Real Estate Transaction Management Software for Arkansas Brokers
The Arkansas Real Estate Commission reviews the financial records, transaction files, licensing records and education records of real estate firms. It deliberately does not call these reviews audits. In its own published procedures it explains that an audit is a formal evaluation performed by an independent third party with specific certifications, so it refers to its reviews of real estate firms as "office examinations" or "firm examinations", less formally as an office visit (AREC, Office Examinations procedures, 5 January 2018).
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1,700+
real estate companies
4.6M+
transactions managed
16 years
in business
~30,000
closings last month
Whatever it is called, an examination is a request to produce. The published procedure says most office examinations are performed as part of a complaint investigation that requires a review of a broker's transaction files or trust account records. AREC states that it is always preferable for an investigator to contact the Principal Broker to schedule a time, and that an examination may be conducted without advance notice only where there are extenuating circumstances and it is deemed advantageous to protecting consumers.
Paperless Pipeline is real estate transaction management software that keeps every Arkansas transaction file complete while the deal is live, so producing it later is a matter of minutes rather than a reconstruction project. Auto-applied checklists, document review history, a complete audit trail, instant reports, optional auditor access, and unlimited users, locations, and storage.
No credit card. No contract. Free setup.
1,700+
real estate companies
4.6M+
transactions managed
16 years
in the industry
~30,000
closings last month
Four licence categories, one Principal Broker, and a chain that does not break
Arkansas has four categories of real estate licensure, and unlike most states the accountability structure is written down explicitly.
Principal Broker
Every Arkansas real estate firm has one and only one Principal Broker. All other agents work under that Principal Broker's supervision, and all agency relationships, including listing contracts, right to sell agreements and buyer representation agreements, are legally between the consumer and that Principal Broker. Under Regulation 10.4(a)(1) the Principal Broker is generally responsible for all business conducted by the firm and for all of the real estate activities of everyone licensed under or associated with them, unless a licensee conducted business independently and without permission or authority (AREC, The Principal Broker Holds the Key).
Executive Broker
A Principal Broker may delegate supervisory responsibility by designating an Executive Broker, using a designation form signed by both and filed with the Commission; the designation is effective when filed. An Executive Broker may sign offer and acceptance forms as supervising broker and may be responsible for instructing and supervising salespersons and brokers. There is no limit on how many a firm can have. But under Regulation 10.4(a)(3), designating one or more Executive Brokers does not absolve the Principal Broker of general responsibility for the conduct of all real estate business conducted by the firm, and the Principal Broker is specifically responsible for the activities of all Executive Brokers (AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide, revised February 2023).
Associate Broker
Holds a broker licence and may upgrade to Executive Broker or Principal Broker once education requirements are met, but has no licensing capacity to supervise other agents.
Salesperson
No licensing capacity to supervise other agents.
Arkansas defines supervision in a way that maps unusually neatly onto software. Regulation 10.4(b) requires Principal Brokers and Executive Brokers to instruct those licensed under them and to exercise strict supervision of their real estate activities. Regulation 10.4(c) then says whether a broker has discharged those responsibilities depends on factors including the frequency and manner of contact and communication, the type and frequency of educational and instructional activities, and the method and frequency of monitoring real estate activities (AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide).
The signature rule
This is a review workflow with a deadline attached, and it is the single most common place an Arkansas file goes soft. Document review history records who reviewed what and when - see how a real estate audit trail works. Granular permissions let an Executive Broker see and act on exactly the agents they supervise and no one else. Dashboards surface what is sitting unreviewed across the firm, and the complete audit trail means the Principal Broker can evidence the method and frequency of monitoring rather than describe it from memory.
What an examiner asks for, and where it already lives
AREC publishes what an investigator does during an office examination. Everything in the left-hand column below is taken from that document (AREC Office Examinations procedures, 5 January 2018). The middle and right columns are what a properly kept system does about it.
AREC asks for
Escrow and trust account bank statements, cancelled checks and deposit slips, so the examiner can confirm statements are reconciled monthly and there are no NSF charges or unauthorized disbursements or deposits.
Where it lives
Uploaded to the transaction and to the firm's records with Standardized Document Names and Doc Labels, so the month's statement is never ambiguous.
How fast
Pulled by label rather than searched for.
AREC asks for
The firm's checkbook register or ledger, checked against the trust account bank statement and pending transaction balances.
Where it lives
Alongside the reconciliations in the same labelled document set.
How fast
One place, one naming convention, no folder archaeology.
AREC asks for
Pending transaction files, reviewed to confirm funds were deposited to the trust account on time, contracts were signed properly, and agency disclosures were made as required.
