Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Bates.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Becoming a transaction coordinator who helps real estate agents save time and money from contract to close wasn’t always part of my plan. In fact, when I was ten, I was certain I’d be a lawyer. Getting paid to argue for justice? What other occupation could even compare?
So I started my quest—earning my degree in English/Pre-Law from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (magna cum laude)—and then heading to Nashville School of Law. But halfway through my first year, life took an unexpected turn.
I was offered the chance to partner in a start-up advertising company serving auto dealerships—a company that eventually went public. The shift from student to business owner felt like a second education, just without the textbooks. I was captivated.
That’s when my focus changed. Business became my new passion.
Though I earned my J.D., my heart no longer belonged in the courtroom I once envisioned. I spent the next decade in the public equity sector, chasing success on my own terms.
Then came the unraveling. Right before COVID hit, everything I thought was secure began to crumble.
* I thought I knew God—I didn’t.
* I thought my marriage would last forever—it didn’t.
* I thought my career was stable—it wasn’t.
My life had been built on sand, and the storm had come. Stripped of security, I found myself living back at home, searching for work, and—for the first time—seeking God in earnest for who He is.
And that’s when everything changed.
God led me to a Christian boutique brokerage that was just getting started in real estate. Suddenly, everything I had studied in property law came to life, and my decade of experience in the business start-up world allowed me to wear many hats to help the company grow.
Through that experience, I discovered my true calling: guiding real estate agents from contract to close with clarity, precision, and peace of mind. Three years later, that calling has become a mission as I now serve as Managing Associate of SmoothTC—a transaction coordination company dedicated to helping agents operate at their highest level, freeing them to focus on what only they can do: building relationships and closing more deals.
Today, I’m living my “take two.” I’m remarried, raising a beautiful toddler named Jadon and—most importantly—walking with God. He lifted me from the pit and gave me purpose. Every day, I get to help real estate agents and their clients succeed while serving Him through the work I love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While SmoothTC has built a smooth road for realtors from contract to close, we’ve certainly hit a few bumps along the way!
The inception of SmoothTC began with a clear vision: to offer real estate agents the best—a truly full-service transaction coordination experience that saves them the most time and money possible from contract to close. What SmoothTC didn’t start with, however, was a large budget.
The first major obstacle was scalability. The software I was using as a transaction coordinator at the time was a free, off-the-shelf platform with almost no customization options—fine for a handful of transactions, but nowhere near capable of supporting the level of growth needed to deliver the quality of service envisioned.
Despite severe financial uncertainty, God provided exactly what SmoothTC needed—both the right software and the financial support to sustain me through a year of building it out. That investment became the foundation for everything SmoothTC is today.
Then came my next hurdle: sales. The word “sales” sounds exciting when you’re shopping—but intimidating when you’re the one doing the selling. Truthfully, sales has always been my personal weakness. I would rather focus on taxes or even accounting! But with no budget to hire a sales associate, I had no choice but to rely fully on God to open the doors He wanted to open.
And the fact that I’m doing this interview today is living proof that He did!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a full-time Transaction Coordinator for real estate agents through SmoothTC, where I manage every detail of a transaction once a home goes under contract. What sets SmoothTC apart is our commitment to helping realtors save the maximum amount of time—and money—on every contract by taking on more of the administrative workload than the average transaction coordination company.
One day a realtor might be showing homes or cheering at their kid’s soccer game, and then—boom—they’re under contract and suddenly buried in deadlines and paperwork. Most agents underestimate the value of their own time and end up spending far too many hours communicating routine updates, double-checking paperwork, and managing tasks that should be delegated.
That’s where SmoothTC comes in. Instead of dropping everything to handle the admin load, realtors hand the transaction file to us so they can focus on what truly matters: being present in the moment, growing their business, and providing exceptional service to their clients while strengthening the agent-client relationship.
To me, being a transaction coordinator isn’t just about contracts and closings—it’s about providing excellence to clients through obedience. God took me through a season of rebuilding, and now He’s using me to help others grow in theirs.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to support SmoothTC is to reach out and connect! You can find all of our links here: https://linktr.ee/smoothtc
We love partnering with real estate agents and brokerages who share our heart for excellence, communication, and service. If you know a real estate agent who’s stretched too thin—or a brokerage firm that’s passionate about agent growth and compliance—send them our way!
Pricing:
- For up to date pricing and service details, visit us at https://www.smoothtc.com/services
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smoothtc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smoothtransactioncoordinators/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmoothTransactionCoordinators
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smoothtc
- Twitter: https://x.com/SmoothTCs
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmoothTC
- Other: https://linktr.ee/smoothtc
