RealOpen Certified · Lesson 8 of 8

The deal, start to finish

After this, you can take a buyer from the first conversation to a funded closing on RealOpen, and you can see a failing closing coming a week before it fails.

After this lesson you can

Run the six steps in order and say who does what at each one.
Start verification on day one and connect the buyer to you in the dashboard.
Know what to have ready when you go under contract, and how funding works: the quote, the network, the fee, split transfers, early versus closing-day funding.
Recognize the seventeen ways a crypto-funded closing derails, and name the prevention for each.
Confirm wiring instructions by phone, every time, and know when to stop and call RealOpen.

By Johnny Schiro, licensed real estate broker in Texas, New York and Florida. Updated 2026-10-10.

Take the certification exam

About the certification

First, which route is this?

This module covers the route RealOpen runs: the buyer converts at closing, either for an all-cash purchase or for the down payment on a financed one. Start by asking how the buyer plans to use the crypto, as in Module 2, and run the first conversation from Module 3 before anything else.

If they have already sold, or they are borrowing against it, the conversion steps below do not apply, and you run the deal the way you would for any cash or financed buyer. A financed buyer can still use RealOpen for verification alone, to document holdings for the lender.

The sequence

Step	The buyer	RealOpen	You	Typical time
1. Identity	Creates an account, submits ID and a selfie	Verifies identity	Invite the buyer from your dashboard	Minutes
2. Wallet	Shares the wallet address and proves ownership	Screens the address and reads the balance	Check the funds are in a wallet the buyer controls	Minutes
3. Proof of Funds	Requests a letter for the amount needed	Issues the letter	Attach it to the offer	Immediate, once verified
4. Contract	Signs	Nothing	Write and negotiate your standard contract	Your normal timeline
5. Quote	Sends the signed contract and escrow's wiring instructions	Quotes the exact crypto amount, fee included, and provides a deposit address and network	Make sure the wiring instructions are verified by phone	When the buyer is ready to fund
6. Funding	Sends the crypto	Converts it and wires dollars to escrow	Confirm with escrow that the wire arrived	Hours

Then you close the way you always do.

Start verification on day one

Steps 1 to 3 do not need a property. A buyer can be verified and holding a Proof of Funds before the first showing, and a new letter can be issued for each deal.

So the day a buyer mentions crypto, send them to get verified. It costs them about 15 minutes. It tells you whether the money is real before you spend weekends on showings, and it means your offer goes out with proof attached. Module 3's script is how you ask.

Connect the buyer to you

In your Pro Dashboard, open My Clients. You can invite a buyer by email, or share your referral link. When the buyer signs up through either one, they appear in your client list and the introduction is tracked to you.

If a buyer already has a RealOpen account, tell your RealOpen contact that you are their agent.

What to have ready when you go under contract

The executed contract.
The title or escrow company's contact and wiring instructions, confirmed by phone with a number you already trust.
The cash to close figure and the date you want funds in escrow.
Which asset the buyer will fund with, and which network it is on.
Whether any of the buyer's holdings are staked, locked or on an exchange, and the lead time for each.
Who has to sign a transfer, if the wallet is an entity's or a multisig.
On a financed deal, the loan officer's contact, and a RealScore Report requested early.

Funding

The quote. The buyer sends RealOpen the contract and escrow's wiring instructions and receives a quote for the exact amount of crypto, fee included, with a deposit address and the network it is on. The quote holds its rate for ten minutes. The buyer accepts and sends inside that window, and the trade executes once the network confirms the transfer. Quotes at these amounts are handled by RealOpen staff, not automated, so a transfer that confirms after the window is RealOpen's call, not an automatic re-quote. Until the buyer accepts a quote and funds, the price is not locked.
Timing. Aim to have funds in escrow at least one business day before closing. Same-day funding is possible, but a late wire can land the next business day.
The right network. The buyer sends the quoted asset on the quoted network, includes any tag or memo the instructions show, and keeps enough of the network's coin in the wallet to pay the fee. If the buyer's asset is on a different network from the one in the instructions, they stop and ask RealOpen for instructions that match. They do not send. Holdings on Base and Arbitrum count toward proof of funds, but funding is not quoted on those networks, so a buyer who holds there bridges to Ethereum first.
More than one transfer. A buyer can split the amount into several transfers, and can fund with more than one asset. Each transfer is priced on its own when it confirms.
The fee. RealOpen's processing fee is 1% for assets like Bitcoin and Ether and 2% for stablecoins. The quote includes it. The buyer also pays the network fee on each transfer.
Where the crypto comes from. At funding, the buyer can send from their own wallet or directly from an exchange account. Exchanges can cap how much leaves in a day and can hold a withdrawal to a new address, so a buyer funding from an exchange checks the limit and whitelists the address well ahead.
Early or on closing day. A buyer can fund early, on a day they like the price, and the dollars wait in escrow. Funding on closing day leaves no margin for a stuck transfer, a wire cutoff or a compliance hold.
After the transfer. Check with escrow that the wire arrived. RealOpen's compliance process also needs a copy of the closing statement.

What derails a closing

Seventeen ways a crypto-funded closing fails, with the sign a week out, the prevention and the response. Almost every one is cheap to prevent and expensive to fix in closing week.

