Professional Standards

Yes. Article 4 of the Code of Ethics requires that you disclose to the seller or the seller’s agent your true position when acquiring any ownership interest in property or presenting offers for yourself, any member of your immediate family (which includes siblings), members of your firm, or any entities in which you have any ownership interest.

In addition, when you are selling property you own or in which you have an interest, the Code of Ethics requires you to reveal your ownership or interest to the buyer or buyer’s agent in writing.

These disclosures are required to be in writing prior to the signing of any contract.

TREC rules only require that you disclose your licensee status in writing to a seller when you are acquiring property on your own behalf, on behalf of a business entity in which you own more than 10%, or on behalf of your spouse, parent, or child.

It is probably a good idea to disclose your relationship with any principal to the other party to a transaction even if such a disclosure is not required by TREC or the Code of Ethics. Disclosure can help eliminate complaints or criticism and can increase respect for REALTORS®.

According to the conduct described, that broker may have violated the Real Estate License Act. The act states that a broker is in violation of the Real Estate License Act if he or she receives compensation from more than one party to a transaction without full knowledge and consent of all parties.

Article 7 of the Code of Ethics also prohibits a REALTOR® from accepting compensation from more than one party to a transaction without disclosure to all parties and the informed consent of a REALTOR®'s client. The conduct described in this case may be a violation of Article 7, and it might also constitute a violation of Article 1, which requires that REALTORS® treat all parties honestly.

Yes, provided that you get the required consent from the owner. According to Standard of Practice 16-14 of the Code of Ethics, you should not knowingly obligate an owner to pay more than one commission except with the owner’s informed consent.

You can complete and attach the Named Exclusions Addendum to Listing (TAR 1402) to your listing agreement to help clarify your rights and the owner's rights and obligations should the owner sell to the named party during the designated time period.

No. Although agency relationships can exist when you’re acting on behalf of the buyer without a written agreement, the best way to create an agency relationship is to put the rights and obligations of a broker and his or her client in a signed written agreement,.

In addition to being a good business practice, there are several other reasons why broker-client relationships should be in writing:

1. You cannot enforce your right to collect your commission from a seller or buyer unless you have a signed written agreement with them agreeing to pay your commission, according to Section 1101.806(c) of the Real Estate License Act.
2. Section 1101.559 of the Real Estate License Act requires brokers who act as intermediaries to obtain the written consent of each party in the transaction and that written consent must also state who will pay the broker.
3. Article 9 of the Code of Ethics requires that REALTORS® shall assure whenever possible that agreements shall be in writing for the protection of all parties.

The fact that you previously listed this property for the seller and showed this buyer the property does not permit you to contact the owner directly. 

Under the Real Estate License Act, a licensee may deliver an offer directly to an owner who is exclusively represented by another broker only if the owner’s broker consents to the delivery and a copy of the offer is sent to the owner’s broker. Any negotiations of the offer must still be conducted through the owner’s broker.

In addition, Standard of Practice 16-13 in the REALTOR® Code of Ethics provides that all dealings concerning property exclusively listed shall be carried on with the client's broker and not with the client, except with consent of the client's broker or where such dealings are initiated by the client.

Since the owner in this situation is now represented by a new broker, you should deal with the new broker concerning any offer a buyer might want to present.

No. Although Article 16 of the NAR Code of Ethics prohibits REALTORS® from engaging in any practice or taking any action inconsistent with exclusive representation or exclusive brokerage relationship agreements that REALTORS® have with clients, Standard of Practice 16-3 allows REALTORS® to contact the client of another broker to provide a service different than what is currently being provided, or to offer the same type of service for property not subject to a broker’s current exclusive agreements. If you are offering property-management services, another broker can provide brokerage services to sell the same property without risking violating Article 16. And if your owner had two properties and you only managed one, another broker could provide property-management services for the home you don’t have an exclusive agreement for.

