law of agency Flashcards
the relationship between a principal and the person’s agent
Agency
founded in trust or confidence
fiduciary
The origin of agency relationships began in the United States in
1919 when California passed the first real estate act and real estate salespeople began to be licensed
Texas passed its first real estate act, the Texas Real Estate Dealers Act in __________
1939
In Texas in 1939 Real estate salespeople were granted a _____________, not an agent’s license.
dealer’s license
n 1949 the __________________ was created by the Texas Real Estate License Act (TRELA).
Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)
It was ______________ that began to offer both a broker & a salesperson license.
the TRELA
The Texas Real Estate Commission is composed of
nine members
TREC: Six are ________ and three are
brokers
members of the public
TREC members are
appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate
TREC members must
be a qualified voter
Brokers on TREC must
have been engaged in the brokerage business as licensed brokers as their major occupation for the five years preceding appointment
All agency relationships are created at the _________________.
broker level
The TREC commission shall
(1) administer this chapter and Chapter 1102;
(2) adopt rules and establish standards relating to permissible forms of advertising by a license holder acting as a residential rental locator;
(3) maintain a registry of certificate holders; and
(4) design and adopt a seal.
The TREC commission may
(1) adopt and enforce rules necessary to administer
All agency relationships are created at the broker level.
this chapter and Chapter 1102; and
(2) establish standards of conduct and ethics for persons licensed
under this chapter and Chapter 1102 to:
(A) fulfill the purposes of this chapter and Chapter 1102; and
(B) ensure compliance with this chapter and Chapter 1102
Salespersons must have a sponsoring broker before
they may practice real estate
All agency relationships are created at the ____________ level
broker
Another word for client is
principal
customers may be referred to as
third parties.
The broker must always be obedient to the client as long as the instructions given to the broker from the client
are for a legal purpose
The broker who represents a person as a client owes that client fiduciary duties. These duties include
obedience, loyalty, disclosure, confidentiality, accounting, and reasonable care
If the client instructs the broker to discriminate against one of the protected classes
the broker must cancel the listing agreement or buyer’s agreement and discontinue working for this person.
The broker must put the client’s interest
above the broker’s interest
The broker and salesperson must always disclose to the seller that
they are the buyer when they buy their own listings
The agents must have permission from the seller to
buy the listing
the agent must also disclose when they are
selling their own property
An example of loyalty to the client can be seen when a buyer’s broker helps negotiate a
lower price for the buyer
The broker must disclose all __________________. He must also disclose
- material facts to the buyer and seller
- his opinion of the price of the property to
his client. - all offers to his seller client,
- the identity of the buyer and financial
information he has concerning the buyers
ability to purchase the property. - He must also disclose to his seller client
if he knows he will have an interest in the
property in the future.
-For example, acting as a property
manager for the buyer or relisting the
property for the buyer in the future.
broker must keep confidential all information he learns about a client unless
the client gives his permission to reveal the information
broker may not tell a buyer that a client needs to sell quickly & will take a lower price
unless the seller has given him permission to do so. That permission should be in writing.
The broker must not _________ funds. He must keep all money received
commingle
in a separate account from his business or personal account.
Texas law requires that this must be a trust account
The commission may suspend or revoke a license issued under this
chapter or take other disciplinary action authorized by this chapter if the license holder, while acting as a broker or salesperson
- fails within a reasonable time to
properly account for or remit money that
is received by the license holder and
that belongs to another person; - commingles money that belongs to
another person with the license holder’s
own money; - fails to deposit, within a reasonable
time, money the license holder
receives as escrow agent in a real estate
transaction:
(A) in trust with a title company
authorized to do business in this
state; or
(B) in a custodial, trust, or escrow
account maintained for that
purpose in a banking institution
authorized to do business in this
state; - disburses money deposited in a
custodial, trust, or escrow account, as
provided in Subdivision (30), before the
completion or termination of the real
estate transaction
A broker must perform his job with _____________. He must keep ____________________ —and offer advice to his clients with care
expertise and knowledge
current in the real estate market—both local and national
Client’s duties to broker
duties include: compensation, indemnification, information, and cooperation
The Canons of Professional Ethics and Conduct are;
fidelity,
integrity &
competency.
