a transaction
Check with the escrow company on the status of a file
Give property information limited to what is in the advertising
Assist a licensee at an open house, limited to handing out marketing materials and giving information from the advertising

Needs a license

Answer questions about provisions in a transaction document
Hold an open house without a licensee present
Negotiate the terms of a transaction
Assist or direct in the negotiation or closing of a transaction
Assist or direct in finding prospects for a sale or rental
Do any other professional real estate activity listed in ORS 696.010

"Assists" in a closing is enoughOregon's definition of professional real estate activity includes anyone who "assists or directs in the negotiation or closing of any transaction." Status checks with escrow and lenders are on the Agency's permitted list; anything that moves the deal's terms or steers the closing is not.

A practical example

You can:: Ask escrow whether the lender's documents have arrived.
Refer to the agent:: The buyer asks what the inspection contingency lets them do. Send it to the broker.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Job title doesn't matter

The Agency says a TC "does not exist in statute or rule," so it judges a TC "by the nature of activity being performed."

Confidentiality in writing

A licensee hiring a TC "needs to ensure that confidentiality requirements are understood by all parties and addressed appropriately in writing."

Working for several brokerages

If you coordinate for clients at more than one brokerage, your email address and signature "cannot lead to consumer confusion about which RBN administers the transaction."

Not an exhaustive list

The Agency says its examples are "not a comprehensive list; always refer to ORS 696.010(17)" when deciding whether an activity is allowed.

How Closima handles it

Closima asks once whether you hold an Oregon license. If you don't, purchase agreements and addenda go to your agent with a link: they check every value and complete the form, and Closima records that a licensee completed it. If you do, you fill them in yourself and send them to your agent for approval before they go out. Everything else (deadlines, documents, emails, other forms) works as usual.

Thinking about a license?

You don't need one to work as a TC in Oregon. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

Oregon's entry-level license is the real estate broker license. You must be 18 with a high school diploma, GED or international equivalent, apply in eLicense ($300 application fee), complete 150 hours of broker pre-license education from an Agency-approved school, pass both sections of the PSI broker exam, and get fingerprinted for a background check at a PSI test center. The license is issued only after the background check clears and your managing principal broker adds your pending license to their business. How to apply.

Resources

Broker Licensing (Oregon Real Estate Agency)The Agency's step-by-step requirements for the entry-level broker license.
Oregon license lookupCheck whether an Oregon broker or principal broker holds an active license.
Transaction Coordinators and the Agency (Commissioner's Column, June 2026)The Agency explains that it judges TCs by what work they actually do.
Changing Business Models Require Knowledge of Laws and Rules (Dec 2022)The Agency's examples of what an unlicensed personal assistant may and may not do.
Laws and RulesThe Agency's links to ORS Chapter 696 and the Agency's administrative rules.
Broker continuing education requirementsThe CE a broker must complete before each renewal.

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Oregon Real Estate Agency, (503) 378-4170, [email protected].

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Changing Business Models Require Knowledge of Laws and Rules (Commissioner's column) (December 2022).

Buying or selling a home yourself? These pages are for people who work in real estate. Work with a licensed agent or a real estate attorney.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your broker's policies may be stricter: confirm your duties with your supervising broker and your state's real estate regulator.

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