Description

Course Description 

This course prepares Pennsylvania real estate agents to communicate the value of professional representation, especially Buyer Representation, to both buyers and sellers. Recent events, including class action law suits and potential investigations by the Department of Justice have raised the stakes for the real estate industry. Real estate agents need to be prepared to clearly communicate about the representation choices consumers have and also have transparent discussions with consumers about compensation. Agents need to use contracts appropriately to establish representation relationships and to make compensation agreements. And agents have to avoid anti-trust pitfalls along the way. To prepare agents for these challenges, this course refers to the evolution of buyer representation, regulations by the PA Real Estate Commission, the REALTOR Code of Ethics, and MLS policies. This course includes up to date information about the lawsuits on the topic of buyer agent compensation and the policies of the National Association of Realtors. This course teaches agents to use pro-consumer tools for the communication and negotiation of compensation agreements. Perhaps most importantly, this course reminds agents that cooperation and compensation are two different things and that there is no standard or proscribed compensation amount or offer of compensation. Rather, agents have a duty to explain to consumers many different potential compensation arrangements.

Course Objectives

At completion of this course, students should be able to:

· Explain the value of Buyer Representation to Consumers, both Buyers and Sellers

· Understand and avoid Anti-Trust issues when discussing Broker compensation

· Explain the contracts between consumers and Brokers that can establish Buyer Broker/Agent compensation

· Explain the difference between cooperation and compensation

· Understand how MLS rules and the Realtors’ Code of Ethics help to offer, negotiate, and collect cooperative compensation

· Understand how to negotiate compensation

· Use many tools (Standard Forms) to establish compensation agreements

· Understand options to arbitrate or mediate compensation disputes.

Instructor Information

Christina Cardone 

Christina Cardone has been a REALTOR for 20 years. Christina works at Keller Williams Real Estate in Media with her family team. She specializes in working with Residential Buyers and Sellers, Seniors, Distressed Properties and Rentals. She was Regional Short Sale Director with Significa Short Sales for 3 years.

She is currently a Director at the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, and a past chair of PAR’s Standard Forms Oversight Committee (2020). Christina has previously been a Director for the National Association of Realtors as well as her local association. 

Christina is also a licensed instructor for several CE and designation courses including SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource), ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative), AHWD (At Home with Diversity), Bias Override, and SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist).

In her spare time Christina enjoys knitting, gardening, and riding her e-bike.