However, information received through an MLS or any other offer of cooperation may not be used to target clients of other REALTORS®. In your situation, the other REALTOR® did not use these methods, and is therefore not in violation of the Code.

Yes. While Article 3 of the Code of Ethics requires that REALTORS® cooperate with other brokers, there is an exception when cooperation is not in the client's best interest. A seller’s demand not to cooperate with a firm or agent is a legitimate instruction regarding the sale of her property, and could be viewed as meeting this exception. Be sure, however, that the decision not to cooperate originates from the seller and not you.

It’s a good idea to get this instruction in writing from the seller. Should  brokers or agents from that particular firm call for a showing, you can inform them of the seller’s decision to restrict cooperation on this particular sale and follow up by sending written confirmation.

The REALTOR® Code of Ethics defines a variable-rate commission arrangement as a listing in which one amount of commission is payable if the listing broker’s firm is the procuring cause of sale or lease and a different amount of commission is payable if the sale or lease results from the efforts of the seller, landlord, or a cooperating broker.

The Code of Ethics and NAR’s Handbook on Multiple Listing Policy require listing brokers to disclose a variable-rate commission to potential cooperating brokers as soon as is practical. In response to inquiries from potential cooperating brokers, REALTORS® are also required to disclose the difference between the two rates.

In addition, once a cooperating broker knows that a variable-rate commission has been offered, the cooperating broker must disclose this information to his or her client before the client makes an offer to purchase or lease. In this situation, a buyer or tenant who makes an offer that’s identical to an offer from a buyer or tenant who’s represented by the listing broker’s firm is at a disadvantage, since the commission on the other offer will be lower.

As a Texas REALTOR®, the Code of Ethics does not preclude you from offering an opinion about another real estate professional's service or business practices. If you choose to offer an opinion, you should observe strict standards of professional integrity and provide objective, reliable information.

It is a violation of Article 15 of the Code of Ethics to knowingly or recklessly make false or misleading statements about other real estate professionals. Keep in mind that making derogatory comments about others' real estate practices can also diminish the public's appreciation of REALTORS®.

MLS rules state that sales of listed property, including sales prices, shall be reported promptly to the MLS by listing brokers. As such, the Residential Real Estate Listing Agreement, Exclusive Right to Sell (TXR 1101) includes a notice in Paragraph 6(A) that goes over this requirement so that clients are aware of their broker’s obligations. Local MLS rules also control how, if, or when sales prices can be disclosed by brokers or used in advertising. 

It is a misconception that the status of Texas as a non-disclosure state means that a listing broker does not have to disclose sales data to the MLS. That is not true. Rather, it means that governmental entities—including local appraisal districts—cannot force anyone to provide the sales price to those entities.

Yes. If you submit a written request, the listing broker must provide written affirmation that the offer was presented to the seller or that the seller waived the obligation to have the offer presented. Standard of Practice 1-6 of the Code of Ethics states that REALTORS® shall submit all offers and counteroffers objectively and as quickly as possible, and Standard of Practice 1-7 requires listing brokers to provide written affirmation that offers were presented to cooperating brokers that request it, unless the seller has waived in writing the broker’s obligation to present the offer.

Yes. If you listed the home or participated in the transaction as the buyer’s broker, you can share the sales price. It is recommended that you get your client’s permission before sharing the sales price.

The MLS rules allow for MLSs to impose the requirement of reporting sales prices to the MLS as long the MLS categorizes sale price information as confidential and limits use to participants and subscribers.

What other brokers who participate in the MLS can do with the sales price information of a home you listed—share it with clients and customers or use it in advertising, for example—depends on your MLS rules. Contact your own MLS for more information.

It is a misconception that a listing broker or buyer’s broker is prohibited from divulging a sales price because Texas is a non-disclosure state. Non-disclosure relates to the ability of government entities such as appraisal districts to compel disclosure of sales prices; it does not mean sales prices are confidential by default. The limitations on use of sales prices stem from the local MLS rules.