Where it lives
The pending pipeline itself, with Key Dates auto-calculating due dates in business days or calendar days from the dates entered.
How fast
An instant report of everything currently pending, exportable as a list.
AREC asks for
A record of all pending transactions and the monies being held for each, which the Principal Broker may be asked to provide where the volume is too high for every file to be reviewed.
Where it lives
Instant reports across the whole book of business.
How fast
This is a report, not a project.
AREC asks for
Agency representation agreements and disclosures inside each selected file.
Where it lives
Required checklist items on every transaction, auto-applied by deal type and side, flagged while still missing rather than discovered missing later.
How fast
Visible as a gap on the dashboard before the examiner ever asks.
AREC asks for
Real estate sales contracts and addenda.
Where it lives
Version-stamped uploads with Standardized Document Names and document review history showing who reviewed and signed off and when.
How fast
The review record comes out with the document.
AREC asks for
Document acknowledgement forms, cash receipts and disbursements.
Where it lives
Checklist items with Doc Labels, plus per-transaction Maildrop addresses that pull the emailed receipt into the file rather than leaving it in somebody's inbox.
How fast
Already attached to the deal it belongs to.
AREC asks for
Closing statements and broker instructions to closing agents, reviewed on closed files.
Where it lives
Final checklist items that have to be present before the transaction is marked closed.
How fast
The file cannot quietly close incomplete.
AREC asks for
Access for the examiner.
Where it lives
Optional auditor access gives read access to what was requested without handing over admin keys, and granular permissions keep everyone else scoped to their own role.
How fast
No shared logins, no emailing zip files.
AREC asks for
A second sample. AREC's procedure states that if an investigator finds more than one error or issue in the files reviewed, they are required to pull an additional 5 to 10 percent, but no fewer than two, of the original number of files reviewed, to determine whether a pattern of noncompliance may be present.
Where it lives
The same place as the first sample.
How fast
The second pull costs nothing extra when every file was built from the same checklist, which is the entire argument for standardizing.
The escalation rule is the reason consistency beats effort in Arkansas. A firm can produce one immaculate file. What the procedure is designed to test is whether the next five look the same. Templates are how they do.
After the examination, the broker gets the chance to ask questions, and a report of the findings is provided to the Principal Broker of the firm (AREC, Office Examinations procedures, 5 January 2018).
The trust account records duty
Short and precise, cited to the AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide, revised February 2023.
Deposit timing
Under Regulation 10.8(g)(1), no later than three days following execution of a real estate contract by both seller and buyer, all trust funds delivered to the Principal Broker are either deposited in the trust account, delivered to an escrow agent, or deposited under a written agreement by the seller and buyer. If the third day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, it extends to the next day that is not (AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide).
Monthly reconciliation
Under Regulation 10.8(g)(2), all trust account bank statements are reconciled in writing at least monthly and balanced to the total of undisbursed trust funds, and copies of those reconciliations are kept by the broker for at least three years or such time as required by law, whichever is greater.
Open to inspection
Under Regulation 10.8(g)(3), all trust fund records including bank reconciliations are open to inspection by and made available to the investigative staff of the Commission at the firm's office or other location designated by the Commission.
Paperless Pipeline is not an accounting system, and this page does not claim reconciliation, ledger, or banking functionality. What it does is hold the deal-side record. The three-day rule is a date obligation, and Key Dates auto-calculate due dates in business days or calendar days from the dates entered, so the deposit deadline is set the moment the contract is executed. The reconciliations and statements themselves live in the file as labelled documents, so the three-year copy is where the transaction is.
The Commission Module add-on, from $49 per month, covers splits, tiers, caps, CDAs sent to the closing company, and around 12 financial reports - this is commission accounting, not trust accounting.
AREC compliance corner
Regulation 10.7 is the centrepiece, cited to the AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide, revised February 2023.
Separate files, five named documents
Under Regulation 10.7(b)(1), each Principal Broker maintains complete records of all real estate business handled by the firm, and separate files for each real estate transaction containing signed copies of any of the following which were prepared in connection with the transaction: the listing contract, the agency contract, offers, offer and acceptance contracts, and closing statements, along with any additional documents necessary to make a complete record of the transaction.
Three years, at the firm's office, open to inspection
Under Regulation 10.7(b)(3), all records required by that regulation are maintained by the Principal Broker for three years or such time as required by law, whichever is greater, and are open to inspection by and made available to the investigative staff of the Commission at the firm's office or other location designated by the Commission.
