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Central Oregon Properties
Presented by Team Birtola Garmyn
Oregon's #1 Prudential Team
OREGON
REAL ESTATE
AGENCY DISCLOSURE PAMPHLET
(OAR 863-015-215(4)
This pamphlet describes agency relationships and the duties and
responsibilities of real estate licensees in Oregon. This pamphlet
is informational only and neither the pamphlet nor its delivery
to you may be construed to be evidence of intent to create an agency
relationship.
Real Estate Agency Relationships
An "agency" relationship is a voluntary legal relationship
in which a real estate licensee (the "agent") agrees
to act on behalf of a buyer or a seller (the "client")
in a real estate transaction.
Oregon law provides for three types of agency relationships between
real estate agents and their clients:
Seller's Agent - Represents
the seller only;
Buyer's Agent - Represents the buyer only;
Disclosed
Limited Agent - Represents both the buyer and seller,
or multiple
buyers who want to purchase the same property. This can be done
only with the
written permission of both clients.
The actual agency relationships
between the seller, buyer and their agents in a real estate transaction
must be acknowledged at the
time an offer to purchase is made. Please read this pamphlet carefully
before entering into an agency relationship with a real estate
agent.
Duties and Responsibilities of an Agent
Who
Represents Only the Seller or Only the Buyer
Under a written listing agreement to sell property, an agent represents
only the seller unless the seller agrees in writing to allow the
agent to also represent the buyer. An agent who agrees to represent
a buyer acts only as the buyer's agent unless the buyer agrees
in writing to allow the agent to also represent the seller. An
agent who represents only the seller or only the buyer owes the
following affirmative duties to their client, other parties and
their agents involved in a real estate transaction:
- To exercise reasonable care and diligence;
- To deal honestly and in good faith;
- To present all written offers, notices and other communications
in a timely manner
whether or not the seller's property is subject to
a contract for sale or the buyer is already
a party to a contract to purchase;
- To disclose material facts known by the agent and not apparent
or readily ascertainable
to a party;
- To account in a timely manner for money and property received
from or on behalf of the
client;
- To be loyal to their client by not taking action that is
adverse or detrimental to the client's
interest in a transaction;
- To disclose in a timely manner to the client any conflict
of interest, existing or
contemplated;
- To advise the client to seek expert advice on matters
related to the transactions that are
beyond the agent's expertise;
- To maintain confidential information from or about
the client except under subpoena or
court order, even after termination of
the agency relationship; and
- When representing a seller, to make a continuous,
good faith effort to find a buyer for
the property, except
that a seller's
agent is not required to seek additional
offers to purchase the property while the property is
subject
to a contract
for sale.
When representing a buyer, to make a
continuous, good faith effort to find property for the
buyer, except
that a buyer's
agent is
not required to seek additional properties
for the buyer while the buyer is subject to a contract
for
purchase
or to show
properties for which there is no written
agreement to pay compensation to
the buyer's agent.
Page 2
None of these affirmative duties of an agent may be waived, except
#10, which can only be waived by written agreement between client
and agent.
Under Oregon law, a seller's agent may show properties owned by
another seller to a prospective buyer and may list competing properties
for sale without breaching any affirmative duty to the seller.
Similarly, a buyer's agent may show properties in which the buyer
is interested to other prospective buyers without breaching any
affirmative duty to the buyer.
Unless agreed to in writing, an agent has no duty to investigate
matters that are outside the scope of the agent's expertise.
Duties and Responsibilities
of an Agent
Who Represents More than One Client in a Transaction
One agent may represent both the seller and the buyer in the same
transaction, or multiple
buyers who want to purchase the same property only under a written "Disclosed
Limited Agency" agreement, signed by the seller, buyer(s)
and their agent.
When different agents associated with the
same real estate firm establish agency relationships with different
parties to the same transaction, only the principal broker (the
broker who supervises the other agents) will act as a Disclosed
Limited Agent for both the buyer and seller. The other agents
continue
to represent only the party with whom the agent already has an
established agency relationship unless all parties agree otherwise
in writing. The supervising principal broker and the agents representing
either the seller or the buyer have the following duties to their
clients:
- To disclose a conflict of interest in writing
to all parties;
- To take no action that is
adverse or detrimental to either party's interest in the
transaction; and
- To obey the lawful instruction of both parties.
An agent acting under a Disclosed Limited
Agency agreement has the same duties to the client as when representing
only
a seller
or only a buyer, except that the agent may not, without
written permission, disclose any of the following:
- That the seller will accept a lower price
or less favorable terms than the listing price or
terms;
- hat the buyer will pay a greater price
or more favorable terms than the offering price or
terms; or
- In transactions involving one-to-four residential
units only, information regarding the real
property transaction including, but not limited
to, price, terms, financial qualifications
or
motivation to buy or sell.
No matter whom they represent, an agent must disclose
information the agent knows or should know that failure
to disclose
would constitute fraudulent misrepresentation. Unless
agreed to
in writing, an agent
acting under a Disclosed Limited Agency agreement
has no duty to investigate matters that are outside the
scope of the agent's
expertise.
You are encouraged to discuss the above information
with the agent delivering this pamphlet to you.
If you intend
for that
agent,
or any other Oregon real estate agent, to represent
you as a Seller's Agent, Buyer's Agent, or Disclosed
Limited
Agent,
you
should have
a specific discussion with him/her about the nature
and scope of the agency relationship. Whether you
are a buyer
or seller,
you
cannot make a licensee your agent without their
knowledge and consent, and an agent cannot make you their client
without your knowledge
and consent.
Stat. Auth:
ORS 696.385, 696.820 and 183.335
Stat. Implemented:
ORS 696.805, 696.810, 696.815
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