A licensee may be told many things in confidence by a client. The licensee may disclose confidential information if:
A. it will help to obtain a higher price for the property
B. the client tells the agent to disclose the information
C. the client gives the agent permission in writing to disclose the information
D. the buyer asks the agent for the information
C the client gives the agent permission in writing to disclose the information
The origin of agency relationships began in the United States when the first real estate act was passed in: A. Texas in 1952 B. Oklahoma in 1936 C. New York in 1896 D. California in 1919
D. California in 1919
A broker is not allowed to commingle funds. Commingle means to:
A. spend the client’s money
B. receive a commission from a customer
C. place the client’s money in the broker’s account
D. pay the client a rebate
C. place the client’s money in the broker’s account
The Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of Realtors® is not: A. law B. written by NAR C. about ethics D. divided into 17 articles
A. law
MISSED
The Texas Real Estate Commission was created by the Texas Real Estate License Act in: A. 1949 B. 1948 C. 1946 D. 1945
A. 1949
There are four types of representation discussed in the Information About Brokerage Services. They are
- Broker represents owner
- Broker acts as subagent
- Broker represents buyer
- Broker acts as intermediary
The broker representing the owner is referred to as the
seller’s broker or the listing broker.
A broker may represent a buyer as a client or customer. If representing the buyer as a customer, the broker is considered to be a
subagent of the seller
In a subagent relationship, the seller’s broker and the buyer’s broker are always
from two different companies.
a licensee may represent a buyer as a client. This relationship is usually created between the buyer and the buyer’s broker with a written buyer representation agreement, but the agency relationship may be created _______________.
orally
A broker may act as an intermediary between the parties if the broker complies ___________________________
with the Texas Real Estate License Act.
In an Intermediary The broker must obtain _____________ through the listing agreement and the buyer representation agreement
written consent from the buyer and the seller
IABS signed forms should be maintained in .
the licensee’s records
Other information may be added or removed from the IABS form provided by TREC as long as the _________________. For example, a brokerage may include _______________
wording from TRELA in the forms remains unchanged
the name of the company on IABS.
According to the Information About Brokerage Services form, a broker may act as a buyer’s agent, a seller’s agent, a subagent, or an intermediary.
A. True
B. False
A. True
A buyer’s agent may not tell the buyer any information told to the agent by the owner.
A. True
B. False
B. False
The broker representing the owner is referred to as the seller’s broker or the listing broker. A. True
B. False
A. True
A real estate company may put the name of the company on the IABS form as long as the information from TRELA is not changed.
A. True
B. False
A. True
The broker who lists the property for sale or lease is not the owner’s agent.
A. True
B. False
B. False
___________ is the oldest form of representation
Seller agency
Up until the early _______’s, all brokers represented the seller, there was no buyer representation.
1990
A fiduciary duty means the____________ must put the seller’s interest above their own
broker and all of his salespeople
The listing agreement between the broker and the seller must:
- Be in writing, in order to satisfy the Statute of Frauds
- Must be signed by the seller
- Must have a definite termination date
- Must have a legal description of the property
The listing agreement is an employment agreement between the seller and the listing broker and becomes the personal property of ________________
the broker
If the salesperson who listed the property moves his license to another company, the listing __________________
stays with the broker who sponsored the salesperson when the listing was taken.
If the original sponsoring broker and the seller both agree, the listing may ___________________________________
be cancelled and the salesperson may relist the property in the new broker’s name
The listing agreement creates a special _____________ relationship between the broker and the seller.
expressed agency
The listing agreement only authorizes the broker to do one specific thing, which is
finding a “buyer ready, willing and able to buy the property.
The broker is considered to have earned his commission when he has found that “ready, willing and able” buyer. If the seller at that point decides not to sell the property,
the seller still owes the broker the commission.
The listing agreement is considered an expressed agency or expressed agreement between the broker and the seller because it
specifically states what is expected of the broker.
