Duties

We are going to go over the official duties for the listing agent. Then we will compare this with some of the basic practical duties. There are a lot more, but this is good place for starting.

Official Duties

Each state is different so make sure you know the listing agreement for your state. Today we will look at California Realtor’s listing form called the “RLA”. There are 4 official agent duties listed in the section “Broker’s Duties.” Let’s look at each of these.

Effort and Due Diligence

Due Diligence is following your fiduciary duties to your sellers in accordance your legal responsibilities. You are required to work for your sellers. Not only that, you are required to work with their best interests in mind. While this seems obvious, it is very important to remember.

Market the Listing

This is a very crucial part to the process. This can be the difference between selling the house at the highest price or not. It is so important, that we have a half of a course dedicated to it. We even lay out a basic 30 point marketing plan for you to follow. Check out our Listing the House course for full details on how to be successful in your marketing efforts.

Showing the Listing

This may seem like a “no­brainer,” but this is also a required by the listing agreement. We go into more detail this as well in the Listing the House course. We will tell you best practices for showing a listing.

Price to the Seller

You are required to give all the offers to the seller at the price that it was given to you. This will keep any impropriety from happening or agents only showing offers that help them the most.

These duties are just an example to show that you need to know the listing agreement for your state. Keep in mind that each state Realtor Association uses different forms. Read, understand, and become familiar with this form. After reading the listing agreement, refer to your broker for guidance if you have questions about your listing duties.