Glossary

Deal Stage

Also known as: pipeline stage

The defined phase of a transaction's progress — such as prospecting, LOI out, LOI executed, PSA negotiation, under contract, or closed — used to track and forecast deal flow within a pipeline or CRM.

Consistent deal-stage definitions let a broker or team aggregate an otherwise heterogeneous set of transactions into a single forecast, since a deal in PSA negotiation carries a materially different probability of closing and expected timeline than one still in early prospecting. Most CRE CRMs allow a probability-weighted pipeline value to be calculated automatically by multiplying each deal's potential commission by a historical close rate associated with its current stage, giving brokerage leadership a more realistic revenue forecast than simply summing all pipeline deals at face value. Because stage definitions vary by firm and even by individual broker, sloppy or inconsistent stage-tagging is a common source of unreliable pipeline reporting — disciplined brokers update stage promptly as a deal's status actually changes rather than batching updates.