In order to terminate the listing agreement as well as the agency relationship, one of the following must happen:
- Death or incapacity of the broker or the client
- Completion of the agreement, i.e. the property sold
- The listing agreement has expired
- The broker and the client can mutually agree to cancel the listing agreement
- It will also come to an end if the seller loses the title to the property through
foreclosure or bankruptcy - Destruction of property
There are four types of listing agreements:
Exclusive Right to Sell,
Exclusive Agency,
Open Listing, and
Net Listing.
The _____________ is the highest form of listing
Exclusive Right-to-Sell
With _________________ listing agreement the listing broker is assured of receiving a commission if anyone brings a buyer for the property and the property sells.
Exclusive Right to Sell
The ______________ agreement is often used for this type of listing.
TAR (Texas Association of Realtors) Exclusive Right-to-Sell
In this type of listing the seller reserves the right to sell the property himself and not pay a commission to the listing broker.
Exclusive Agency
If anyone else brings a buyer and the property sells, the listing broker will then receive a commission.
the seller may give a listing to more than one broker. The seller gives each listing broker the right to attempt to sell the property, but the only broker that is paid a commission is the broker who produces a buyer that closes on the property.
Open Listing
the seller states the amount he wishes to net from his property and allows the broker to keep the remainder as his commission
Net Listing
The Texas Real Estate Commission _____________ promulgate any employment contracts and the listing agreement is an employment agreement
does not
Licensees are required to use contracts
-promulgated by TREC,
-prepared by the property owner,
or
-written by an attorney and required by a
principle
The listing agreement is an _____________ agreement
employment
The______________________ attorneys make available for licensees use many forms and addenda including the Residential Real Estate Listing Agreement Exclusive Right to Sell.
Texas Association of Realtors®
The listing agreement is filled out by _____________ taking the listing from the seller.
the licensee
The listing agreement may be filled in with a
pen or a computer software program may be used
The most often used listing agreement is the Texas Association of Realtors®
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE LISTING AGREEMENT EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO SELL
The broker is not entitled to a commission if:
- the seller cannot deliver a deed or title policy as required in the contract,
- the seller loses the property in foreclosure,
- the property does not sell as a result of a casualty loss that is not restored by the seller.
Paragraph 5-C states the broker’s commission is payable
- at closing and funding,
- if the seller refuses to sell after a ready, willing and able buyer has been produced,
- if the seller breaches the listing agreement,
- as otherwise stated in the listing.
To be valid, a listing agreement must have
a termination date.
The broker gives the seller advice and opinions about the price and may also
do a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA),
but the seller makes the final decision concerning the price.
If the property is in an owners association, ______________________________________ must be given to the buyer
a Subdivision Information, Including Resale Certificate For Property Subject To Mandatory Membership In An Owners Association form
if the address of the seller is different from the address of the property being listed.
The address used is the address of the seller
If the property has a metes and bounds description it will need
to be attached in an exhibit.
Paragraph 5-D (1) states the broker will receive a portion of any monies collected from a defaulting buyer
by the seller.
Paragraph 5-D (2) allows the broker to receive a fee from a service provider for __________ This is in addition to other compensation the broker will receive.
a referral.
If the seller sells the property within a specified time after the listing has expired, the broker will be entitled to a commission
if the buyer’s attention was called to the property by the broker during the listing.
The broker must give a list of _____________ to the seller within 10 days after the listing expires
all potential buyers
If the seller has relisted the property with another broker who is a member of TAR,
the first broker will not receive a commission.
Paragraph 12
SELLER’S REPRESENTATIONS
This paragraph states that
the seller has fee simple title,
there is no agreement with another person to acquire the property,
there are no delinquencies in the mortgage, all information the seller has provided is correct and
the seller does not have a listing agreement with another broker.
It also states that any pool on the property meets code.
Paragraph 13 SELLER’S ADDITIONAL PROMISES
The seller makes several additional promises including:
cooperating with the broker in showing the property,
referring all prospective buyers to the broker, not leasing the property without the broker’s approval.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
The seller is instructed to notify their insurance company if ________________. The paragraph states that the broker is not responsible or liable for ____________________________________. The seller agrees to hold the broker harmless from any damage, cost, attorney’s fees and expenses that are caused by the seller.
the property becomes vacant
any loss or damage to the property that is not caused by the broker.
If the broker breaches the listing, the seller may use __________________________.
any remedy allowed by law