What Are the Duties of a Real Estate Salesperson?

When you opt to record or purchase real estate, one option is to utilize the assistance of a real estate agent. When you sell property, the commission paid to the real estate salesperson is generally a portion of the final selling price. The seller’s agent typically pays the purchaser’s agent a percentage of his commission after a successful closure. The extent of a real estate salesperson’s responsibilities may vary by state, as real estate laws vary by state.

Fiduciary Duty

The real estate agent owes fiduciary duty to her customer. This means the agent must act in the best interest of their customer and not in the best interest of their salesperson or a third party. A real estate agent must treat all parties fairly, even those not considered customers. A real estate salesperson’s duty includes disclosing all known facts concerning the property and trade to the customer.

Hunting

A real estate salesperson working with a buyer searches for land, while the real estate salesperson working for a vendor hunts for a buyer. A primary obligation of a real estate agent working for a buyer would be to locate an available property which best matches the client’s requirements. For the real estate agent working for a vendor, the endeavor is to find an experienced buyer to purchase the client’s property.

Marketing

When seeking a buyer, the real estate sales agent’s responsibilities include advertising the property. Marketing might involve preparing fliers, creating an electronic tour, installing a for-sale signal, advertisements online and in print. The list agreement often governs the extent of the advertising. A customer may pay more for extra marketing solutions. The agent’s duty isn’t necessarily to personally locate a buyer but to reach out to agents who have qualified buyers.

Disclosure

The real estate salesperson’s obligation is to make a full disclosure to all parties on some other issues that might materially affect the transaction. However, a realtor shouldn’t ever disclose his client’s confidential information, especially if this information might give another party an edge throughout the trade. By way of example, a real estate sales agent would have to disclose that his vendor’s property has mold but would not disclose (without the client’s consent ) the vendor is desperate to market because of a family emergency or the seller will require less than the inventory cost.

Negotiation

The responsibilities of the real estate agent is to receive the best and best selling price for your customer who’s a vendor, while the responsibilities of the real estate agent representing a buyer would be to negotiate for the lowest possible price for their customer. During the negotiation process, the real estate agent advises the customer, providing the customer all potential advice, yet it isn’t the agent’s obligation to make the final decision for your customer. It’s the agent’s obligation to follow all lawful instructions of the customer.

Transaction

The real estate salesperson’s duty would be to help navigate the trade during the entire escrow process to final closure. Much of the obligation might simply involve supplying information to the customer or answering questions regarding this process.

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