Code of Ethics - Article 4

Professional Standards - As a REALTOR® member of the Marin Association of REALTORS®, you have agreed to abide by the NAR Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics is comprised of a Preamble and 17 Articles. Most Articles have corresponding Standards of Practice that support and interpret the Article. In addition, Case Interpretations provided by NAR demonstrate the application of the Articles to particular situations.

Article 4– REALTORS® shall not acquire an interest in or buy or present offers from themselves, any member of their immediate families, their firms or any member thereof, or any entities in which they have any ownership interest, any real property without making their true position known to the owner or the owner’s agent or broker.  In selling property they own, or in which they have any interest, REALTORS® shall reveal their ownership or interest in writing to the purchaser or the purchaser’s representative.

Case #4-5: Fidelity to Client

Client A contacted Realtor^® B to list a vacant lot. Client A said he had heard that similar lots in the vicinity had sold for about $50,000 and thought he should be able to get a similar price. Realtor^® B stressed some minor disadvantages in location and grade of the lot, and said that the market for vacant lots was sluggish. He suggested listing at a price of $32,500 and the client agreed.

 In two weeks, Realtor^® B came to Client A with an offer at the listed price of $32,500. The client raised some questions about it, pointing out that the offer had come in just two weeks after the property had been placed on the market which could be an indication that the lot was worth closer to $50,000 than $32,500. Realtor^® B strongly urged him to accept the offer, stating that because of the sluggish market, another offer might not develop for months and that the offer in hand simply vindicated Realtor^® B’s own judgment as to pricing the lot. Client A finally agreed and the sale was made to Buyer C.

Two months later, Client A discovered the lot was no longer owned by Buyer C, but had been purchased by Buyer D at $55,000. He investigated and found that Buyer C was a brother-in-law of Realtor^® B, and that Buyer C had acted on behalf of Realtor^® B in buying the property for $32,500.

Client A outlined the facts in a complaint to the Board of Realtors^®, charging Realtor^® B with collusion in betrayal of a client’s confidence and interests, and with failing to disclose that he was buying the property on his own behalf.

At a hearing before a panel of the Board’s Professional Standards Committee, Realtor^® B’s defense was that in his observation of real estate transactions there can be two legitimate prices of property—the price that a seller is willing to take in order to liquidate his investment, and the price that a buyer is willing to pay to acquire a property in which he is particularly interested. His position was that he saw no harm in bringing about a transaction to his own advantage in which the seller received a price that he was willing to take and the buyer paid a price that he was willing to pay.

The Hearing Panel concluded that Realtor^® B had deceitfully used the guise of rendering professional service to a client in acting as a speculator; that he had been unfaithful to the most basic principles of agency and allegiance to his client’s interest; and that he had violated Articles 1 and 4 of the Code of Ethics.

Article 3 - Code of Ethics - Case Interpretations

Professional Standards - As a REALTOR® member of the Marin Association of REALTORS®, you have agreed to abide by the NAR Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics is comprised of a Preamble and 17 Articles. Most Articles have corresponding Standards of Practice that support and interpret the Article. In addition, Case Interpretations provided by NAR demonstrate the application of the Articles to particular situations.


Article 3

REALTORS® shall cooperate with other brokers except when cooperation is not in the client’s best interest. The obligation to cooperate does not include the obligation to share commissions, fees, or to otherwise compensate another broker.


Case #3-9: REALTOR®’s Obligation to Disclose True Nature of Listing Agreement

REALTOR® A listed the home of Seller X and filed the listing with the Board’s MLS categorizing it as an exclusive right to sell listing. REALTOR® A did not disclose that there was a dual rate commission arrangement on this listing, even though the listing contract provided that, should the seller be the procuring cause of sale, the listing broker would receive a commission of $500.00, an amount intended to compensate REALTOR® A for his marketing costs.

REALTOR® B, a cooperating broker, showed the property several times. Eventually, REALTOR® B brought a signed purchase agreement to REALTOR® A. REALTOR® A returned the purchase agreement the next day, informing REALTOR® B that the seller had rejected the offer. Several weeks later, REALTOR® B learned that the property had been sold, and that the buyer was Seller X’s nephew.

Several months later, REALTOR® B met Seller X at a fund-raising event. Seller X thanked her for her efforts, and told her that, under “normal circumstances,” he might have seriously considered the offer she had produced. When asked why the circumstances surrounding this transaction were “unusual,” Seller X responded telling her of his agreement “with REALTOR® A to pay a $500.00 commission if Seller X found the buyer. And when my nephew decided to buy the house, I jumped at the chance to save some money.”


When REALTOR® B learned of this arrangement, she filed a complaint with the Board of REALTORS® alleging that REALTOR® A had violated Article 3 of the Code of Ethics. The Executive Officer of the Board referred the complaint to the Grievance Committee, and, after its review, the Grievance Committee referred the complaint back to the Executive Officer indicating that an ethics hearing should be scheduled.

At the hearing, REALTOR® B, in stating her complaint to the Hearing Panel, said that REALTOR® A’s failure to disclose the actual terms and conditions of his listing with Seller X was a misrepresentation. She explained that, had she been aware of this arrangement, she might have decided not to accept REALTOR® A’s offer of cooperation, since it might put potential purchasers she would produce in a possibly unfair position.


REALTOR® A, speaking in his own defense, stated no commission differential would have resulted if the buyer had been procured by either the listing broker or a cooperating broker so whatever other arrangements he had with Seller X were personal and, as listing broker, it was his right to establish the terms and conditions of his relationship with his client.


