Case #1-22: Realtor® Offers To Buy Property He Has Listed

Doctor A, a surgeon in a major city, inherited a summer house and several wooded acres on the shores of a lake over a thousand miles from his home. Being an extremely busy individual, Doctor A paid little attention to his inheritance for almost two years. Then, planning a vacation trip, Doctor A and his wife decided to visit their property since it was located in a part of the country they had never seen. Doctor A and his wife spent a week in the house during which they concluded that it was too far from their hometown to use on a regular basis. Consequently, Doctor A decided to sell the property and made an appointment with REALTOR® B whose office was located in a town nearby.

Doctor A explained that he had inherited the summer house two years earlier and wanted to sell it since it was impractical to keep for his personal use. Doctor A mentioned that he had no idea what the property was worth since it had not previously changed hands in 40 years and that he was not familiar with local property values.

REALTOR® B explained that sales of vacation homes had been slow for a number of months and recommended a listing price of $75,000. When Doctor A commented that the price seemed low given that the house was located on a lake and included several wooded acres, REALTOR® B responded by asking Doctor A what he thought the property was worth. Doctor A repeated that he really had no idea what it was worth since he was completely unfamiliar with the area and concluded he would have to rely on REALTOR® B's judgment. Doctor A and REALTOR® B executed an exclusive listing on the property and two days later Doctor A and his wife returned home.

Three weeks later, Doctor A received a letter from REALTOR® B to which was attached a purchase contract for $75,000 less the amount of the listing commission signed by REALTOR® B as the purchaser. REALTOR® B's letter indicated his belief that Doctor A should not expect any other offers on the property due to the slow market and that REALTOR® B's "full-price" offer was made to "take the property off Doctor A's hands."

Doctor A immediately called REALTOR® B and advised him that while he might agree to sell the vacation house to REALTOR® B, he would not do so until he could have the property appraised by an independent appraiser. Under no circumstances, continued Doctor A, would he recognize REALTOR® B as his agent and pay a commission if REALTOR® B purchased the house.

REALTOR® B responded that there was no reason to obtain an independent appraisal since Doctor A had little choice in the matter. In REALTOR® B's opinion, Doctor A could either sell the property to REALTOR® B for $75,000 less the amount of the commission or, should Doctor A refuse REALTOR® B's offer, REALTOR® B would be entitled to a commission pursuant to the listing agreement.

Believing that he had no choice, Doctor A signed the purchase agreement and returned it to REALTOR® B. Shortly thereafter, the transaction closed.

Several weeks later, reading a local news article, Doctor A learned that Boards of REALTORS® had Professional Standards Committees that considered charges of unethical conduct by REALTORS® and REALTOR® -associates. He wrote a detailed letter to REALTOR® B's board, spelling out all of the details of the sale of his summer house.

In his letter, Doctor A indicated that he had no problem with REALTOR® B offering to purchase the property but rather his unhappiness resulted from REALTOR® B's insistence on being compensated as Doctor A's agent even though he had become a principal in the transaction. Doctor A quoted Article 1 questioning how REALTOR® B's duty to promote Doctor A's interests could have been served when REALTOR® B had taken an essentially adversarial role in the transaction. Finally, Doctor A commented, REALTOR® B's "take it or leave it" attitude had certainly seemed less than honest.

The board's secretary referred Doctor A's letter to the Grievance Committee, which concluded that a hearing should be held. At the hearing before a panel of the board's Professional Standards Committee, both Doctor A and REALTOR® B told their sides of the story.

Answer: 
After all of the evidence and testimony was heard, the Hearing Panel went into executive session and concluded that while the Code of Ethics did not prohibit REALTOR® B's offering to purchase property listed by him, REALTOR® B had stepped out of his role as agent and had become a principal in the transaction. Article 1 of the Code of Ethics requires the REALTOR® to "protect and promote the interests of the client."

Once REALTOR® B expressed his interest in purchasing the property, he could no longer act as Doctor A's agent except with Doctor A's knowledgeable consent. This consent had not been granted by Doctor A. Further, REALTOR® B's advice that Doctor A had no choice but to view REALTOR® B as his agent and to compensate him accordingly had been incorrect and had been a decisive factor in Doctor A's decision to sell to REALTOR® B. The Hearing Panel also found that REALTOR® B had significantly influenced Doctor A's decision as to the listing price, perhaps with knowledge that he (REALTOR® B) would like to purchase the property for himself. Consequently, the Hearing Panel found REALTOR® B in violation of Article 1.