Law Of Agency 1 Flashcards
fiduciary:
an individual upon whom is placed the highest levels of trust and confidence when acting on behalf of another; specific fiduciary duties include obedience, loyalty, disclosure, confidentiality, accountability, and reasonable care
TRELA is a
law passed by the Texas Legislature to govern Texas real estate.
TREC is a
government agency created by the Texas Legislature to enforce TRELA.
Principal: A major
party to a real estate transaction (buyer, seller, landlord, tenant) or an individual who authorizes an agent to represent their interests as a client in a real estate transaction
Client: A person who has
signed an agency agreement with you as their agent a.k.a your principal
Customer: A person on
the other side of the transaction with whom the license holder does not have an agency relationship
Third Party: A third party is any person
involved in a real estate transaction who is not your client
Ostensible Agency:
When a principal allows a license holder to act in such a way as to cause a third party to believe that license holder is the principal’s agent
Agency by Estoppel:
Agency imposed by law when it is determined that ostensible agency existed; used to create legal accountability for the agent or the principal on whose behalf the agent acted
Agency by Ratification:
Created when a license holder acts on behalf of but without prior authorization of a principal and that principal accepts the license holder’s action after the fact
Agency Coupled with Interest:
When an agent is involved in a real estate transaction with a personal interest (either for themselves, a family member, or a business interest)
Agency by Actual Authority:
Actions taken by an agent for which they have permission, whether given through express or implied authority by a principal
Express Authority:
When a principal gives an agent authority to act on their behalf by mutual consent, either by written or oral agreement
Implied Authority:
When an agent takes actions that are considered customary for the profession in order to represent their agent’s interests
Agency by estoppel occurs in an environment of
ostensible agency.
Agency by estoppel is created to address any of the following issues of liability:
To hold the agent accountable to the principal for their actions
To hold the principal accountable to a third party for the actions of the agent
Special agency
A form of agency relationship in which agents are limited in scope and are only authorized to perform acts permitted by their principal (Broker-Client)
General agency
A form of agency relationship in which the principal is responsible for the acts of their agent as long as the agent is acting within the scope of their duties (Broker-Sales Agent)
Universal agency
A form of agency relationship in which agents have a very broad and general scope of power to act on behalf of the principal — agents have the general power of attorney (Child-Parent)
special agents are unable to make decisions that may
bind or obligate their principals.
Third party
Any individual in a real estate transaction who is not your client
Innocent misrepresentative
Occurs when an agent communicates false information that the agent is not aware is false
Negligent misrepresentation
Occurs when an agent fails to disclose significant property flaws out of ignorance
Fraudulent misrepresentation
Occurs when an agent purposely and deliberately hides a property flaw or feature to make the sale
A defect is an item that was
installed or is attached to the home and has an imperfection.
A malfunction is when something is
designed or built to perform a certain function and no longer does so.
Stigmatized Property:
A property on which an event has occurred that is affecting the perceived value of the property
murder disclosure is
Required
Net listing
An agreement in which the seller names an amount they want their property to sell for, and then the broker tries to sell it for more because they receive the difference (the dollar amount above what the owner wants) as their commission
Procuring cause
The defining actions that brought a buyer to purchase a property
Excluded Prospect:
A prospective buyer or tenant who is procured by the seller instead of the agent
Subagent
A license holder who represents a principal through cooperation with or consent of the principal’s broker AND is not sponsored or associated with the principal’s broker
Disclosure Form Exceptions
There are exceptions to those residential sellers of single family units who don’t have to complete the form described in Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code. Sellers don’t have to complete the form when:
A residential property consists of more than one unit.
The sale is made as part of a court order, foreclosure, or bankruptcy.
The property is being transferred back to a lender in lieu of foreclosure.
A lender is selling a home to a new buyer that resulted from the lender’s repossession of the property through foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure.
A fiduciary (executors, administrators and trustees) is selling to a new buyer via an estate, guardianship, conservatorship or trust.
The sale is between one co-owner and another.
The sale is between spouses or direct relatives.
The sale occurs as part of a divorce.
The sale is to or from a governmental entity.
The sale is a new residential home.
The home value equates to 5% or less of the property value as a whole.
Protection period
A period of time after the buyer’s representation term ends in which the agent can still get compensation for their role in a transaction
Single agency
The most commonly practiced agency form in which the agent represents only one side of a transaction
Dual agency
Type of agency in which the agent represents the buyer and seller in a transaction
Exclusive broker agreement
An agreement that binds the buyer into working only with that broker/agent for the specified duration of the contract
Non-exclusive broker agreement
An agreement that leaves the buyer free to work with other agents to acquire a home under the condition that if the buyer does purchase a home because of that agent, the buyer will be required to compensate that agent based on procuring cause
When the National Association of REALTORS® conducted the 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers the survey revealed that the things that buyers expect or want most from their agents include help:
Understanding the home buying process
Pointing out unnoticed defects and features of homes, particularly for first-time buyers
Finding the right home to purchase
Negotiating sale terms and home prices
Determining the selling price for comparable homes
Obtaining lists of service providers
Actual authority
Specific powers given to an agent by the principal that allows them to act on the principal’s behalf
Implied buyer agency
A type of agency where authority is implied or presumed based on the nature of the relationship between the agent and the buyer
Exclusive right to represent –
Buyer is exclusively represented by the agent and the buyer ensures that the agent will be paid compensation if the buyer purchases a property from any source
Non-exclusive right to represent –
Buyer is free to work with other agents, agent’s liability is limited, and the agent can be compensated if they find the home the buyer ends up purchasing