Legal Quiz (February 2021)
BY WILL MARTIN, GENERAL COUNSEL
1. Is it ethical for a listing agent whose property has gone under contract to put a “sold” sign on the property and/or indicate on the internet (social media, website, etc.) that it has been “sold” prior to closing?
2. May a listing agent advertise that they have “sold” a property after closing if they did not represent the buyer?
3. Is it ethical for a buyer agent, whose client has put a property under contract, to advertise that the property is under contract without the listing agent’s permission?
4. Can a buyer agent put a “sold” sign on a property after closing?
5. If a buyer agent tours a listed property with her client, is it permissible for the buyer agent to post her own photos of the property on her social media without permission of the listing agent’s firm, if she gives credit to the listing firm?
6. May a REALTOR® advertise properties on her website/social media that her buyer clients have purchased without the consent of the firms that listed the properties or without including the listing firms’ names?
7. If a REALTOR® changes firms, may he continue to display the properties he helped sell while he was affiliated with his old firm on his website/social media?
8. May a REALTOR® include another firm’s listing in her print or social media advertising without the other firm’s consent so long as the other firm is identified?