What goes wrong	The warning sign	Prevent it	If it happens
1. Price falls between contract and funding	A letter that barely covers cash to close; a buyer who talks about the price daily	Write offers with a cushion; the letter already discounts, but a thin margin is a thin margin	The buyer sends more crypto for the same dollars, or funds early on a day they accept
2. Inadequate cushion	Verified amount within a few percent of cash to close	Verify more, lower the price range, or fund early into escrow	Reduce the offer, bring other funds, or ask RealOpen about a larger letter
3. Exchange withdrawal limit	"I'll pull it from the exchange the day before"	Start withdrawals days ahead; verify a self-custody wallet and move funds into it early	Split across days; move the closing if the limit cannot be raised in time
4. Exchange compliance hold	A large withdrawal to a new address; a frozen account	Whitelist the deposit address early; move to self-custody well ahead	Call the exchange; fund from another wallet if there is one; extend
5. Wrong-network transfer	The buyer says USDT but the instructions say Tron and theirs is on Ethereum	Confirm asset and network before the quote; the buyer reads the instructions aloud to you	Stop before sending. If sent, contact RealOpen immediately with the transaction ID
6. Missing destination tag or memo	XRP or an exchange transfer with a tag on the instructions	Point at the tag line; the buyer includes it every time	Contact RealOpen with the transaction ID; recovery depends on the receiving side
7. No native coin for the fee	A wallet holding only stablecoins	Ask in week one; the buyer buys a little ETH, TRX or SOL ahead	The buyer acquires the coin; a day's delay at most if caught early
8. Staked or locked assets	Staking lines on the letter; "most of it is staked"	Raise unstaking at contract, not at closing; count the lead time	Fund the liquid part now and the rest when it unlocks; extend if needed
9. Incompatible custody	Institutional custodian, multisig, or a cosigner who travels	Ask who signs and how long a withdrawal takes before you write the offer	Line up signers; fund early rather than on closing day
10. Entity ownership discrepancy	Buyer on the contract is a person; the wallet is an LLC's, or the reverse	Match the buyer to the funds before the offer; tell RealOpen so the entity's documents go through its manual review	Amend the contract or document authority; expect a delay
11. Delayed identity or source-of-funds review	Verification "pending" for more than a day; a request for more documents	Verify on day one, so a review has weeks instead of hours	Respond to the request the same day; keep the lender and escrow informed
12. Bank wire cutoff	A plan to fund the afternoon before a morning closing	Fund at least one business day ahead	Ask escrow whether a late-arriving wire moves the closing to the next day
13. Unverified or changed escrow instructions	New instructions by email, especially near funding	Confirm by phone at a number you already trust, every time, before anyone acts	Stop. Call escrow. Nothing is sent until the instructions are confirmed
14. Lender documentation gap	The loan officer learns about the crypto late, or has never seen a RealScore Report	Lender and RealOpen together before anything moves; report requested early	Provide the report and record; consider a second lender if seasoning is demanded
15. Funding source changes late	"I'll use a different wallet," or a partner "sending" funds	Confirm the funding wallet when you go under contract; a new source is verified first	Verify the new wallet before funding; if the source is a third party, apply Module 3
16. Multiple assets and transfers	Funding from three wallets in two assets	Agree the plan with RealOpen in advance; each transfer is priced when it confirms	Track each transaction ID; the last one to confirm sets the pace
17. Funding on closing day	"I'll send it that morning"	Fund early or at least a business day ahead	Warn escrow and the seller's side that the wire may land late; have the buyer ready to send more if the price moves

The one-page version of this table is the field resource "Closing-week funding checklist," and the whole sequence with dates is "Transaction timeline."

When something looks wrong

Slow down if an unverified buyer says any of these: "I have crypto coming in." "Once my tranche unlocks." "My advisor manages it." "I just have to pay the release fee." Module 3 covers what each one means and what to say.

Stop and contact RealOpen if:

Anyone asks your buyer for a private key or seed phrase. RealOpen never does.
Your buyer is told to send crypto to an address that did not come from their RealOpen account.
Wiring instructions change by email. Confirm by phone with escrow at a number you already trust before anyone acts on them.
A transfer went out on the wrong network, without its tag, or to an address the buyer cannot identify. Have the transaction ID ready.

RealOpen support is at [email protected] and (310) 910-1722.

Workflow checklist

Buyer mentions crypto: ask how they plan to use it, run the ten questions, and invite them from My Clients that day.
Confirm their funds are in a wallet they control. If the funds are on an exchange, they withdraw first.
Get the Proof of Funds. Check the name, the date and the amount against cash to close.
Write your standard contract, cash or financed, and attach the letter.
Under contract: buyer sends RealOpen the contract and verified wiring instructions. Confirm the asset and network, flag staked or restricted assets, and name who signs.
Financed deal: bring RealOpen and the loan officer together before the buyer moves anything.
Fund at least one business day before closing. Early is better.
Confirm the wire with escrow by phone, then close.

RealOpen Certified is a private designation issued by RealOpen. It is not continuing education credit and is not issued or endorsed by any state licensing authority. How certifying works.