The four pricing models
1. Freelance per-file: $300-$700 per closing
The most common model. A freelance TC charges a flat fee per closed file. Texas market rates as of 2026:
- $300-$400: rural and small-town markets, simpler files.
- $400-$550: mid-sized markets (San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso).
- $500-$700: major metros (Austin, Houston, Dallas) — higher cost-of-living and more complex files.
What you get: deadline tracking, document collection, party communication, closing-day coordination — the full operational scope of the role.
Where it breaks: volume. At 30 closings per year, you're at $9,000-$15,000. At 60, $18,000-$30,000. The line scales linearly with success — every additional closing adds another fee.
2. Monthly retainer: $1,500-$3,500/month
Some TCs offer flat monthly retainers — typically $1,500-$3,500 for a defined number of active files (often 10-20 at a time). Below that volume, per-file is cheaper. Above it, retainer wins.
What you get: priority access, faster turnaround, the same scope of work but with less per-file negotiation overhead.
Where it breaks: the file-count cap. Hit a busy month with 25 active files and the retainer either bills extra or de-prioritizes some files. Negotiate the cap up-front.
3. In-house TC employee: $45K-$60K/year
For agents or teams doing 80+ closings per year, an in-house TC starts to make sense. Texas TC salaries are typically:
- $45,000-$50,000: junior or new-to-role.
- $50,000-$60,000: experienced, full-cycle file management.
- $60,000+: TC team lead or specialist (luxury, commercial-residential crossover).
Loaded cost (benefits, payroll taxes, software, workspace) typically adds 25-40% to base salary, so realistic total cost is $55,000-$85,000/year.
Where it breaks: the floor. You pay $55K+ in slow months. Vacation coverage, training, and management overhead add hidden costs.
4. AI transaction coordinator: $29/month flat
The newest option. AI-native tools automate the pattern-driven work that makes up the majority of TC tasks: deadline math (with TREC paragraph citations), follow-up email drafting, document QA against the executed contract.
Dossie's founding-member rate is $29 per month, flat, regardless of file count. That's the only hard number we'll quote — every other figure on this page is a market range.
Where it breaks: AI doesn't drive to the title company on closing day or chase a stuck septic inspector. For high-touch white-glove service, a human TC is still the answer.
Per-closing cost comparison
| Model | Cost / closing (at 50 deals/year) | Cost / closing (at 100 deals/year) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance per-file ($500/file) | $500 | $500 | 10-30 deals |
| Retainer ($2,500/month) | $600 | $300 | 20-50 deals |
| In-house ($65K loaded) | $1,300 | $650 | 80+ deals |
| AI (Dossie $29/month) | ~$7 | ~$3.50 | Any volume |
Who pays the TC fee?
The agent. The TC fee is the agent's cost of doing business — not a closing-statement line item that the buyer or seller sees. Some agents pass the cost through as a 'compliance fee,' which is generally legal in Texas if disclosed in writing, but most just absorb it.
What you should actually pay
If you're doing fewer than 10 deals a year, you're probably running your own TC work — and Dossie at $29/month replaces the spreadsheet-and-calendar system most agents use today.
At 10-30 deals, freelance per-file is the most flexible. The math is easy: roughly 5% of commission goes to the TC line item.
At 30+ deals, retainer or in-house starts paying for itself. AI still earns its $29 by giving the human TC better data to work with.
The wrong answer is doing nothing. The cost of a missed option-period deadline or a financing notice that never got delivered is the entire commission — plus a potential broker complaint or lawsuit.