real-estate-transaction-summary

# Real Estate Transaction Summary

Produces a structured, self-contained overview of a real estate transaction — purchase agreement plus closing documents, financing, title, and disclosures — so the reader does not need to consult underlying documents for material terms.

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## Related skills

**Scope boundary against `purchase-agreement-summary`:** Use `purchase-agreement-summary` when the deliverable scope is the executed agreement plus addenda only, prepared for a title closer or processor. Use **this skill** when the scope spans the whole transaction — purchase agreement plus closing documents, financing, title, and disclosures, prepared for an attorney or matter team.

Other siblings:

- `closing-disclosure` — for the TRID Closing Disclosure on a financed residential transaction.
- `closing-checklist` and `ma-closing-checklist` — when the deliverable is an action checklist rather than a memo.
- `alta-settlement-statement` — when the file includes an ALTA Settlement Statement to be reviewed.
- `title-commitment` — for review of the title commitment itself (exceptions, requirements, endorsements).
- `seller-disclosure`, `seller-disclosure-statement` — companion disclosure documents.
- `residential-purchase-agreement`, `commercial-psa`, `commercial-real-estate-loi` — drafting equivalents.
- `repair-request-addendum`, `notice-to-perform-real-estate` — escalation documents commonly attached.
- `breach-of-purchase-agreement-complaint`, `purchase-agreement-breach-complaint` — escalation siblings if the matter pivots to litigation.

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## Checkpoint A: pre-summary intake (mandatory)

Confirm before drafting:

1. **Residential or commercial.** The 13-section outline applies to both, but emphasis shifts. See `references/SECTION-OUTLINE.md` "Residential vs commercial — section deltas."
2. **Jurisdiction.** State (and county/municipality if relevant). Drives transfer taxes, disclosures, statutory cancellation rights, attorney-closing rules.
3. **Document inventory.** Purchase agreement and all amendments? Addenda? Disclosures? Title commitment and any updates? Financing documents (note, mortgage / deed of trust, riders)? Closing Disclosure or ALTA Settlement Statement? HOA estoppel? Survey?
4. **Effective date.** The date that anchors all relative deadlines. If absent or ambiguous, surface as the first item in Matters Requiring Attention.
5. **Deliverable purpose.** Matter onboarding, closing prep, due diligence package, post-closing audit. Affects emphasis (e.g., closing prep weights deadlines and contingencies; due diligence weights title and compliance).
6. **Scope of summary.** Cradle-to-grave (intake through post-closing) or a phase (e.g., pre-closing only)?

If the document inventory has gaps, do not silently proceed — list missing categories in Matters Requiring Attention.

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## The work

**1. Inventory and label.** Tag each instrument with a reference label (e.g., "PA", "Amendment #1", "Inspection Addendum", "Title Commitment dated 2024-08-12"). Preserve page numbers for citation; use "PDF page X of Y" when source pages are unnumbered. Verify executions and flag any blanks.

**2. Build the Executive Summary table** (always first).

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| Property | Legal description, address, parcel ID |
| Parties | Buyer / Seller (legal names, entity types) |
| Purchase Price | Exact dollar amount |
| Closing Date | MM/DD/YYYY |
| Key Contingencies | List critical ones |
| High-Risk Items | Unusual or time-sensitive provisions |

**3. Produce the 13 sections** per `references/SECTION-OUTLINE.md`, in order. Every section appears, even if its content is "None identified."

**4. Convert relative dates** to calendar dates throughout. "30 days after execution" must become a specific MM/DD/YYYY value (with `[VERIFY]` if the effective date is itself ambiguous).

**5. Use exact dollar amounts.** Never round. Never substitute estimates for source figures.

**6. Flag conflicts; do not resolve.** When source documents disagree, show both readings side-by-side with citations and route to "Matters Requiring Attention."

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## Checkpoint B: post-summary alignment (mandatory)

Before delivering:

1. Every section in the 13-section outline present (including "None identified" where applicable)?
2. Every relative date converted to a calendar date?
3. Every dollar amount sourced and exact?
4. Every conflict between documents flagged in "Matters Requiring Attention" — not silently resolved?
5. Every routed deliverable (e.g., "this is a TRID transaction; CD review belongs to `closing-disclosure`") explicitly named?
6. Disclaimer present, attorney review required?

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## What this skill does not do

- It does not give legal advice or opine on deal quality or fairness. It reports terms neutrally.
- It does not replace a title commitment review (route to `title-commitment`) or a TRID compliance review (route to `closing-disclosure`).
- It does not draft, redline, or negotiate. It summarizes the executed record.
- It does not replace attorney review of the final memo. Always label AI-generated and require sign-off.

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## Quality checklist

- [ ] All 13 sections present, in order, with "None identified" used in lieu of silent omission
- [ ] Executive Summary table at top
- [ ] Effective date stated explicitly; relative dates converted
- [ ] Every dollar amount sourced and exact
- [ ] Every party name written exactly as in the documents (entity designation, suffixes, "and/or assigns")
- [ ] Document conflicts flagged side-by-side, not silently reconciled
- [ ] Residential vs commercial emphasis correct (per `references/SECTION-OUTLINE.md`)
- [ ] Routed downstream skills explicitly named
- [ ] Memo labeled AI-generated, attorney review required

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## Pitfalls

- **Relative dates.** Always convert to calendar. Effective date ambiguity is a Critical flag, not a footnote.
- **Approximate amounts.** Use exact dollar figures from the documents; never round.
- **Silent conflicts.** When source documents conflict or are silent on a term, flag explicitly in Matters Requiring Attention. Showing only the most recent value silently is unsafe.
- **Editorializing.** Report terms neutrally — no commentary on deal quality, price reasonableness, or fairness.
- **Jargon balance.** Write for both attorneys and lay parties — precise language, minimal unnecessary legal jargon.
- **Closing Disclosure overlap.** This skill summarizes the transaction; it does not perform the TRID compliance review. Route detailed CD review to `closing-disclosure`.

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## Troubleshooting

- **Source documents conflict.** Most common case is amendments that supersede earlier terms. State both readings with citations; in "Matters Requiring Attention," note "amendment #N supersedes" and identify the controlling version. Where the conflict is not clearly an amendment-supersession (e.g., disclosure says one thing, agreement says another), flag for attorney resolution.
- **Missing addenda referenced in the agreement.** The agreement says "see Inspection Addendum" and the addendum is not in the file. Surface as a Critical flag. Do not extrapolate the addendum's contents.
- **Ambiguous effective date.** Where the agreement is silent on effective date or has conflicting signature dates, flag as the first item in Matters Requiring Attention and run all date calculations as `[VERIFY pending effective date confirmation]`.
- **Post-closing rent-back unstated.** Common closing-day surprise. If buyer's possession date differs from closing date, the agreement should have a rent-back / use-and-occupancy provision; flag if missing.
- **Commercial deal, residential template.** Commercial transactions need additional emphasis on environmental, ADA, zoning, due diligence, and tenant estoppel. Use the residential/commercial deltas in `references/SECTION-OUTLINE.md`; do not omit.
- **State not in any related-skill state-overlay table.** Continue with federal-floor analysis; flag for local-counsel review of state-specific items (transfer taxes, statutory cancellation, attorney-closing rules).

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## References

- `references/SECTION-OUTLINE.md` — full content spec for the 13 sections, plus residential/commercial deltas

## Assets

- `assets/examples/transaction-summary-example.md` — finished transaction summary for a synthetic residential SFR resale