After careful deliberation, the Hearing Panel concluded that while it was REALTOR® A’s right to establish the terms and conditions of the listing contract, the existence of his “special” arrangement with Seller X should have been disclosed as a dual or variable rate commission, since without knowledge of it, cooperating brokers would be unable to make knowledgeable decisions regarding acceptance of the listing broker’s offer to cooperate.


The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTOR A had in fact concealed and misrepresented the real facts of the transaction and was in violation of Article 3 of the Code of Ethics as interpreted by Standard of Practice 3-4.

Code of Ethics-Article 2-Case Interpretation

Professional Standards - As a REALTOR® member of the Marin Association of REALTORS®, you have agreed to abide by the NAR Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics is comprised of a Preamble and 17 Articles. Most Articles have corresponding Standards of Practice that support and interpret the Article. In addition, Case Interpretations provided by NAR demonstrate the application of the Articles to particular situations.

Article 2
REALTORS® shall avoid exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts relating to the property or the transaction. REALTORS® shall not, however, be obligated to discover latent defects in the property, to advise on matters outside the scope of their real estate license, or to disclose facts which are confidential under the scope of agency or non-agency relationships as defined by state law.

Case #2-2: Responsibility for Sales Associate’s Error
REALTOR® A, a REALTOR® principal, was asked to list a neglected house that obviously needed a wide range of repairs. He strongly advised the owner that it would be to his advantage to put the house in good repair before offering it for sale, but the owner wanted it sold at once on an “as is” basis. REALTOR® A wrote a novel advertisement offering a “clunker” in poor condition as a challenge to an ambitious do-it-yourself hobbyist.

A few days later, Sales Associate B, who was not a Board member, from REALTOR® A’s office showed the house to a retired couple who liked the location and general features, and who had been attracted by the ad because the husband was looking forward to applying his “fix-up” hobby to improving a home. The sale was made. Shortly thereafter, REALTOR® A was charged by the buyer with having misrepresented the condition of the property.

REALTOR® A accompanied Sales Associate B to the hearing, armed with a copy of his candid advertisement. The hearing established that the buyer fully understood that the house was represented to be generally in poor condition, but that while inspecting the house with a view to needed repairs, Sales Associate B had commented that since the house was of concrete block and stucco construction, there would be no termite worries since termites could not enter that type of construction. Sales Associate B confirmed this and his belief that the statement was correct. However, after the sale was made, the buyer ripped out a sill to replace it and found it swarming with termites, with termite damage to floors in evidence. Further questioning established that there had been no evidence of termite infestation prior to the sale, and that the Sales Associate had volunteered an assurance that he thought was well grounded.

REALTOR® A, prior to the conclusion of the hearing, offered to pay the cost of exterminating the building and the cost of lumber to repair termite damage in view of Sales Associate B’s failure to recommend a termite inspection, which was the usual and customary practice in this area. The complainant stated that this would satisfy him completely. It was the Hearing Panel’s view that while REALTOR® A’s actions were commendable, and would be taken into account by the Hearing Panel, REALTOR® A was still responsible for the errors and misstatements of the sales associates affiliated with him. The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTOR® A was in violation of Article 2.

Code of Ethics-Article1-Case Interpretations

Professional Standards - As a REALTOR® member of the Marin Association of REALTORS®, you have agreed to abide by the NAR Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics is comprised of a Preamble and 17 Articles. Most Articles have corresponding Standards of Practice that support and interpret the Article. In addition, Case Interpretations provided by NAR demonstrate the application of the Articles to particular situations.

Article 1 - When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client. This obligation to the client is primary, but it does not relieve REALTORS® of their obligation to treat all parties honestly. When serving a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant or other party in a non-agency capacity, REALTORS® remain obligated to treat all parties honestly.

Case #1-5: Promotion of Client’s Interests
Client A gave an exclusive listing on a house to REALTOR® B, stating that he thought $132,500 would be a fair price for the property. REALTOR® B agreed and the house was listed at that price in a 90-day listing contract. REALTOR® B advertised the house without response, showing it to a few prospective buyers who lost interest when they learned the price. In a sales meeting in his office, REALTOR® B discussed the property, advised his associates that it appeared to be overpriced, and that advertising and showing of the property had proved to be a waste of time and money.

After six weeks had gone by without a word from REALTOR® B, Client A called REALTOR® B’s office without identifying himself, described the property, and asked if the firm was still offering it for sale. The response he received from one of REALTOR® B’s nonmember associates was: “We still have the house listed, but there is little interest in it because, in our opinion, it is overpriced and not as attractive a value as other property we can show you.”

Client A wrote to the Board of REALTOR® complaining of REALTOR® B’s action, charging failure to promote and protect the client’s interest by REALTOR® B’s failure to advise the client of his judgment that the price agreed upon in the listing contract was excessive, and by REALTOR® B’s failure to actively seek a buyer.

In a hearing on the complaint before a Hearing Panel of the Board’s Professional Standards Committee, REALTOR® B’s response was that Client A had emphatically insisted that he wanted $132,500 for the property; that by advertising and showing the property he had made a diligent effort to attract a buyer at that price; that in receiving almost no response to this effort he was obliged to conclude that the house would not sell at the listed price; that in view of the client’s attitude at the time of listing, he felt it would be useless to attempt to get Client A’s agreement to lower the listed price; and that he had instructed his staff not to actively market the property at that price.

The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTOR® B was in violation of Article 1; that he had been unfaithful in his obligations in not advising his client of his conclusion that the property was overpriced, based on the response to his initial sales efforts; and in withholding his best efforts to bring about a sale of the property in the interests of his client.