Your seller's contract outlines many events that must take place before closing. Make a written timeline of those events and keep track of their progress.

• Remind your sellers of tasks they must handle, such as finding a closing agent and preparing documents for that agent.

• If another agent is working with the buyers, call her for required documents, such as loan approval statements and repair requests.

You should also remind your sellers to take care of simple tasks, such as orders to turn off utilities, mail forwarding, and cancellation of insurance on the day of closing. If you're also working with them to buy a house, you might be doing double duty with the tasks at hand to ensure that the purchasing process is running smoothly.

The number one complaint that sellers have about their agent is that they never heard from them. Keeping in touch with your sellers during the listing period and during the escrow period, even if you have nothing new to tell them, will give them comfort and show them you are taking care of their needs.

You'll find that keeping up with the transaction daily helps you tackle problems as soon as they occur. This attention makes problems less stressful for buyers and sellers, and increases the likelihood that they will be resolved. Hang in there and it won't be long before you're sitting at the closing table with your sellers, as they turn over the keys to the property's new owner.