How does an agent handle the small closing-day items, and why does that predict the big ones?

An agent who double-checks small closing-day items, a working smoke detector, an accurate settlement statement, confirmed wiring instructions, tends to apply that same attention to the bigger negotiation and contract items earlier in the deal. Someone who's careless about small details right before closing has often been careless about deadlines and disclosures throughout the transaction too. Watching how an agent handles the final small stuff is a genuinely useful, low-stakes way to judge how carefully they handled everything before it.