Estate sale contracts move through more hands than a typical transaction. The executor, the attorney, the real estate agent, the buyer, and sometimes multiple beneficiaries all comment on the same document. Without a version log, the file ends up with four files named "contract final" and no way to tell which one the parties actually signed.
A version log is a small control that answers one question: which document is current, and what changed to make it current?
Assign a Version Identifier at Intake
Give every draft a version number and a date the moment it enters the file. Use a simple sequence, such as v1, v2, v3, and keep the sender and the time received. Do not rely on file names from email attachments.
Store each version, including superseded ones. The history is the point. A log that overwrites the prior draft cannot show what the parties agreed to change.
Record the Source of Each Change
For each new version, record who requested the change, who prepared the revision, and what part of the document changed. Summarize the change in operational language: purchase price, closing date, included personal property, repair obligation, or contingency period.
Where a change is substantive, the reviewer should confirm it against the instruction. The coordinator can record the comparison but should not decide whether a term is acceptable.
Separate Comments From Accepted Changes
A comment in a redline is not an agreed term. Track comments and accepted changes in different columns so the file distinguishes what someone asked for from what the parties adopted.
This matters at signature. A buyer may believe a comment was accepted because it remained visible in the document. The log should show the final position and the authority behind it.
Tie Approvals to People and Dates
Estate transactions often require approval from the executor and, depending on the document and the jurisdiction, may involve court or beneficiary input. Record who approved each version and when. If an approval is conditional, record the condition.
Do not infer approval from silence. A returned draft with no comments is not the same as an approved draft unless the process says it is.
Control the Signature Copy
When the parties are ready to sign, mark one version as the signature copy and record its hash or a stable identifier. Confirm that the signature pages match that version and that all exhibits are attached.
After execution, store the signed copy separately from the drafts and record the date and method of execution. Future questions should start from the executed document, not from the last draft in the email thread.
Handle the Common Exceptions
**Two versions arrive with the same number.** Assign a suffix, record the collision, and ask the sender to confirm which is current.
**A change appears in the signature copy that was not in the approved draft.** Stop the process, record the difference, and route it for review before anyone relies on the signature.
**A party sends comments in the body of an email.** Move them into the log as comments, with the sender and date, so they are not lost when the thread is archived.
Review the Log at Each Milestone
Before sending to the attorney, before signature, and before closing, check that the log has one current version, that every substantive change has a source, and that the signature copy is identified. This short review prevents the most expensive version error: signing a document the client has not approved.
Keep It Simple Enough to Use
A spreadsheet with version, date, sender, summary, approver, and status is enough for most estate matters. The tool matters less than the habit of recording each version as it arrives.
The measure of success is simple. Hand the file to a reviewer who was not involved and ask which contract is current and what changed. If the log answers in under a minute, it is working.