Important Legal Information
 
Your rights are protected by law and by the codes of ethics to which I subscribe. 
I urge you to read and understand these. Each provides you with protection.
   Washington State's Law of Real Estate Agency, a section of the Revised Code of
Washington is your most important legal protection. You should read and understand
this important law. I will be happy to discuss it with you and explain why I think this
trendsetting legislation should be copied by every state and Canadian province.
   I am also bound by the codes of ethics of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 
and the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).
   To view and download any of these important regulations, click on the appropriate link
below. For your convenience, a brief commentary on each is provide below.
 
   Washington Law of Real Estate Agency - please read this 		PDF
   NAR Code of Ethics - National Association of Realtors			PDF
   NWMLS Rules and Regulations - Northwest Multiple Listing System	PDF
   Buyer's Agency Agreement					PDF
   Seller's Agency Agreement					PDF
   Dual Agency Agreement						PDF
   Non-Agency Agreement						PDF   
 

Washington State’s Law of Real Estate Agency
This law includes portions of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) that directly 
address real estate agency. This legislation is important to everyone involved in the 
purchase or sale of real property, especially when agents are involved. It applies to 
licensed real estate professionals, whether they represent buyer, seller, or neither. 
Likewise it applies to brokers, associate brokers, and salespersons equally. It is your 
right to understand this law. It is my goal to assist in the process.
   Progressive in its intent and language, Washington’s agency law is generally more 
protective of clients’ rights than the law of many other states. Importantly, the law 
clarifies responsibilities in cases of seller’s agency, buyer’s agency, dual agency, and 
non-agency The text of the law itself is presented in my annotated document on pages 
four through eight; its summary begins on page four, and the body of the legislation 
follows on pages five through eight.
   The “new” law corrects a number of deficiencies that existed in Washington agency 
law before 1997. The most important of these related to a buyer’s right to agency 
representation and the complications of dual agency. These refinements in the current 
law represent the evolution of law in general, and real estate law in particular. 
   Prior to the current law, all agents represented the seller. This was thought 
appropriate to the fact that the seller entered into the listing agreement by which 
agency commissions were paid. By this reasoning, that the seller paid the commission, 
the seller’s interests were primary and protected by agency law. The buyer, while still 
protected by certain aspects of the law, was not afforded full agency protection. 
Thus, agents were barred from suggesting terms and strategies disadvantageous to 
the seller. Even when an agent had worked continuously with a buyer, and even though 
the agent wasn't the listing agent, the law stated that the agent represented the seller. 
Period.