Electronic is allowed, with a condition
The same regulation states that records may be maintained in electronic form provided that a copy of the records can be produced as required. Arkansas does not merely tolerate digital records, it permits them on one condition, and that condition is production. A system that stores everything but cannot produce a clean copy of a specific transaction on request is not meeting the rule.
When the firm closes
Under Regulation 10.7(c), when a firm ceases to do business, the last Principal Broker remaining is responsible for all records of the firm, including the trust account and transaction records, and must immediately notify the Commission of the address and phone number of the place where those records are being maintained, and of any transfer of custody. Three years of obligation can outlive the office. Unlimited storage means old files are never purged for space, Locations keep a closed office's records identifiable, and free monthly vendor-neutral backups mean the broker holds their own copy regardless.
Two supporting rules shape what has to be in the file. Regulation 10.2 requires a specific determinable duration or a specific expiration date on all written agency agreements or contracts and any extensions - that is a Key Date, and an expiring listing is an alert rather than a discovery. Regulation 10.14 makes it the duty of each licensee to report in writing to the Commission any information which is or may be a violation of the Arkansas Real Estate License Law or the Commission Regulations.
This is a required-documents list, and required-documents lists are checklist templates. Build the Arkansas set once, apply it automatically by deal type, side, location and status, and every file in the firm looks the same to an examiner because every file was built the same way. See how to prepare for a real estate audit.
Agency disclosure, in writing, before anything gets signed
Short, and it earns its place because the examiner checks it. Cited to the AREC Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide.
Seller's or lessor's agent
Under Regulation 8.1, the licensee discloses their agency relationship to the potential buyer or lessee, or that party's agent, in a timely manner so as to avoid receiving information the buyer would reasonably expect to stay confidential. In all cases the disclosure is in writing, though it may initially be made orally and reduced to writing at a convenient time, evidence of the disclosure has to be maintained by the licensee, and the disclosure must be made before the buyer or lessee signs any document related to the transaction.
Buyer's or lessee's agent
Under Regulation 8.2, disclosure is made at the first contact with the seller, lessor, or their agent, in writing on the same terms, and before the seller or lessor signs any document related to the transaction.
Dual agency
Under Regulation 8.3, all parties have to give written consent to dual representation prior to or at the time of execution of the agency contract, listing contract, property management contract, lease, rental agreement, offer and acceptance contract or other real estate contract. Under Regulation 8.4, failing to disclose in the time and manner required subjects the licensee to sanctions.
"Evidence of the disclosure shall be maintained by the licensee" is a document retention duty attached to a document that is easy to lose, which is exactly why it belongs as a required checklist item on every transaction with a standardized name and a review record.
Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas, and the firms that run both
A short multi-market section, because the accountability chain stays the same across offices.
CARMLS describes itself as the largest MLS in Arkansas, states that it represents listings in every county in Arkansas, and publishes its own figures of 6,237 members and 948 brokerages; it is based on Natural Resources Drive in Little Rock. The Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS has served the region for more than 75 years and operates its own MLS portal, separate from the statewide cooperative.
A firm with a Little Rock office and a Northwest Arkansas office is running two markets with different pace, different vendors, and in some cases different listing systems, under one Principal Broker who is responsible for all of it under Regulation 10.4(a)(1). Locations let each office carry its own Checklist Templates and its own permissions while the Principal Broker keeps a single view across the firm. Instant reports let one office's book be pulled without touching the other. Unlimited locations means adding the second office is a configuration decision, not a budget decision.
Paperless Pipeline manages the transaction file, the deadlines and the documents for brokerages in any Arkansas market regardless of MLS membership.
Transaction Coordinators in Arkansas: What They Can Do and How Brokerages Support Them
In Arkansas the coordinator's job is shaped by whose file it actually is.
All agency relationships in an Arkansas firm are legally between the consumer and the Principal Broker, and the Principal Broker is generally responsible for all business conducted by the firm under Regulation 10.4(a)(1). A coordinator here is not the file's owner. They are the person who keeps the Principal Broker's file in the condition Regulation 10.7 requires.
Granular permissions let a coordinator run checklists, documents and Key Dates across many agents' files without touching anything outside their lane, and unlimited users means adding a coordinator never costs a seat. Messaging with @mentions and a Message Template Library keeps chase-ups inside the transaction rather than in a personal inbox, which matters when the correspondence is part of what makes a complete record.
Do transaction coordinators in Arkansas need a real estate license?
It depends on what the coordinator actually does. Arkansas licence law defines the activities that require a licence, and negotiating, advising on terms, or otherwise performing licensed acts is licensed activity regardless of job title. Administrative file work performed at the direction of a licensee is a different thing. Any coordinator whose duties drift toward advising a client on terms should get a definitive answer from AREC's frequently asked questions or AREC Enforcement before continuing.
