Agency Disclosure — When & How

Nearly every state requires licensees to disclose WHO they represent, in writing, at the first substantive contact about a specific property — not at closing, and not buried in the purchase contract. The disclosure is informational: signing it does not create agency, it just acknowledges the conversation. Substantive contact means discussing motivation, price, or terms — an open-house greeting isn't; a buyer confiding their maximum budget is. Practicing beyond disclosed status (advising a customer like a client) invites both license discipline and civil liability. When status changes mid-deal (say, to disclosed dual agency), a NEW written consent is required from everyone.