How to become a transaction coordinator in Arkansas
Arkansas does not issue a state transaction coordinator licence and AREC does not certify coordinators; what exists is private certification and, more usefully, repetitions on real Arkansas files. The practical path: learn the Regulation 10.7 file contents, learn the agency disclosure timing under Section 8, learn that every offer and acceptance needs a supervising broker signature under Regulation 10.12(b), and get reps.
A checklist encodes the sequence, so a new coordinator produces the same file an experienced one does. See how to become a transaction coordinator.
What does an Arkansas transaction coordinator track that coordinators elsewhere do not?
- The supervising broker signature on every offer and every acceptance, and the contract reviewed and signed before closing, under Regulation 10.12(b).
- The written agency disclosure evidenced and filed before the other party signs anything, under Regulations 8.1 and 8.2.
- The specific expiration date on every agency agreement, under Regulation 10.2.
- The five documents Regulation 10.7 names by hand, in a file that is separate for every transaction.
What it costs for an Arkansas brokerage
Consider a Little Rock firm closing 20 sides a month with a second office in Northwest Arkansas, one Principal Broker, and two Executive Brokers supervising.
Paperless Pipeline plans are priced by monthly production, from $69 per month for 5 transactions up to $540 per month for 250 transactions, with an Unlimited plan at $715 for 450 transactions and then $1.65 per additional transaction. Every plan includes unlimited users, unlimited locations, and unlimited storage.
Because supervision is a licensing structure here, an Arkansas firm needs its Principal Broker, its Executive Brokers, its agents, and its coordinators all inside the same system for the review chain to work at all. On a per-seat model that structure is a running cost. Here it is included.
At 20 sides a month, the 20-transaction tier price divided by 20 sides gives a per-file cost worth setting against what the firm spends on outsourced coordination, or on the hours it takes to assemble three years of transaction files when a document request arrives. No contract, free setup, and a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Add-ons: Pipeline eSign is usage-based in blocks of 10 signature requests with unlimited signers and documents per request; the Commission Module starts at $49 per month and covers splits, tiers, caps, CDAs sent to the closing company, and around 12 financial reports; Pipeline AI early access offers AI Doc Review at $99 per 1,000 pages; an Enterprise Portal provides multi-office roll-up for larger operations. See full pricing and everything that is included.
Arkansas broker FAQs
What does an AREC office examination involve?+
The investigator reviews escrow and trust account bank statements, cancelled checks and deposit slips, the firm's checkbook register or ledger, and pending and closed transaction files for agency disclosures, contracts and addenda, document acknowledgement forms, cash receipts and disbursements, closing statements and broker instructions to closing agents, and a report of findings goes to the Principal Broker (AREC Office Examinations procedures, 5 January 2018).
How long must an Arkansas Principal Broker keep transaction records?+
Three years or such time as required by law, whichever is greater, in separate files for each transaction, open to inspection at the firm's office, and they may be kept electronically provided a copy can be produced (Regulation 10.7). Unlimited storage and free monthly vendor-neutral backups mean that three-year copy is never a scramble.
Does designating an Executive Broker move responsibility off the Principal Broker?+
No. Under Regulation 10.4(a)(3), designating one or more Executive Brokers does not absolve the Principal Broker of general responsibility for all real estate business conducted by the firm, and the Principal Broker is specifically responsible for the activities of all Executive Brokers.
Who has to sign an offer and acceptance contract in Arkansas?+
Under Regulation 10.12(b), every offer is signed by the licensee who receives it and by that licensee's supervising broker, every acceptance is signed by the listing licensee and that licensee's supervising broker, and supervising brokers review and sign the contract as soon as possible after receipt and in all cases prior to closing. Document review history records who reviewed and signed off, and when.
What does Arkansas transaction management software cost?+
Paperless Pipeline is priced by monthly production, from $69 per month for 5 transactions up to $540 per month for 250 transactions, with an Unlimited plan at $715 for 450 transactions and then $1.65 per additional transaction. Every plan includes unlimited users, locations, and storage. No contract, free setup, and a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Be ready to produce, not ready to explain.
14-day free trial. No credit card. No contract. Free setup.
Sources
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, Office Examinations procedures, 5 January 2018
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, AREC Office Exam Procedures landing page
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, Regulation Sections 8 and 10 Quick Reference Guide, revised February 2023
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, The Principal Broker Holds the Key
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, About Us
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission, Enforcement
- Cooperative Arkansas REALTORS MLS (CARMLS)
- Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS
Nothing on this page is legal advice. Confirm requirements with your Principal Broker and counsel.